Originally Posted by andy17

Hi and welcome to bananas.org!

Banana fuel is definitely recommended, although I've not used it personally. I really like Osmocote and Ironite Plus as well. A topdressing of composted manure does wonders, bananas seem to love organic mulching around the base. Basjoo is a tough and hardy plant, and it should have no issues surviving in your zone. 4 foot by 3 foot containers should give it plenty of insulation from the cold. It's important to consider that containers will not insulate the roots like the ground will, and because they are in open areas, will be exposed to winds and greater temperature fluctuations than if they are in the ground. I actually tried a plastic tent with Christmas lights to save my fruit as November settled in. It helped with the light frosts and cold snaps, but it simply wasn't enough to save the fruit. However, such a pop-up greenhouse might be more than enough to overwinter the pseudostem. As long as temperatures stay above 32 degrees or so inside the protective layer, it should overwinter just fine with basjoo. I'm planning on trying the bubble wrap method this year myself. Another poster years ago made good progress with the electric pipe wrap around the pseudostem combined with insulation. He lost the leaves, but the main pseudostem survived if I remember correctly.

If it's staying outside, it will need some water for sure. Basjoo should be quite tolerant of more water than other species, but keeping it on the dryer side will help protect it from root rot and encourage it to go to sleep for the winter. I would water it at least a couple of times a month, or whenever the top 4-6 inches of soil are dry. If temperatures are consistently higher than 60 F for a week or more, you may need to water more often. I hope this helps some!