Did my hardy banana make it, and how do I know?

My mini grove of hardy bananas (in it's third or fourth year) crumpled into a puddle of mush this winter. I am trying to figure out if it is going to come back. When I tried digging down I encountered some oozing but crispy white flesh. Is it alive?

Good question, and I will be curious to hear responses from people who know more about them than I do. Funny thing...I was just poking at mine yesterday to see if it looked like it made it. I managed to kill one two years ago (my fault, planted it too close to the edge of the pond and the water got higher than I had ever seen it before so it was underwater for a couple of months in the winter). The friend who gave me the first one was kind enough to take pity on me last year and bring me another one. I was determined to get it through the winter this year, so put a big cardboard box over it before the frost came and filled the box with leaves to protect it. Finally had the courage to look yesterday, and I can't tell if I was successful or not. The base of the stalk is still there, and hard..not mushy.. but doesn't have any other signs of life.

Anyone a banana guru?

I didn't protect mine at all. Last year there was a nice green pointy stalk 3 feet tall at about this time, with the babies coming later. One thing for sure, if I wanted to move it to a different location it would be a big nasty job! The "stump" is about 24-30 inches across; last year that meant about three nice big stalks and half dozen "pups".

If you've got Musa basjoo, they are fine. They will top kill, but will sprout from the roots again.
It's still a bit early for the new growth to emerge, but you could pull away the topsoil to see what condition the stalks are in.
Now would be a good time to move it, as long as you can work the soil in the new location.

Thank you, Katye! I also "borrow" the neighbors banana grove as screening, and would be disappointed if theirs didn't also return. Poking around rather ruthlessly with a shovel I exposed white fleshy pith. Is that the alive part?

Yes - if you dig down, the "root" should be white/firm. If it's mushy - not good.
When the soil temperature warms up, the new growth will begin to emerge.

Thanks, Katye!

You are quite welcome! =:0)
Mine croaked - the dogs were using it as a pee-target...

I would be surprised if most of the bananas do not survive. I consider my 10 year old banana to be a monster with an immense root system (even though it looks rotty on the top). I know my new banana I planted last spring is still alive even after being literally washed out of the ground by flooding. I just replanted it and it was bright purple with new growth. Patience is the key here.

Azorina, you probably laughed when you saw my post as you know very well about the fate of the first one and the sweetheart who gave us the second! Looks like it made it..Mom and I couldn't resist finally taking a look and is still very solid at the base...much different that the one we couldn't even find last year. Patience may be a virtue, but is tough for those of us who want spring to finally get here for real! :)

Knownasnancy, did you see this thread?

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/966758/

Thanks, Katie, I just read through it. I smiled at their zonal envy: Oh to be in zone 8! I poked around my slime mound again this afternoon and still no signs of life. I am seriously considering moving it, or trying to. Since the neighbors cut down "my" shade canopy trees I have a lot of rearranging to do...here is a picture of the greenhouse and bananas that I "borrow" from my other neighbors yard...I hope theirs come back too!

That looks so lush and lovely. I didn't realize that you could keep a banana alive in the PNW. It must help you to cool the greenhouse in the summer, too.

Well, those are my neighbors bananas and her greenhouse too! For some reason she built it on the property line. Makes my (small city lot) look bigger, as everyone thinks it is my greenhouse. It is only my green-with-envy-house.

knownasnancy isn't Portland, Oregon in zone 8?

that is right!

Any signs of life in your banana, Nancy?

I was out there yesterday poking around again. The root is still firm, but no green as yet. I am thinking of moving it. It was suggested that now would be the time to do it. Since the neighbors to the west cut down their TREES, there is a space for it there.

Fingers crossed for you!

All is not lost! I just found a new shoot from my youngest Musa basjoo! Whoo Hooo! Spring is here!

CONGRATULATIONS AZ! We saw green on the lower part of the stalk on ours. Wating with baited breath.

I just looked (very closely) and found several little tiny pups on my 10 year old hardy banana...gees they really don't look like they could possibly reach 22 feet this season.......hope to be surprised!

I have a shoot too! But in the meantime I decided to try to relocate the banana. Ugh. Please be warned that it is best to think very carefully about where to place it in the garden!

This discussion has been making me want to try one.

Cisco Morris was talking about a hardy banana he has in his garden. It's a cross between Musa basjoo and something else. The name starts with a "D". If I can find it, I'll post.

