Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

Good evening,i would like to know which materials are betters for protect the stem of musa in winter (hessian,straw, leaves, plastic, fabric?)

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

I have seen bubble wrap used for this, look on YouTube I think that's where I saw it. I bring mine inside and store them bare root.

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

And outdoor mode?

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

I think they rapped it twice with bubble wrap and then put a plastic bag with the bottom open over it and filled it with leaves and or mulch.

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

the bubble wrap does not take moisture condenses when it rains?

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

what variety of banana plant?

what temp do you expect it to get down to through a winter in youre area?

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

my zone is north italy ,minimum of this year was - 8 celsius and - 5 for all month of genuary ,i have helen's hybrid not protected the stem is died ,i would like to buy ice cream blue java and dwarf brazilian but not know if it resist to this temperature outdoor..

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

i dont actually know the Best* way to overwinter each of those varieties

check out kaczercat's hoop house:
http://www.bananas.org/f8/greenhouse-46922.html

could you construct something like this?

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

This is D's grow zone.
Link is below.


Exactly what northern town do you live in.... It does matter..

The plants you want to grow outside will not do well in the northern green /tan areas .

Your climate is very somewhat similiar to mine which means your choices of plants will NOT survive the winter in the ground.

Musa basjoo would work in your zone for it is a cold hardy ornamental.

I use wood chips and mulch to cover the plants.
And some of the other members on the forum use leaves , bags of leaves ,tarps over mulch, heavy layer of yard waste, you can use anything that puts distance from the freezing air above the soil line and the ground.

Youtube has some great videos of methods to overwinter plants....Keyword " overwinter basjoo"

Check out the supplied links.



Italy Interactive Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

That's what I've done this winter. Brought it in and it's in a dark, cool storage room in the basement. I checked on it the other day and it's still there, upright. Although the stem is ever so slightly soft. Is that ok? Or do I need to do something? Moisten the roots?

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

Don't water it to much, the ones I have bare root won't get water until April they were dug up in late October. Some of the smaller pups may not make it.
I have some in pots that I gave about a cup of water each yesterday, first they have had since October. These are all 'Orinoco'

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

i watched on youtube that they cover the stem with bubblewrap and outside with black bag filled of straw but i would like to know if the bag of plastic and the bubblewrap over the stem not creates umidity and water at the stem?is not possible used outside the non-woven?and is necessary also cover with bubblewrap the stem or is sufficient cover with a bag filled of straw or leaves?
Thanks

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

my vote is for anything but bubble wrap
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/...44_306x516.jpg

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

It would depend on how wet your weather is, something that you would have to keep an eye on I quess. If you can it's best to get them out of the weather. Mine are to tall for the basement so they are layed over in a pile. I have tried last year but with no luck to winter over a couple trees. I think the corms were spent, I took all the pups off. This year I cut a couple trees and pups about 6" high and piled mulch over them, we will see what happens.

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

Bubble wrap didn't work for me last year. I dug up my biggest one (probably 5' tall after chopping the top off) and have it in the basement. For all the pups, I mulched them, then a layer of plastic, then more mulch over that. They should come back from the ground.

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

This Spring when I put my hibernating stalk back in the ground, I'm thinking about digging the hole bigger and putting in better soil. I have horrible clay soil. I thought I got decent growth this past summer with a new Basjoo, but looking at others' pictures, my growth was pathetic. Would clay soil prevent faster growth?

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

Good soil will help, my brother in Arkansas gave me my first tree. He has a longer growing season but my soil here is much better than his. And it shows.

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

your soil is great for wheat, oats and buffalo grass. rule of thumb, it takes 5 years for water to go thru an inch of clay. now that's all depending on density and purity and all that jazz. farmers on the plains put in wind rows to hold the snow so it will soak into the soil and make their crops grow. your hole can tend to act like a pot and hold water, this your banana will not like. if your hole drains well or fairly descent it might be ok. where you are sometimes you can get into gravel or sand and you might get good drainage depends on what the glacier dropped underneath you property. if you ain't nothin but clay and your hole holds water you may try a top soil and your soil mix. good luck

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

Thanks! Unfortunately, I'm not into growing oats or wheat lol! I get decent growth, but I don't think I'm getting what others do. I'll try doubling the hole depth this year and adding sandy soil.

Re: Materials for protect stem of musa in winter
 

Dario80,

You might want to consider growing your plants in containers because your climate will not support tropicals, this is somewhat an easy task is your area.

There are many threads in the forums which support successful container growing and soilless mix's which are great for you area.

And Youtube offers many informative videos which are awesome.