Overwintering cold sensitive bananas in zone 8
 

What is the best way to overwinter container grown -cold sensitive bananas in zone 8 (no greenhouse, but garage possible). How do you put them to sleep? Should I wrap the trunk? Garage may get into 40s.

Re: Overwintering cold sensitive bananas in zone 8
 

I will attempt to answer this the best I can,

You have two main options, but there is a couple of others too. One, yuo can bring your plants indoors and try to continue growth by using artificial lighting and maintaining watering regime. two, if you have a garage that wont go below freezing, preferably not below 40, you can put them to sleep in your garage. Now you stated cold sensitive, are you talking non-hardy or do you have a variety that doesn't like cold period. I have my Super dwarf inside during the winter b/c they don't like to get below 40 degrees. You cold also try a variation of bigdogs method in cold hardy bananas of digging them out of pot and storing them underneath house.

alex

Re: Overwintering cold sensitive bananas in zone 8
 

When you say cold sensitive, what varieties are you talking about?

Re: Overwintering cold sensitive bananas in zone 8
 

I am not sure of the variety--I just posted a picture on the ID forum--Dwarf Red, Kru or what? It was sold as a dwarf Cavendish, but I think they were wrong.

The cold sensitivity I am talking about is that this plant lost all leaves and the pseudostem even though it was brought into the garage when temps were in the 40s or lower outside--I doubt the garage ever got below 40. I did not have lights on it--just kept it pretty dry. The corm did survive.