I recently purchased a Musa basjoo at our local Menards store. I googled it and have read that with heavy winter mulch it can be left outside in the winter.
Anyone from out cold winter season ever tried this? Did it survive, and if so how did you mulch it?
From the articles I have read, after the first frost I cut it down to about 2 feet and mulch the dickens out of it and wrap it, mulch and all with a tarp. Then come early spring remove the tarp, the psuedostem will be soft and gelatinous but the plant will re-grow from its roots. Is that about right?
Any suggestions?
Thanks ahead of time for any info you can provide me with.
Cece
Info on Musa basjoo
I planted one last year, on the west side of my house. The bed is topped with peagravel, but otherwise, I didn't make any special provisions for protecting it. The following season I wanted to move it because it was just too big for the original area. When I dug it up in the spring, the roots appeared to have survived. So, I planted it (the root mass) in a large pot and eventually a little pup appeared. I went ahead and brought the baby inside for the passing winter; just in case it wasn't established enough to make it. I'm going to find a permanent home for it this season and go from there.
Thanks for the info. This once has about 6 large leaves and another one slowly opening. Its in a gallon pot. Think I'll just plant it out and see how it goes this summer and wait till fall to drive myself bonkers trying to decided do I dig it or leave it.
Thanks again..
Cherie
No problem. I know that it's hard to want to take the gamble. If you don't want to cut it back to bring it in or cart that mammoth inside; maybe settle for pulling some of the pups for over-wintering. In my case, I just plain waited to long to pull it up and nature decided at that point. I was lucky to have a new baby the following season. Good luck to you!
Shelley
You may already know this...but they grow really fast in a single season. So, be sure to give it LOTS of space, width wise.
I read that about them. The one I bought has two babies with it already. That is what I originally intended to do plant it out take the babies in for just in case the parent didn't make it through the winter but I started worrying about next winter before this spring even really gets on its way.
I know why worry about 6 months from now. lol I'm hopeless, I know.
Cherie
I've ordered 3 little guys from the Agristart's Tropical Co-op........, http://www.agristarts.com/musa_basjoo.htm and I never even knew we could grow such until that Co-op.I'd like to know as much as possible.....LOL.I'm so excited.
synda - I'm excited about these too. That is why I worry for my new babies 6 months early. I'm obsessed!
I was told when they get frosted to cut down to about 1 ft and then put a bale of hay on top.I have no idea but we will see.
I heard that too. I was thinking cut it down two feet put some chicken wire around it and fill it with leaves and then put some kind of tarp around it. I guess in early spring when the protection is removed you're not supposed to be surprise because the stem will be soft and gelatinous but that it will grow from the roots and grow quite quickly. Guess we'll see won't we?
Oh to live in zone 8, wouldn't that be wonderful?
I thought about this with chicken wire. I think I might put the bale of hay/pinestraw/whatever over the plant, then use landscaping pins to hold the chicken wire down over it.
Sounds good. In theory at least ; )
Yeah cececoogan zone 8 would be nice for the warmth ,but what about tonados,I'm a BIG chicken....LOL.
We get tornadoes too. I;m a big chicken also. The first mention and I head for the basement till its over.
This is my second time over wintering my musa basjoo.Yes I cut it down to about 2 feet.Piled leaves on top of it close to 2 feet.Then put a whole bag of hard wood mulch on top of that.My sister came to visit early spring that first year.She asked me,"Is that a beaver dam,in your backyard".LOL.Low and behold it worked.I waited till about the 1st of june to uncover it.It grew twice as tall as the first year.I can hardly wait to see what it does this year.But I will.So this year its still in its beaver dam.I will wait again before I uncover it.I separated 2 pups from the mother and mulched them also.Maybe this year I will have 3 plants.Maybe they are all dead? Time will tell.I am keeping good thoughts.Living on a cliff on Lake Erie the winters are brutal here.Super cold and very windy.If gardening wasn't a challenge,it wouldn't be any fun,right.Edge
ah Edge if you can do it I can do it right??????