Katie I think you are talking about Darjeeling Banana, Hooker's Hardy Banana Musa sikkimensis. From what I understand it is supposed to actually produce edible fruit. I have been all over the internet and found it at Plants Delight Nursery in South Carolina...and of course it is sold out.
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/joegee_1137965931_741.jpg

you can always try from seed, the musa sikkinensis is one of the easiest bananas to grow from seed, I got my seed from banana-tree.com. If you do try some from seeds be advised even with good seed the germ rates are terrible, get at least 100 seeds and only expect 5-10 seedlings of which half will probably die off. I managed to get 10 and have about 5 left, they are almost big enough to plant out and see if they survive. Musa velutina is also a good candidate for zone pushers, I got 1 germ out of 100 seeds which damped off.
Another musa to look for is musa robusta, I think it is a hybrid as I cant find any info on it. I have several of these I got fom the home improvement store and they hold the foliage in temps 10 deg lower than my Musa basjoos. Now if i could keep the voles from eating the bulbs when I plant them out.

Caleb

Nice to meet you and your cute son caleb.

Yeah Azorina! Congrats on the pups!

Looks like a lot of stuff is going to be starting almost from scratch this year, but that is WAY better than not surviving at all!

Welcome Caleb! Beautiful plant, as well as beautiful baby! I can't imagine having the patience to try to start something with less than 10% (or GADS even 1%) success ratio. You have much more patience than I do!

The banana that we were gifted with is tagged as "Banana Robusta", and last year was it's first year, but it was beautiful. I was so excited when I scoped it out tonight. No prayer for pups, but I did the happy dance when I saw this...frost bitten or not!

I think it is Darjeeling!! Good to know that I could start one if I wanted. I just love the idea of a hug, big-leaved plant. of course, I get very little hot sun on my property. It moves around, but no one place really gets heated up. I'd have to put it in a pot, and then I'm afraid it wouldn't have much chance of surviving. .

Kathy, Azorina was the wonderful person that gifted us our banana, and it is definitely not in full sun, but was wonderful last year. Hers (several varieties) get more sun than ours do, but they are just a stunning addition to the landscape. I did everything I could to baby this one through the winter as I REALLY wanted to see it back in it's glory.

Hmmm, it sounds like a field trip to Azorina's "banana tree farm" might be in order this summer . . .

Congrats Rarejem on your new banana shoot! I think the Banana Robusta I gave you is probably Musa basjoo. Actually I had four bananas growing out side last year and, because of my zone denial, I lost half of them. Fortunately I bid the lost plants farewell when I planted them. (I hate it when plant tags become grave markers.) So my yard comes up on the extreme short end of a Banana Farm. This is a picture taken September 2006.

How fun is that!?! I love it. You are right at home here, taking risks. Some years they pay off. Wish we could find a good way to overwinter these guys.

Beautiful, really, Azorina.

Azorina,

Banana farm or not, your garden is beautiful and definitely unique! There is not a person on this forum that would not absolutely drool over your world! I have never before really compared the shape of plant tags and grave markers....odd that there is such a similarity from the get go!!!

I worked so hard to get our banana through the winter this year, and it was such a hard one for so many things that I just can't help being giddy that I see new leaves!!! Ugly box stuffed with leaves worked...no matter how unsightly!!!

Julie,
Isn't the ugly boxes stuffed with leaves make spring and summer that much more exciting? (Even though the plant you fussed over all winter set me back less than10 bucks, LOL) But $10 or $10,000 the fun of it all remains is the same.


This message was edited May 5, 2009 11:42 AM

Az, You are right...it's all fun no matter the cost. Thing of it is though, I can kill something that I spent lots of money on and not feel as bad as I do if I kill something that a friend added to my garden. You know that we can't visit our big pond island and see the darmea and the (now unboxed) banana without giving you guys a mental hug!

This message was edited May 5, 2009 9:04 PM

Thanks

Whew...The bananas are finally showing their selves..Only 3 weeks later that last year this is my monster. (The little bitty yellow shoots) I just loaded them up with plenty of organic all purpose, blood meal, and manure. This is the latest start I have seen since I planted it.

Hope you can see this one. Only 2 years old and looking puny right now!

Linda, Now I feel a bit better about our banana! I have been out poking it for about a month, and nothing. Last weekend I discovered two tiny little shoots just like in your pics. Whew! I don't have to be known as the banana slayer!