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vaindioux · 05-22-2011, 05:04 PM

Hi

I am north of Atlanta zone 7a. My home is downhill at a bottom of a hill and I assume cold going downward that I hit zone 6 often in the winter.
Anyway I have had bananas for 10 years in the ground. I have been very successful with Musa basjoo, Musa grand nain and Musa rajapuri.
I got fruits and flowers 3 years ago from grand nain and rajapuri and my basjoo were 9 feet tall (No fruit/flower).
I used to keep my basjoo inground and they always overwintered fine but 2 winters ago I lost 70% of my mat and the ones that came out started from scratch as pup. They reached about 4 feet last summer and I dug them out and put them in my unheated garage in plastic bins standing up (I did not want to lose the rest of my basjoo mat).
I planted them mid April and I have a 3 inch pup as of 5/22/11 for my efforts.
The grand nain and rajapuri are not out yet. It hasn't been warm that's for sure.
It is getting frustrating to do all that work for nothing, my grand nain were 2 feet tall last summer LOL, might as well not bother. My rajapuri did quite ok at about 6 feet with thick trunks.
What annoys me in all this, is I dig them all up in late fall, place them in my basement or garage and when I plant them back instead of starting where they left off, they grow new pups and I never experience huge growth.
How can I remedy that?
Place a heater in the garage close to the bananas in the coldest of the winter?
Or maybe keep the corms in dirt and potted in the garage, no matter how awful they might look in the winter?

I would appreciate tips especially from people in zones 6 or 7 that are experienced in growing/storing bananas.

I join some pics from the good old days 3 summers ago.

Banana Gallery - Musa grand nain

Banana Gallery - Musa rajapuri

Thanks

Patrick

05-22-2011, 05:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
vaindioux Junior Member vaindioux's Photo Gallery Location: Atlanta GA Zone: 7a-b Name: Pat Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 103 BananaBucks : 80,682 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 5 Times Was Thanked 58 Times in 27 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Banana frustration zone 7 Hi I am north of Atlanta zone 7a. My home is downhill at a bottom of a hill and I assume cold going downward that I hit zone 6 often in the winter. Anyway I have had bananas for 10 years in the ground. I have been very successful with Musa basjoo, Musa grand nain and Musa rajapuri. I got fruits and flowers 3 years ago from grand nain and rajapuri and my basjoo were 9 feet tall (No fruit/flower). I used to keep my basjoo inground and they always overwintered fine but 2 winters ago I lost 70% of my mat and the ones that came out started from scratch as pup. They reached about 4 feet last summer and I dug them out and put them in my unheated garage in plastic bins standing up (I did not want to lose the rest of my basjoo mat). I planted them mid April and I have a 3 inch pup as of 5/22/11 for my efforts. The grand nain and rajapuri are not out yet. It hasn't been warm that's for sure. It is getting frustrating to do all that work for nothing, my grand nain were 2 feet tall last summer LOL, might as well not bother. My rajapuri did quite ok at about 6 feet with thick trunks. What annoys me in all this, is I dig them all up in late fall, place them in my basement or garage and when I plant them back instead of starting where they left off, they grow new pups and I never experience huge growth. How can I remedy that? Place a heater in the garage close to the bananas in the coldest of the winter? Or maybe keep the corms in dirt and potted in the garage, no matter how awful they might look in the winter? I would appreciate tips especially from people in zones 6 or 7 that are experienced in growing/storing bananas. I join some pics from the good old days 3 summers ago. Banana Gallery - Musa grand nain Banana Gallery - Musa rajapuri Thanks Patrick