Such good news.....
Ah, now you guys got me started dreaming about being in zone 8 again. *sigh* Yeah, it sure would be nice...maybe someday.
Cece, that's great news that you've already got two pups! See, nothing to worry about...you've got back up!
Maybe this year, I'll actually get around to protecting the poor thing, so that I can enjoy a tree twice the size. Great to hear that is the result.
The pic below isn't the greatest, but it's the only one I can find on my laptop at the moment. My most favorite thing about the tree was that a baby hummer that we had that season liked to perch on a leaf and sway in the wind. In fact, that was the first time that I saw one stick out their tongue! I guess he was grabbing a taste of the passing breeze, lol!
edgeoftheworld that is so funny about the beaver dam.......
And beautifulchaos you just had to show that pic,not I'm even more anxious to get mine and it get warm enough to plant.........jumping up and down.
Synda, I'm anxious about getting a lot of stuff into the ground too. So, I understand! I have a ridiculous amount of stuff in my basement just begging for that warm weather to make it's permanent mark! I have some things outside right now that I'm going to have to cart in on Sunday because of the low temps expected that night. And of course, it's only going to be cold *that* night and the rest of the week they would be fine. I'm sure that I'm gonna be cussing myself for having put the stuff out there to begin with, as some of the pots are heeaavy.
Oh, and you reminded me...I giggled about the beaver dam comment from edge too. ;-) Edge, I don't know if I could bring myself to wait until June to take the Musa's winter clothes off. Boooo on my impatience. Speaking of my hastiness...I once saw a garden stone..I wish I had went ahead and bought it. I've never seen another one since and it couldn't have been a more accurate depiction of my gardener demeanor, lol!
I need one of those stone....LOL and I'll tell you they say patience is a virtue,well I have NO VIRTUES....LOL.
I've no patience either. Right now, though, I'm patting myself on the back for the restraint I had last week. We had a couple nice days in the 50's and couple in the 60's. I did NOT uncover any of the beds because I learned my lesson last year. Good thing too as we have 4-8" snow forecast by Sunday morning. Rain for this morning switching to rain/freezing rain/snow this afternoon eventually changing to all snow..........Last year a few nice days I uncovered, raked and bagged.......so proud of myself that it was done. Two days later I was out there in a hurry dumping the bags back on the beds due to a cold front that lasted 2 weeks.........won't do that again.
I will take the pups and pot them, plant parent plant in the ground, next fall leave parent plant and bring in babies. I don't know if I have room for more than one banana plant though. Next couple years will be trial and error.
Most northern gardners know the weather is crazy and unpredictable.We have such a short growing season.We all want to rush or get a jump on things.You just can't do it.I remember one year.I direct sowed a bunch of annual seeds to early.90% of them rotted in the ground.What a waste of time and money.I too have a large collection of plants over wintering indoors.You can't rush the hardening off period either.This a tough time of year for me.Plants everywhere,in every window,sunroom jammed up.Winter sowing jugs outside.Plants under lights.Flats of seedlings growing in the basement.I have given up my other hobbies.I had salt water aquariums,years ago.I couldn't be happy with one.I had eight.All in all this plant addiction cost less than other hobbies.It also brings me more enjoyment.Its all good.My parents are coming up for Easter.I already know and expect them to shake their heads.I will be getting the OMG all weekend.My plan is to grab another adult beverage and ask,"when are you leaving".LOL,Edge
lol you are too funny Edge.........I get it from my sister. In warm weather she'll come over find a new bed or a new plant she knows wasn't there the last she came and its are you NUTS? Too much work for me. She only comes here maybe 2-3 times a year. DM shakes her head and tells DH blame her grandmother.
A short growing season would drive me nuts. We pretty much garden March to December. I dont know how yall do it.
I want zone 8 but DH won't budge. 10 month growing season I think I'll go he can stay. He says maybe when he retires Huh? He told DS#1 that he wasn't retiring until 80, By then I'll be old if not dead. geesh what can I say?
