Prepairing for Winter
 

Looking for some advice. Over the last 3 years or so, living in zone (7A) . I have been growing my basjoo's, I have been cutting them down in the fall all the way to the ground and covering them with mulch. They come back every year in full force.

I was wondering about only cutting them down to about 3' tall stalks and covering them up with mulch, to see if the will grow taller in the summer.

When I cut them off at the ground and cover them they come back and grow about 7'-8' tall by the end of the season. Will they grow taller by just cutting them off and leaving about a 3' stalk or should I just keep doing it the way I have been doing it?

Thanks for the advice,
Cheers!
Chuck

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

I say go for it. The worst thing that would happen is that maybe they'd freeze down to the ground anyway. The best thing would be if you saved some of that height, then they definitely would be bigger the next year.

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

I cut them down to about 1foot, and they came back in full force reaching up to around 9ft so far, and yes they do survive with enough protection. If you want to save 3ft of stem, then I guess you just need more dried leaves, straw, mulch, or whatever you use to insulate, and perhaps a netting to hole it all together.

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

Its a cold and rainy day here in the DC burbs, I know winter is coming and I have work to do soon!
I have a large banana plant in a big pot ... Its not the Muso Blue Ice Cream I was promised, but its been fun.
(Pay no attention to the thick batch of Purplehearts growing in the pot with them!)

Its grown too tall to bring it inside for winter - so ...
I know I'll have to cut it down and save the corm (?)
But I would like to pare off the pups and put them in pots as houseplants to overwinter them.
Do you cut them off like trimming down daylilly bulb clusters?
One pup is thin and scrawny, the other has a solid stalk and big leave like the original.
Why the diff? And should I save both in pots for next summer?

(Got 2 super-dwarf cavendish already in pots for moving indoors by a big sunny window)

Smaller Image from end of August ...


Larger Image from an hour ago ...

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

Hey, I lived in DC for a few years!
And I'm not an expert yet, so I don't know what to tell you..just make sure you leave at least 2 pups on the main plant. If you have to bring it inside see if you can pot it along with its pups.

If not, make sure the pups are at least 12 inches high or they might be too small to make it through the winter.

If you can keep them intact together, might have a better chance of making it the winter...if you can bring the whole plant indoors.

But like I said i'm no expert ...maybe some of it helps.

But, I'm very interested in seeing your DSCs.

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

SDCs... sorry. Good luck!

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

No problem - the SuperDwarf Cavendish are MUCH smaller - and a much newer purchase (from Sandy of Northern Tropics!)
They should winter indoor fine as is ...

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

Great looking SDCs!
Mine are a little younger than yours.

Yours look like they are about 15 inches high.

Have you fully grown an SDC before or are those your first?

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

Ok, as promised, I took a picture of the Super Dwarf cavendish plants I bought from Northern Tropics earlier this year.
Its a cold and rainy day (Oct 2, 2011) - but I'll clean them up and bring them inside
over the next couple weeks, before we get to the first frost and winter season!
Weather guy on local NBC O&O station said it was the coldest Oct 2 here since 1939!!

Anywho - I shoved that yardstick 2 or 3 inches in the ground - so I'm guessing they're about 24 inch pot-bottom to the tip ...

And yes, these are my first SuperD Cavendish plants ...
between them and the big Banana I bought June a year ago and wintered in a small pot like these,
before repotting it in the big pot out front, I am VERY new to all this bananaNess!

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

Great picture!
I think I have mine in similar sized pots as well so I know from yours that they should do well.
So yours are probably 2 months ahead of mine in growth, so I'll be curious to see the growth on both of our plants (each).

So the leaves that are on there now (on mine) will continue to grow as well or the newer leaves that sprout will already be bigger?

Your leaves look huge!

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

Hi Chuck,

I live in Zone 6a and have been overwintering basjoos in-ground for a few years now, leaving the height at up to 5-6 feet of p-stem so I'll have more height the following year:
1) Cut off all leaves but the last.
2) Post stakes at the 4 "corners" around the plant about a foot away and taller than the plant height (mine's big because it encompasses 2 plants at once).
3) Create a "cage" around the stakes by wrapping with chicken wire or similar
3) Fill tightly with straw around and over the top the plant.
4) Wrap with burlap (have been wondering lately if this step is necessary -- may try it without this year to see).
5) Cover TIGHTLY with a tarp (I make sure 6-12" of the tarp splays out over the ground at the base to help protect rootball)and tie off to keep in place.
6) Place rocks, paving bricks, or the like over the tarp at the base.

In my experience, the last 2 steps are the most important. If it stays dry, the p-stem is in good shape to start growing at height the next spring. However, the one year mine got damp, everything was dessicated down to the ground and had to re-start from the rootball.

Best of luck!
Andrea

Re: Prepairing for Winter
 

annie..im going to overwinter my basjoo in the ground this yr..
thats a great step..by..step...procedure..
thanks..
i get alot of straw..and leaves..for composting..so this yr
i'll be doing that..
also..my basjoo got pretty good height this yr..but..id like them
to get bigger..next yr..and not cutting them down ..as you say..
will get them started bigger next yr..
yea!!
makes sense too on not letting the pseudostem get wet..thus..
get mushy..
much thanks
:goteam: