Annie6078

I've read that you need temps of approx. 40-50 degrees to overwinter bananas dormant. This is my first year trying it & I don't have a spot that maintains those temps. My basement is small, so ambient stays close to 70 with the furnace running -- and my garage is not insulated, so can drop to around or below freezing when it's icy cold outside.

Obviously, the basement is out ... but I don't feel terribly safe (nor want to pay the electric bills) to run a heater or lights in the garage (or forget to turn them on some night). The only thing I can think of is to fabricate some sort of enclosure -- something like a "box within a box" -- that I could stuff insulation inbetween the two layers and just hope that keeps them warm enough, but not too warm in the garage.

I've hit a complete mental block & just totally stuck on how to do this ... and am digging up my last banana tonight. I could REALLY use some help, please. This last one to come out is my Dwarf Cavendish, and I desperately want to get it thru the winter so I can try to get my first fruit next season. I'd be grateful for ANY and all ideas, thoughts, suggestions anyone can offer.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Andrea

natedogg1026

I winter my big nana's under the house and it works great. If they are small pot em and bring them in. A basement works well too. Add some fluorescents and water sparingly. My dad chops his leaves cleans the dirt off and stores them in his garage, make sure they are in the dark though. Maybe this will help. If you got any more questions pm me.--Nate

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Banana's are a safe addiction. Right?Maybe I need classes.

Annie6078

I'm afraid I forgot to ask about this ... While I potted the smaller ones for indoors, I'm overwintering the large ones dormant this year – my first time trying it. The articles I've read pretty much stop at the part where you get them stored. So, what do you watch for & do thru the winter ... do you ever mist them, how do you tell they're not dying, is covering with a sheet dark enough, that sort of thing. I'd really appreciate any info.

Nate, thank you for your suggestions and the offer to PM to help.

Thanks,
Andrea

natedogg1026

I put mine under the house and just leave em, that simple. The life of the plant is stored in the rhizome and as long as it doesn't freeze, it should be fine. If your storing them in the garage, wrap the roots in a trash bag and keep them in the dark. Maybe try a cardboard box if you don't have anywhere to store them. When they are dormant they need no light and no water, that is if stored bare root. I'd pot up your small ones and put the rest under the the house or in the basement/garage. They are tougher than you think.

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Banana's are a safe addiction. Right?Maybe I need classes.

bigdog

Cavendish bananas seem to have more trouble than others when trying to maintain the pseudostem intact storing it bareroot. I would recommend potting it up into the smallest pot you can cram it into and still have some soil in it, and storing it in your basement. 70F will be fine. Water only about once per month, or even less. It's not likely to grow many roots at that temperature, so watering it more than that will just cause rot. You can store it dormant at those temps also, but the pseudostem may dessicate significantly. If I could make just one suggestion to you, get rid of the Dwarf Cavendish if you want fruit. It just isn't a good choice for any zone colder than 9b. Try a Dwarf Orinoco instead.

I have stored plants in a closet inside the house before, at room temperature, and they did OK. Yes, temps between 45F-60F are ideal for storing them, but you can get away with higher temps. Just keep them away from your furnace, in the coolest corner you have in your basement. Good luck!

Annie6078

Thank you both very much for your help. I really appreicate it and will give your suggestions a try.

Andrea

Annie6078

Frank,

I should have clarified ... when I bring the Cavendish into the basement, I assume that it doesn't have to be in the dark since I'm not trying to have it go dormant by the method you suggested. Is that correct?

Thanks again for all your advice ... and I will try the Orinoco. Is it pretty tasty? The only bananas I've ever tried were the Cavendish from the grocery.

I really appreciate your help,
Andrea

kuma119

I have the same problem as you do. My solution is to build a frame out of 2x3 lumber(it is cheaper than 2x4) in the garage . It is about 4 ft by 4ft high by 16 ft long. I lay insulation board on the bottom of the wood frame against the floor. I wrap the whole frame with several sheets of plastic and lay some old blankets on top for insulation. I bought a fish tank heater control ( 45.00) and I use it to regulate a disc heater inside the wrapped frame. I keep it about 55 deg. It works well. Oh, I also keep a bucket of water inside for moisture. Good luck

Annie6078

Thank you SO much for your detailed info -- it sounds like a really great setup and I think I'll give that a try. I REALLY appreciate it. What a great community of people so kind to offer their help -- I'm very grateful.

Andrea

bigdog

Andrea,

That's correct. And you don't need to cut off all of the leaves either, but do cut a few because this will reduce evapotranspiration from the transplant shock.

Orinoco is fairly tasty, as long as you let it get very ripe before eating it. By that, I mean let it get a little black on the skin. It has a somewhat pithy center also, but I like them.

Frank

Tropicallvr

Will bananas store without any light by that method too ?

AllenF

I am experimenting with an exterior box to store my palms and bananas here in Zone 3b. I am using 3" thick styrofoam from 2 feet below the surface to 4 feet above the surface. The enclosure has a small diffused light window and is heated by a Heating cable used to keep pipes from freezing. This cable has a thermostat that turns it on at 35* F and off at 43* F.

For the first winter I am going to store only my palms, cycads and canna in the box and will monitor temperatures with a wireless thermometer. If the first box, which is 10 feet long and 6 feet deep, is successful, I will heat a second 3 foot by 8 foot box next year and use it specifically for my bananas.

Allen

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You don't have to be crazy to grow Bananas in Alberta, but it helps

mrbungalow

According to a few sources you are able to overwinter a few fruiting bananas outside such as orinoco and brazilian with the hay-enclosure method. I would love to hear of some more people trying this though, but I don't see why it shouldn't work. The key is to insulate with hay, and capture the earths' heat.

I also have had bad experiences with cavendish-types, in one way or another.

Erlend

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