Bananaman88

Neil,

I used to live in St. Louis and I know how long the winters can be up that way. Probably even a tad longer for you in Chicago. I used to try to overwinter a few bananas in my house and normally could not put them out until early May. You've got to make sure all danger of frost has passed to be safe. You don't say for sure if you have let your Ensete go dormant or are keeping it actively growing. I can tell you from experience that if it is currently growing that most likely any leaves on it will sunburn if moved out into direct sunlight immediately and most of the leaves on it may snap off . Being in the house has the disadvantage of causing the petioles to be weaker since they aren't exposed to wind and for the leaves to be thinner. My suggestion would be to try to move it out into the sun (when it's warm enough) a little at a time; like over a two week period. If you can, have a fan blow on it some during the winter to help strenghthen the petioles somewhat. This will help keep the leaf breakage to a minimum. The good thing is if your leaves do break off, they will quickly be replaced by new, stronger leaves.

If you Ensete is dormant, you likely won't have to worry about any of the above advice. Just plant it out, directly into the ground is OK, after all danger of frost as passed. Water it in well after planting and then keep an eye out for new growth. Don't let it dry out, but don't water too heavily until you see some new growth. There isn't a whole lot you can do about the wind. Remember, bananas are from locations with a lot of wind. The leaves may get a bit tattered, but your plant will be just fine.