Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

The video was from Portland, Oregon, so I guess the not recommended for the "rainy climate" is out the window. Also, if you listened to him explain the insulation wrap and the reason he starts that high. He says to start that high because mulch will be piled up to the bottom of it, so that kills that theory. Just don't see how the insulation would not become soaking wet and cause rot!!!

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

no, if you keep it off the ground it will drain & dry out pretty quick. My basement flooded alot of times and I can get it dry with in hours... IN new foundations they are wrapping basements for dainage to your footer tile.

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

i think im going 2 try it . Maybe its better 2 use some plastic above the insullation end prevent rain or snow is getting in the outside of insullation .

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Hey guys/gals,

I'm wondering about this whole thing with keeping bananas indoors. I moved all my nanners inside (Brrr, it's cold outside) in the pots they were growing in, and they're growing as if they were outside (OK, not that well, but putting out a new leaf every 5-7 days or so). I know this is a "putting to sleep thread," yet they really don't want to sleep. Most of them have a nice big southern window with a humidifier under them (so far, no spider mites - :). I know I'm not supposed to water them as much or fertilize, yet I love to see the growth since they're still young nanners (first year). I keep watering them and they keep growing. If I'm treating these as houseplants for now, would fertilizer be bad? Am I pressing my luck with providing the copious amounts of water they want? I have some banana fuel I'm itching to try out. Any comments? Will my indoor luck change as the days shorten? I hope not. Thanks.
--Brad

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Prometheus, Hello I am south of you "ohio". If there growing good give them what ever you got... If you start seeing leave damage back off of everything.... esp. water.... Next year you will have to make a decision on "do I bare root or pot?????" Well I have a boat load of bare rooted right now so time will tell... I have been checking temps of basement/complete darkness so I can give results to all..... It's only for fun you know....:goteam:

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Brad, it really depends on temp--if they are staying above 60 they are not dormant so you will get growth. Growth will be slower because of the lower light and shorter days, so you should cut back on fertilizer and water a little as well. The real problems come from too much water when the banana is too cool to grow.

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Just finished digging up all my nanas, ee's and canna and brought them inside. Man is my back killing me.

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

for my case I'm just waiting for a significative frost and then i'll protect my bananas by wrapping the stems ...

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Hey Saltydad,
This is my first year for EE and canna. Some I planted as a single corm and some were already potted and growing. When you dig them, did you trim all the leaves, stem, and everything off to store for the winter, or did you leave any green plant left on the corm for a start next year? Just wondering, since the original EE corm just looked like a ball of poo. :ha:

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

WV Girl,

My first year with these too. I chopped down the EE's and threw the tubers and roots in a paper bag for a few days, trimmed them down a little, and waited a week. I pulled off the green again, trimmed off the roots, and waited again. Then I broke them up into beautiful (not to mention many new), dry, and compact tubers ready to store for the winter (or give to friends). Just give it some time and make sure you keep them dry (feel free to trim or pull off any green/wet parts).

I'm overwintering my cannas indoors in their pots; their doing just well with southern exposure and kicking out new leaves every few days. I never thought I'd keep cannas as indoor plants for the winter. Let me know how your storage of those goes (next year I may do this differently as I have way too many other plants that want their winter spots).

--Brad

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Wow. Today we dug up my nanas (decided against trying to overwinter them in the ground) and boy, YOU WERENT KIDDING! I could not believe how heavy they were!:weightliftingnaner: I dont think I will be able to move tomorrow. I had to enlist the help of DH to get them out of the ground. It was necessary to go ahead and split them into pieces so I could even pick them up. I hope I did the right thing. My DH thinks I'm a bit crazy, and maybe so, but right now he's humoring me with this big pile in the basement. Oh well, if they make it next year, it will all be worth it!

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Hi all. I dug up my 3 IC for the first time. They have stems about 3' tall. I took all the dirt off the roots. I plan to store them in a garage. My only question is what is the min temp they would be able to handle & not cause a problem? Thanks.

Vinny

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

As dormant stems, I think they can handle any lows above freezing.

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

OK thanks.That's what I was thinking also, but wanted to get some feedback/ reassurance from others that have tried successfuly. I hate to loose them. They are like my babies!!

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

just cut the temp in the green house to 45 degrees as a low today, naners are still growing like crazy, if they don't stop soon they will grow through the roof. it is still hitting 90-100 degrees on sunny days, only one light frost so far, can't wait till spring. but planting bare root fruit trees in the nursery will keep my grow fix going till then.

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

The fibreglas insulation acts to both insulate and wick moisture away from the plant. I particularly favor the use of bubble wrap, which is re-usable, and much cleaner to handle than the insulation. Some attempt to create a cap to keep direct moisture inside the tube would seem wise also. Otherwise, a horticulturist in Portland would seem to have it figured out for us rainy climate banana maniacs. The burlap wrap is more than decorative as well, also avoiding creating a moisture trap next to the stalk.

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Just a few thoughts on the whole winter storage thing;bananas are all tropicals or semi-tropicals, and don't have a specific dormant cycle in nature. So, when we humans decide to grow them out of a normal climate, we should be trying to "think like the plant" as I like to say. Most plants stop active growth at about 13oF, so when growing conditions fall below this temperature, the plant will tend to react accordingly, dropping leaves, changing leaf color, and in general, not growing any more. So, it would seem wise to provide storage environments that maintain minimal growth of the plant, to avoid the alternative, which seems, by many of the posts, to be rot and decay. So far as I can see, many members are offering good advice as far as maintaining dryness around the root mass, and minimizing humidity in the area, which accelerates rot. Although there may not be better options for some members, cold storage in a humid environment will often be a hit and miss situation. I'm thinking the best solution is keeping the plant "just growing" whenever possible. Just some thoughts on an obviously challenging problem. Good luck all.

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

Thanks for the vid! I'm gonna need this!!

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

If my dwarf cav was already hit by frost (pics in my last thread) would I still be able to dig it up and overwinter in my garage? Or is it a lost cause?

Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter
 

IMHO, if your intent is to try to overwinter inside anyway, you have little to lose, you'll be digging your plant up anyway. Hopefully, you've mulched the plant earlier in the year. As long as the frost has not penetrated the soil/mulch down far enough to cause the root mass to freeze, and the root still appears to be firm and healthy, dig it up and carry on with your plans. If the root appears frozen, well, it's an opportunity to head to the nursery for something new next spring! Hope the root is still cozy and protected under your mulch!:santananer:)