Banana advice please!

Clinton, MO

For the first time last year I bought a banana plant. It was so wonderful, grew so fast and was so big, I bought two more.

I have never had any luck storing roots, tubers, bulbs or anything else over the winter. Now I have three banana plants that have brown leaves, new green leaves and one so tall it is slumped over looking very sad.

Can I cut them all back, repot and go again? If so how far should I cut them back to?

Now after the fact, how should I have wintered them over?

Columbus, MS(Zone 8b)

I'm not an expert, but I can tell you what I do. The picture shows how my bananas look at the end of winter (zone 8b). When the green leaves start coming out, I cut the brown, dead leaves off - scissors work well - and then just let them grow. If a stalk (trunk) does not put out green leaves after a while, I consider it dead and cut it down.
Even if your bananas are in pots, I would think you could do the same thing with the leaves; I would not think repotting would be necessary.
If in pots, if you could put them in a protected area for the winter (like a garage). If in the ground, it is good to stack bales of pinestraw around the stalks for the winter.
I hope this helps!
Lucy

Thumbnail by bunkhouse
Columbus, MS(Zone 8b)

Here is what they look like in the summer.

Thumbnail by bunkhouse
Keaau, HI

The set of corms (rootball) is perrenial. If a particular stalk is looking sick and not growing well, best to cut the stalk back to about a foot off the ground, fertilize the clump, and help it to start new stalks.

Clinton, MO

Thanks bunkhouse and Metrosideros for the help! I appreciate it!

Bunkhouse your bananas are wonderful!!!!!

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