Forgot to come back to this thread. Edge...looks like you oughta have your adult beverages ready, since Easter Weekend is on the way...you can be ready for all the "OMG's" from the parents. ;-)
Your seed loss story has reminded me that I MUST NOT SOW SEEDS outside for at least another week. Sorry to hear that as well.
In reference to the importance of hardening off: I have just a couple of seed flats inside right now. Do you leave yours in a sheltered spot for a week or so and then plant out? I've read that a week should do it, but wanted to know what your personal experience has been with that. I'm also contemplating planting some of them in small pots first to let them get a bit tougher before I stick them in the ground. In majority, I've tended to buy grown plants in the past over seeds. However, this year I bought a lot of seeds and this was my first time starting 72 cell flats inside. So, I'm at a bit of loss for the best way to 'introduce' them to the garden.
Ok, back to the musa, my banana pup is doing fine. However, I lost my false banana last week. :-( Sorry for the generalization, but I can't think of the proper name at the moment. Anyway, too much water and too little light did it in. Dangit that thing was expensive too. Grrrggh.
Here's a pic of what was it's first year and well, it's last...
I had taken a picture of my bananas "'pups" and never posted them and thought I did. I can find it in my picture files so I must not have put them it in there either. Where is my brain? Has any one seen it? If you find it will you send it home?
Sorry can't help on that one...........
lol I need one of those signs to hang on the garden shed.
Copy and print it ,I don't mind...........
cece, synda...thanks for the laughter! Good stuff there. Now I need a sign like that for the garden, along with that "Grow dam**t" stone!
Cece...any luck finding your brain? hehe. :-)
Nope I guess I have lost it for good. I'd like one of those stones too. Guess I'll have to paint a rock and a plaque myself...........
I'm heading into season 3 of m. basjoo here in Ohio. I planted my nanners in a basement window well (CLOSE to the foundation on the southern side of the house.) Fertilized with sterilized sewage sludge and hardwood ashes (from a fire pit.)
Every year I protect them with a foot high pile of fall leaves.
The roots have gone deep, so I don't have to supply much h2o. The plannts hit 10' for me last season, and are punching through the leaves now. :)
-Joe
Oh I can only hope. Too much shade by any of y window wells on the south side. I'll figure out something I usually do....... If it doesn't survive I have pups already I can pot can bring in just in case.
Most of my luck has been trial and error any how. What can I say?
Shade isn't necessarily a bad thing.
-Joe
But I'm in WI, that wouldn't hinder? Besides it's very shady (a big maple super close to the patio) spot on the southern end of the place. Really don't want to hinder it;
Good to know Joe...thanks for sharing your experience with them...10'...awesome!
I only have small narrow beds on the south side of my house. So, I don't think I could make that work. However, I am going to leave some cannas in the ground on the SS this year to see if they will make it. I'm curious to know about the shade factor too. I'm wanting to plant the musa in my backyard this year, which would get east, some west and almost no south sun (garage blocks the south in that area)...
Found the picture of my banana "pups"I renamed it after my DGD for some odd reason. Oh yeah I lost my mind. Still haven't found it and still looking for it.
Here's the whole plant. I took that soda bottle out of there can't keep it filled. Thirsty stinker isn't it?
Musa basjoo are heavy feeders correct?
Would a plant food that I give to my Brugmansia's be okay? It has Tea Tree oil, ammonia, MG, peroxide, epsom salt, molasses, 1 can of beer, molasses, a vitamin B12 tablet crushed up and 2 cups of water. I add 2 tbsp to a gallon of water.
I am leaning towards that it probably wouldn't hurt it only I am so looking to hear someones honest opinion on the whole manner.
This is the first year I've used this particular recipe. It was recommended in the "Brug forum" so I decided to try it.
Wow, that's a nice looking, sturdy plant!
I loved the "beaver dam" story too- thanks for my laugh for today!