I remember being really excited the first year I kept my palms outside. I cant help you much about the greenhouse film though. I just put plastic garbage bins over my palms and some Christmas Lights inside the garbage bins to keep them a little warmer. I grow palms up to 2 zones warmer with that method (the garbage bins stay about 15F-20F warmer than the outside temperature during the coldest parts of winter).
-Alex

Thank you for the response. I will take any help I can get.

I read on your page you are were going to try and winter your bananas. Were you successful? If so what were your methods? I have a musa basjoo I will be attempting to winter outside as well.

What are you putting the film over?

If it is a small area why not just get any old plastic?

Pmac22, Im overwintering the bananas this winter. The Musa Basjoos didnt grow very well this summer so Im not sure whats going to happen, but maybe they will surprise me. And if they do die, I wont be too upset because they are my least favorite bananas and my Saba, Ice Cream, Velutina, and Thai Black bananas definitely out performs the Basjoos!
I will definitely update how they do!
-Alex

I still have all of my potted trachys outside!

-jimhardy, I might just do that. Each palm is surrounded by chicken wire, so some reg plastic.

- tropicalzone7, do you have any pics of your bananas?
What do you do with the other banana trees during the winter months? I know sabas get huge.

-HardyPalmFreak, do you bring your palms in or leave them out all winter?

Pmac22, musa basjoo bulbs are supposed to be winter hardy to zone 6 or even 5 from what I've read. Mine grow like weeds and I just mulch them in. My quick tips:

Let them get hit by first frost or freeze. The leaves will witger.

Cut them down, flush to the ground.

Let the cut area be exposed to the cold for a few days to dry it out and signal plant to stop growing.

Mulch with several inches of shredded tree back or dried leaves. Don't use compost!

In the spring, start removing layers of mulch as temps rise. Several lips will generally emerge around the old stump.

Here are a few pics of my bananas. I dont even have pics of the Basjoos because all the other plants around them really just buried them.

Heres my Ice Cream banana. Its about 10 feet tall to the tallest leaf and the pseudostem is almost as tall as me now.

Heres my Saba October 2011 (4 months later)

href="http://s705.photobucket.com/albums/ww59/tropicalzone7/Yard%202011/?action=view&current=IMG_8665.jpg"; target="_blank">

In the second pic you can see one of my basjoos, it still is the same exact height.

-Alex

Thank you everyone for the great pics and info! I will let everyone know how I make out. Thanks again!

-Mike