shadylady

Hi All,

Just checking in to say hello. This looks like a great place to hang out! I live in Southwestern Michigan and have a Musa Basjoo new this season and a Ensete (I think) that I got in Florida in January. It did not get very tall and no pups. Looks more like a beefy canna. Says it is not the invasive type. Shucks. I did not catch that when I bought it. And I have a dwarf cavendish that was supposed to be a Musa Basjoo last season but I was able to keep it going in the house all winter. I need to put my Basjoo to sleep so I am wandering around posts to see what is the proper way. I am hooked on the tropicals. I LOVE EE's and that is what got me started. Has NO idea about cold hardy bananas but when I found out about them I HAD to have one.

It is really cold here. We have had a lousy summer and now we had a freeze last night. My poor basjoo is just hanging there looking so pathetic. I need help fast because the cold is not letting up for the rest of the week and it may SNOW by friday. Yikes!!! Diane

Eric

Welcome aboard, Diane ! Get that basjoo in quick! In fact, any nanners ya have outside! A freeze will kill a nanner quick, especially if it's wet. I've been over-wintering banana plants for 3 years & mine are Very healthy.
You can dig it up, wrap the base in newspaper, & leave it inside for days before you get around to potting it & it will be just fine. The newspaper will absorb the moisture. Bananas need to be as DRY as possible in the winter. Even in a warm house, growth slows down dramatically. They consume almost no water & no food from the soil. If there is water or fertilizer, the water will lead to corm-rot & fertilizer will lead to burn.
So wrap it/them in newspaper or paper towels around the base of the plants. Be sure to dig deep enough to get plenty of roots.
Basjoos are called "cold hardy" only because if you get them inside before a freeze they will be okay. Another reason is that if you cut it down to ground level & cover the corm with dirt & lots of mulch, a basjoo can survive the winter outside. Me, I've already brought all 8 species of mine in (including my basjoo). I did this after we had a 42 degree (F) night. Hope this helps .
It's a very friendly & info-packed site. If you have any more questions, or questions about using the forum, just ask !

CValentine

Welcome Diane!

Snow...Brr...I don't miss that(former Ohioan), now transplanted Texan!
I would get that banana in quickly, just like Eric suggests...don't want to lose it!

This is an awesome site, great people here too!

See you around Diane! ~Cheryl

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LilRaverBoi

Welcome to the site! I hope you enjoy it here and learn a lot...I know I sure have! As far as Ensetes go.....they are seed grown only and do not pup under normal conditions. I've only heard of one type of ensete pupping (Ensete Ventricosum 'Maurelii'-the Red Abyssinian Banana) and this was NOT under natural growing conditions....it was tricked to multiply by completely chopping off a large plant and mutilating the growth point (there are pictures in the wiki pages). Musas do pup, some more than others depending on the species, but you will never see Ensetes pup, unless it's a really rare or unnatural occasion. So no worries....you're not doing anything wrong! Best of luck with your plants. If you have questions, just ask!

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I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

cherokee_greg

Welcome from California

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Greg zone 9 Fresno,CA
http://gardenjot.com/garden/view/1980/Gregs-Banana-Farm

shadylady

Greetings!

Thanks for the warm welcome because it is not very warm here in gloomy, cold Michigan. How dreary. I am solar powered so this weather makes me crazy!

Thanks for all the advice about the bananas. I have all my tropicals that I finished digging on Monday sitting in my back room drying them out a bit before I put them in the basement. I never thought about wrapping them in newspaper. Good tip. Again thank you. The musa basjoo is going to stay in the ground. It is 7 ft tall with at least 5 large pups. I have NO place to winter this with all the other plants I brought in. This is my first experience leaving her in place for the winter but I am crossing my fingers. We have placed a ring of 3 ft fencing around it and broke up a straw bale and packed it around it and will cover that with a tarp. We will add some trash bags of leaves (as soon as they fall) to that pile. Is it too soon to cover with a tarp? It is in the high 40's during the day and 30's at night. I appreciate the info! Diane

coolrobby2003

Welcome-from You Ill Neighbor!

stumpy4700

Welcome from Tennessee.

Abnshrek

Welcome.. I'm not much for freezing much like my nanners..

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

Michael_Andrew

This is what I did to my Basjoo last winter.



Here it is uncaged in the spring. We had a really cold winter and the pstem didn't survive.



All the mush trimmed off:



Here it is a few weeks ago. Its right behind the guy in the pink shirt.



This year I think I'm gonna make a styrofoam box around it and maybe some xmas lights.

Good Luck!

Michael

shadylady

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the pictures and info. Your yard is just beautiful. That is sort of what my Musa looked like, not quite as tall but I planted the EE's around the front of mine. They go from looking so green and beautiful to a limp pile of droopy leaves overnight when the cold weather hits. It is so sad to me but always looking forward to Spring and those new green sprouts! We had our first snow fall this morning. Nothing major but it is way too cold for this time of year. It's 37* right now and it is almost noon. :-/ Diane

bikoro child

welcome to you Diane...

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Ivan