Bananas.org - View Single Post - Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter

sunsetsammy · 04-29-2009, 01:52 AM

Well it's official!

The 4 ensetes that I mentioned above are indeed rotten. I started chopping off the pseudostem looking for some fresh leaves and there was a black spot in the middle right down to the corm. The corms themselves were totally rotten too.

I just don't get it? Last year I had great luck with all my bananas but lost almost half of my cannas and EE's. This year I kept the storage shed a little warmer and drier by sealing off the windows and vents with plastic. I figured it would help with heating bills and keeping the dampness out would help prevent rot. (Here on Vancouver Island we have some damp winters.) Anyhow so far I've had excellent success with the cannas and EE's but now all my ensete's rotted.

My wifes parents kept an ensete underneath their house in a garbage bag full of sawdust and the thing started growing under the house. They claim it doesn't get colder than 50F and is actually quite damp down there.

Maybe it is the dampness/humidity that keeps these things fresh for longer. Weird how the cannas and EE's would make it in my shed but not the ensetes.

04-29-2009, 01:52 AM	#168 (permalink)
sunsetsammy Junior Member sunsetsammy's Photo Gallery Location: Vancouver Island Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 99 BananaBucks : 47,762 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 38 Times in 17 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter Well it's official! The 4 ensetes that I mentioned above are indeed rotten. I started chopping off the pseudostem looking for some fresh leaves and there was a black spot in the middle right down to the corm. The corms themselves were totally rotten too. I just don't get it? Last year I had great luck with all my bananas but lost almost half of my cannas and EE's. This year I kept the storage shed a little warmer and drier by sealing off the windows and vents with plastic. I figured it would help with heating bills and keeping the dampness out would help prevent rot. (Here on Vancouver Island we have some damp winters.) Anyhow so far I've had excellent success with the cannas and EE's but now all my ensete's rotted. My wifes parents kept an ensete underneath their house in a garbage bag full of sawdust and the thing started growing under the house. They claim it doesn't get colder than 50F and is actually quite damp down there. Maybe it is the dampness/humidity that keeps these things fresh for longer. Weird how the cannas and EE's would make it in my shed but not the ensetes.