Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Has anyone had success overwintering musa bordelon in the ground in USDA zone 6 or 7?

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

I wouldn't risk trying. They aren't reputed to be all that cold hardy.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Since I already have 6 bordelen's inside in pots I have nothing to lose if they dont make it (I still have 3 times what I did a year ago). They are both up against the south side of the foundation of my house in a raised bed in very well drained soil. My plan is to cover them with a 2 foot pile of leaves and cover with plastic. they are both still growing outside now.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

I tried it last winter. It was a small plant, about 4 ft. tall. I covered it with a foot of straw, as I do my small palms. It never grew back this past spring. I finally dug it up; the corm was actually rather large but did have a small area of necrosis which I cut away. I them replanted it in a sunnier location. It never grew, and I've just left it there. maybe I'll get a surprise next year. My potted Bordelon is sitting in my basement undergoing the no water, go dormant routine.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Mine are both about 12 feet tall now and each have about 6 pups growing around the parent plant. They both still look great outside now (I used freeze pruf). I am going to try the leave cage method that worked on my basjoos last winter and see if it works. I think it will help that they are both against the foundation of my house. the soil does not freeze within a couple feet of the foundation of my house. I know this because I have some canna lillys against my house and they come back every year and I only cover them with about 6 in of mulch. I have some pictures of the bordelens in my gallery.
:bananas_b

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Go for it! Good luck.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

One of my customers in Indianapolis had success with overwintering basjoo,bordelon and cannas in a protected bed next to her house by mulching them with piles of bags of leaves. She said she couldn't remember which one was hardy and which one wasn't so she just did the whole bed in piles of bags of leaves. We got down to -20 last winter. She said she also did that with a brugmansia. She said it came back too! I'm going to try it next year. It would be great to have an in-ground brug all year.
I mulched an in-ground naranjilla this fall to see if it makes it. I don't really have much hope on it, but I didn't want to dig it up again.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Thats exactly what I plan on doing. I have been putting all my leaves in 55 gal trash bags and saving them for covering my bananas and cannas. I had success with 2 basjoos last year and they were not near my house. I have some cannas up against the east side of my house and they always come back and I only cover them with about 6in of mulch. I have divided 6 pups from the bordeleen so if it doesnt make it then it wont be a big loss. - Jeremy

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

I have a stand of Yellow King Humbert cannas just in front of my house right next to the cement front porch and foundation. I planted 6, now have over 50. I use no mulch at all, just leave on the stalks until spring when I clean up the garden. Wish my other cannas all did this well; I have to dig them up. I did plant a basjoo pup in this bed to see how it does.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Wow! A burgmansia surviving -20F!? That's awesome! I heard they self sow with out being invasive, maybe that's what happened! Well it doesn't matter, all that matters is that it came back so I'm gonna try growing some myself! :goteam::woohoonaner:

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

So how did the plant fair?

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

My Bordeleen's did not make it outside, so I wouldnt recommend trying to overwinter them in the ground in zone 6 or 7. But I did have 3 pups that I divided in the fall that I brought inside, I planted them outside about 3 weeks ago and they are growing again now. Planted on the east side of my house because bordeleen's do not like wind.

My Basjoos all came back for the 3rd year now. I was able to preserve 3 pstems and they are each over 7 feet tall now. I uncovered early this year on March 15th so my basjoos are 2 or 3 weeks ahead of the same time last year.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Unfortunate about the Bordelon, at least you saved pups! BTW care to trade or sell one?

I just planted some Basjoo corms yesterday, cant wait for those to fill in.

Saved 7' eh? you must have put a lot of work into that.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Sure I would be willing to sell or trade a bordeleen pup with you. I already planted the 3 that I had left from last year. If you can wait a month or two I will have more pups that I can divide. I gave away couple of the 7 I divided last fall and a couple of them didnt make it over the winter. What do you have that you would be willing to trade?

Also if you are interested I have an extra dwarf cavendish in my greenhouse that I would be willing to sell or trade. It is not a cold hardy banana and is only hardy to about 38 degrees. Last year mine got about 8 feet tall and the truck was about a foot wide. They hold up to wind very well compared to other bananas.

Where is Glencoe MO? I am in St Peters.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Yeah, thats sounds good. I will much pups in a month or so...

Glencoe is Wildwood..which was established in '95 so the mail and other sources still call it that.

It's south of Chesterfeild(Valley) and North of Eureka
Manchester & 109 area.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Keep in touch. I will let you know when the bordelon pups are ready. Normally each of my plants produces up to 10 pups, when I divide them it seems like only about half of them have enough roots to survive. When I have pups I will dig them up and put them in pots in my greenhouse (under a shade cloth), and wait a week or so to make sure they make it.

What other varities of bananas do you have? Have you had any plants flower or produce bananas? I have not as of yet but maybe this year. I have been able to get my basjoos pretty tall, about 15 feet last year. Should be able to get 18 feet or maybe more this year since they seem to get bigger each year. I think the ones are the MO botanical garden got 18 or 20 feet in the Chinese garden. they cut their's back to the ground and when I was there on Sat their basjoos were only about 4 feet tall, so I am already ahead of that. The key is to uncover as early as possible I think. This years early Spring helped.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

Yeah. No flowerrs for me this is my second season growing.
I have what I think all tall orinocos I got off craigslist a month back 4-6 foot tall. I also of c-lsit picked up some what I think are ice creams football size corms(with a few feet of stem)

Other than that I have a DC which is now planted again standing at 3' p-stem should reach full height this year.(Ihope)
a little bloodleaf, high color mini.
Than I picked up some plants from Jimmmy.

a Ebun musak with 4 pups should be ready in a month or so.
A Cardaba which should pup still only a 1' stem also a raja puri
other than that just some small Tc's I doubt any would pup this year, but I may be surprised. Dwarf Orinoco, 1000 finger, saba, ice cream, red-green.

Also just planted some 1' TC's from Martha of Itinerans which are said to be hardy here and throw pups several feet from mother plant.(these will be fun) Not sure which Itinerans they are (3 kinds).

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

I would be interested in trading a couple bordelon pups for one of the varities of bananas you have. I already have plenty of basjoo and DC's so I dont need any of those. I am only about 25 miles away from Glencoe so maybe we could meet sometime this spring/early summer and trade.

Re: Overwintering Musa Bordelon in zone 6-7
 

As an update, my Basjoo pup transplant survived in the front bed without any protection and is now over a foot tall. Now we'll see about the deer.....