Frozen banana - still some green in one leaf

I've never understood how some plants (like mums) can withstand freezing and thawing over and over, while tropicals cannot. Here's a close-up picture of a very frozen banana plant that bloomed this year. It has been subjected to 26 degrees and with the small exception of this green part of a single leaf. It is surely done for this year; the main "stem" is still greenish but all the leaves are brown. Can anyone give me a 8th grade explanation of this? I had a biologist explain it to me but it went right over my head.

Temperatures are headed into the mid 70s today after wallowing in the 40s and 50s with clouds all week. "Typical" heartland weather.
Dave.

p.s. I have removed all the pups and stored them in the garage. Should I dig up the base of the plant and store it hoping for a few more pups? None are visible from the surface.

mine look like that as well-26 degrees here too. I am just going to cut off the stem near the base and pile on the mulch about 6-12" thick. Thats my plan anyway.....I do think that some people here in Raleigh leave the stems up all year-not sure why.

I would be interested myself to hear what people's experiences are when the bananas are looking like this.

since you have pups protected in the garage, if I were you, I would whack the mother plant low the the ground and apply a heavy, heavy amount of mulch for protection. No watering whatsover. Then wait til late spring for signs of life. if no return (but I do think it will come back), well you have your pups.

if what you have is a hardy banana, they should be hardy to z5. wish you the best

This message was edited Nov 8, 2006 9:25 AM

some people leave the trunk until feb/mar for added protection. I whack mine just because I can't stand the look of those brown trunks and I'm in a warmer area where protection from cold is less of a requirement

If my banana has bloomed, as you call it, it's history so might as well cut it down. If it hasn't then you can take all the outside leaves off and wrap that babe in burlap and tie that on w/string - no need to cut down or off. If it's not decorative enough for you, you can always over-wrap w/Christmas paper and tie that w/ribbon or put tiny lights for Christmas around it.... Nothing says winter like the blah look of our gardens when we've had a frost or freeze. :>))

Ann

They look awful, but I leave mine year round. After we get our first little frosts (December-ish), the leaves go brown and fall against the trunk. I then leave them for added protection of the main trunk. So far, the last three years, all mine have survived trunk and all. Once February hits and we start warming up, I cut all the dead leaves off and leave green trunks.

Right on, Carter.

Ann

Agree, I have yet to lose a banana here- I don't wack mine, too much effort on my part. I pretty much do what Carter and Ann outlined.

Thanks for the suggestions. This is not a hardy banana. It appears to be a plaintain with small fruits. I can easily dig up the base and store it in the garage with all the others. I was really asking whether "new" pups might form from the base. Obviously the blooming stem won't grow again but there would seem to be lots of energy stored in all that "mass."

75 degrees here today and I had a wonderful 29 mile bike ride - a perfectly blue sky with not a cloud in sight. Thats the thing about being in the middle of the country. It's just as likely to be in the 40s.