Okay I have two bananas in the ground and two more in pots, I plan on bringing the potted ones inside to live the winter in the dining room but, I really dont have the extra pots or the extra room large enough for the other two because of how large theyve grown. I was thinking about leaving them out and trying to see if they would survive the winter with alot of padding but now Im not sure I want to do that sooooo.....
What is the best way to dig up and store a banana for the winter without(hopefuly) killing them, let them go dormant until its time to put them outside again.
Storing bananas in winter?
Hopefully Rootdoctor will see this. He's genius at this stuff.
Yes he is. I hope he sees it too.
Maybe later, I heard that he has been working like a dog lately =(
Last fall I dug my bananas and potted the pups. The biggest banana....well let's just say I got a little lazy and stuck the root ball in a plastic bag and put the whole thing in Jim's workshop. It doesn't get below about 55 or 60 in there. Once in a while he would come in the house and ask me if I was going to water that banana. I would give it a cup or two, just poured down through the top of the bag. That darned banana held over better than the ones in pots and is still doing well in the flower bed.
Hmmmm...and I dug mine...stored in the root cellar which never goes below 55 degrees...and it went to mush! Go figure!!
Interesting. Wonder what caused the different results ?
Maybe the root cellar was too moist and too dark.
That might be it Brugie!
I have a banana mammah + pups in a large pot next to my pond. I've been wondering how to winter that puppy over as well! Our basement is pretty damp and dark and I'm afraid it'll turn to mush. :( Do you think it would be okay to store it at my parents' house in their semi-heated sunroom (never gets below 45 or 50 degrees), just let it "go dormant" and water it *sparingly* (not a problem with *my* mom! Ha) Would that be better than my basement or still too cold? Also, anyone know how to ID a banana? Bought it at a plant auction this summer......
Hello greenthumber and Welcome to Dave's.
Best bet is to post a picture in the Identification Forum. Good luck !
I am not sure what happened to my bananas this past winter..I lost my pups...strange winter here, just long and cold..not really much frost, but not the warm sunny days we have here and there...I noticed the group [Rare fruit growers] here in s.Calif. were all complaining too and had lost some of their tropical fruit trees too...it was very strange and caused lots of problems, just shows you cannot guarantee anything just because of where we live...I have new pups and hope they may be a little hardier [ dwarf varieties..not sure that that matters dwarf or not] but I will see how they do....ps..the winter was very dry for several months so they certainly did not suffer from an abundance of water....
Greenthumber my potted bananas are dwarfs also, the cavendish I just got this year but the unknown I have had for about 8 years now, its the pups actualy since the origonal died about 2 years ago but Ive kept it in a sunny window, in my instance the dining room with french doors, watered a little about once a week and they do fine. I always get some leaves to die off but there is always new growth. It does grow much slower of course but it stays in great shape until I can put it back outside in the spring.
Brugie, I might have to try that plastic bag thing, my only other choice right now is to leave them outside. Just no more room at the inn.
Janet,
I asked that same question on another thread in this forum. The hardiest variety is Musa Basjoo, which can stay outdoors all year. However, the Musa Cavendish is not going to like our winters, especially if we get a lot of snow or ice storms. I also have to dig up my Cavendish and bring it inside. It's up to you if you want to take a chance and perhaps we'll have a mild winter. I would read the Farmers Almanac next month and see what they are predicting for November & December. Unfortunately, they will only predict 2 months out.
If you want to try and winter them over outside, cut the stem back to about 6inches above ground level. Encircle the Nana with chicken wire and fill with dry leaves. Hopefully, it will regrow from the root system once the weather warms up next May.
Good Luck!
Shirley