Hi Dean,

Yea, I'm in the Columbus area and whacked leaves tonight - I could have just cut back the pseudostem to a foot or so, but just didn't have the heart since it was still so warm - like 70F for those in other areas. I tried to save some p-stem last year, but it was mush in the spring and I just got a bunch of pups sprouting off the bulb in April-May. So I'm not going to worry about it - I'll cut them off to a foot, cover the stems [I have a clump of 5 or so basjoos] with a couple of garbage bags, cover that with 2 feet of leaf mulch, and then put a tarp over the whole thing and keep my fingers crossed. My orinocos, zebrinas, and sdc's all come inside in pots - I potted them at the end of August. It's tough growing bananas when only 5 months out of the year are frost-free! Good Luck!

Donn

Thanks Donn.

I am in CBUS as well, last year mine turned to mush as well. Think I will do the same as you with the Basjoo's.

I potted one Sikki and put it inside, going to try to overwinter the other one and the Chinese Banana outside and hope for the best.

Dean

The only reason that I wait for a few frosts is that I'm waiting for there to be enough leaves on the ground to rake up to bag them and winterize my bananas. Otherwise, you could cut them down sooner.
They never look too good after a few frosts, but as long as they don't freeze much-- after a few margaritas they still don't look too bad! ha ha ha
Sandy @ Northern Tropics

Thanks for all the good advice....

Dean

sandy0225 - I agree 100%. Last night after the poker party I hosted, my bananas looked nice also - the six pack helped a bit too.

LOL, you people are a hoot. My basjoo hasn't been frosted yet. That alone should be reason enough to break out the Margarita mix, don't you think?

Last year I cut mine back to about a foot, put a wire cage around it and filled the cage with shredded leaves. The stems resprouted and started growing out of the mulch in April but we had a very mild (zone 7) winter. This year I may toss a tarp over the whole thing to keep out extra moisture. Here's how it looks now...

{{gwi:422702}}

Sue

Beautiful photo. Presumably your basjoo gets some shelter/additional warmth by being so close the the house wall?

Ornata, yes, that is a south facing wall of a detached, unheated garage. Even during a what would be considered a normal winter here, I believe that bed is a solid zone 7.

Sue

Hi All,
I'm looking for advice as to the best method of winterizing my POTTED Musa Basjoo? It is presently on a south facing sundeck in a lrge pot. I will likely transplant it next spring into the ground, but thought I'd better leave it in the pot this late in the year. Should I still cut its stem back to approx. a foot above the soil, insulate and store either in the garage or under the covered portion of my deck? How do they fair indoors over the winter? I live on Vancouver Island, which is I believe Zone 7, will get frost from Nov to Feb. The plant is presently 5 feet tall with a few smaller plants around the base.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Regards

I have another winterizing question as well. My musa has come indoors the past four years but always brings spider mites along. Last year I was careful to create a humid environment around it which worked somewhat - but not before the spider mites had spread to other plants. Any advice on a spray I could use to preempt trouble this year?

Thanks.

Any big box store like Home Depot, Walmart, etc. sells a general all purpose house and garden bug spray. read the label to make sure it treats for mites etc. I like to use a house and garden spray as they are generally not as lethal as some insecticides designed for outdoor use. Spray the plant outside (including underneath the leaves) let the plant dry outside. Wash your hands off. Bring the plant inside after it dries. Keep an eye on all your indoor plants. If a bug infestation hits, isolate the plant(s) invloved, spray or treat appropriately.

Always keep at least one basjoo inside as insurance for the six years I've grown basjoo. I bring mine in my classroom, set it under the normal flourescent ceiling lights, and it always does fine. Pretty tough, although mine have a little more spce between each new leaf, whereas outside they come in closer together.
For mite I use soap spray or windex. I've even used the spray you use to clean dry erase boards which is mostly water and alcohol.

I haven't had one left in the ground for two years now after rotting my 'big momma' so this year I've put them everywhere since I had so many new pups on my potted one. I'm going to cover a couple, but the others I'm not going to touch... just to see how they do. I'm even going to plant one at my school this spring for the kids to enjoy.

Chris

Chris,
Tell me more abouy using windex.The chemicals don't harm the plants? Can you use it on other types of plants?
Dan in Pa. zone 5

My first time on here. 1st attempt at growing a Musa in Vermont. Any suggestions on weatherization? I am planning on heavy mulch and wrapping the stem in bubble wrap.

Cut it back and mulch/ wrap before first frost? I will be heading south in 2 weeks.