Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Early June



Mid august

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

That whole patio area looks great! Very cool :bananas_b

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Very pretty! Filled out quite nicely since June!

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Thanks it's been a work in progress but the musa basjoo have really taken off!!!

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Looks nice....is that colocasia mojito I see too?

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Very nice mix of plants.....looks great!!:)

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

The plants have done well.. I dig the pergola. :^)

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Looks awesome. What's your plan for this winter? Do u just mulch the basjoos?

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Couple of answers to questions above:

Yes it is a Mojito it really took off.

and I am torn between digging up the musa basjoos or mulching. Any thoughts???? I always dig up the cannas and mojito.

Yeah the pergola is widdled from one piece of wood! Just Kidding (Is that from from the movie meet the parents??)

Here is a new pic just this morning

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

I would say leave the basjoo and protect as much of the stem as possible. Im in zone 6 Ohio and my basjoo comes back every year no problem. This year I'm gonna try the leaf cage method and hopefully save 5+ of pstem.

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

I am leaning that way. I was thinking the wire cage method as well.

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

I'm in northern KY and my bajoos stay out in winter. Ive never used the cage method I use feed bags filled with hay and leaves for the small ones and the large construction 1 cu. yard bags for the largers ones and I usually end up with most of my P stem come spring. good lookin nanas there

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Looking wonderful. Amazing how quickly they've grown in zone 6. You inspire us northerners :O)

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Thanks! My hope is to save as much of the pseudostem as possible perhaps 3-4 feet. Also when to separate the pups! They have several right now. Do I separate before the winter or in the spring??? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

My leaves got torn quite a bit in the crazy wind we had on the east coast yesterday!

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

It's not that hard to save the pseudostem. All it really takes is shrink wrapping them so that absolutely no moisture can get into them, then wrapping them up with some sort of a fence, and stuff leaf mulch in there.

The problem with my basjoos is that the psuedo-stem is already at 7ft and growing so it will require a super high fence as pseudo-stems get taller and taller.

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Never heard of the shrink wrap method??? How do you do this??

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Hi I'm new to this forum.I live in Europe,Serbia.It's zone 6.I was reading on this forum about storing banana plants during the winter.I was wondeirng can I store cavendish banana plants this way?

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

me either.. im in zone 6 I fill a mesh bag with straw and leaves and stick it over the p stems..large cubic yard bags for the taller ones and it works fine..never glad wrapped one though

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

Shrink or stretch wrap is a flexible type of plastic used to seal boxes so they are water tight, and it is many times stronger than the plastic wrap that is typically used in kitchens. It can be purchased from eBay or any shipping store.

I basically cut the pseudo-stems down to a certain point once they are wilted, and wrap it with enough layers so that water cannot get into the pseudo-stem and rot it out. I would then add the leaf mulch for insulation.

This year, I would rather use the 4ft tall 55 gallon barrels, cut a hole through the bottom, then stick the barrel over the pseudo-stem. I would then stuff as many leaves I can so the the inside never gets that much below freezing. Since my tallest pseudo-stem is up to 7ft tall, I can either add another barrel on top, or simply use plastic bags on top so I can protect all of the pseudo-stem. After it is all stuffed, I plan on putting a large trash over the top part, and then shrink wrap the set up so that moisture doesn't penetrate into the over-wintering set up.

Re: Growth in Zone 6 Connecticut
 

This is a picture from about 5-6 years ago in East Lyme Connecticut of my dad with some Musa Basjoo he planted. They are never dug up, are much more robust and multiple trunks...he does very little in regard to protecting them in the winter.