Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalabrian
Dear friend, what a nice garden you created!
Two questions:
1) could you be more precise on the ways you cover the plants on frost nights? I am not really interested in christmas lights, etc methods but on the way you apply blankets or similar things. Your methods seem in fact very effective.
2) All those bananas survive your winters with no protection????? Could you be more exact? Maybe you planted the cavendishes only this Spring and they still have to face winter? If so, which ones did actually survive winter with no protection? And which do bear fruit (regularly or occasionally)?
Thanks a lot
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1. Nothing really special...I just place an old blanket or comforter and/or bucket over them. For the bigger palms I wrap them with lights and then wrap them with an old comforter and tie it all off with jute. I may even leave it that way for 3 or 4 days if the weather stays cold; it doesn't seem to hurt them.
2. I just planted many of the bananas this Spring. This past fall I dug the Zebrinas and Dwarf Cavendish and brought them indoors. I cut the psuedostems to about 5ft on my Orinocos and just left them like that all winter, with no protection. They even continued to slowly grow all winter. I left the Musa ornata unprotected as well, but they froze back to the ground.
The Orinocos make fruit here every year, though apparently not as much as in tropical regions (I don't care!!!). The Musa ornata and zebrinas are blooming for the first time. The others are too young; the Saba and Ladyfinger were about 6 in tall when I planted them out about 4 and a half months ago! And do not believe all the bad things you might hear about tissue cultured (TC) bananas. I bought these two from a place called Green Earth online and at a pretty reasonable price.