Kevin

Okay, as I've said in previous posts, I have a Dwarf Orinoco, and this was my first banana. I got it as a small plant last June, and I have had it growing inside in my grow room all winter, and now it is planted outside. I'll have to measure it, but the p-stem looks to be about 5 feet high right now. It won't survive the winter outside, so I have to dig it up. It is too big to try to have it growing inside all winter, so the only option is to try to keep it dormant. I don't want to cut any of the stem off, because I want to try to get it to flower next year (hopefully). I haven't seen any pups yet, which is a little concerning, since if the plant dies, that's it. The place where I got it doesn't have this one this year, so I might not be able to replace it. I want to get this right! How do I keep it dormant inside so that it's ready to grow again in the spring and possibly flower?

john_ny

I try to keep most varieties growing over the winter (but not as large as you mention). With basjoos, in the ground, I mulch and cover them, and they do fine. Last year, though, I had four basjoos, of similar size to yours, that were in 14 inch containers. I knew they wouldn't make it in the containers, and they were a little large to try to take in, and keep growing. I took them out of the containers, shook most of the soil off the roots, cut all the leaves, except the top one, off. Then I put them in a black plastic garbage bag, and put another bag over the top of them. I put them in a finished basement room, that we really don't use. The only heat in this room is an electric heater, mounted in the wall, which is expensive to run, so we only turn it on when we're using the room. During most of the winter, it gets down to about 50°F I put them in there in the beginning of November, and gave them no water, all winter. In fact, I didn't even go in the room, until the beginning of April. I then took them out and repotted them. They were growing again, in a matter of days.

I guess your dates will vary somewhat, and I don't know what temperature to keep Orinocos at, when dormant, but this is a rough idea.

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John

blownz281

Place it somewhere in your house that doesn't get alot of light and that should slow it down enough to still fit inside..

hammer

Last year i had alot banana plants in my house i used 30 % perlite and 30%peatmoss to my potting soil worked good and my dormant plants i used sand in my pots i keep them in a cool room with no lite.

Abnshrek

Well with a 5ft P-stem the pups should be coming soon. When mine got about that height it did 3. I know they are the same, but just my experience. Good Luck :^)

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LilRaverBoi

From what I've read on here, typical protocol for overwintering dormant is to dig them up, toss them in a pot with some soil (not fully potted) around the roots and place them in a cool/dark place during winter. Temps should be around 50-60 F and water minimally if at all.

To be honest, though, I wouldn't do the dormancy thing. It doesn't seem to be successful all the time, and without pups to separate, you could lose the plant if it fails for whatever reason. Personally, I'd just cut the pstem off at an appropriate height so it will be to the maximal extent of your grow room by spring. This will ensure that the plant will explode with growth early once you get it moved back outside (plants often spend months just coming out of dormancy with minimal growth before taking off, but plants kept alive will grow quickly once moved out). IMO, this is the best way to ensure maximal growth next growing season and your best chance at a bloom. I'd hate for you to try dormancy and lose the plant or have it sit around all spring/early summer not doing anything. Chopping the pstem doesn't reduce your chances of getting a flower....just sets the plant back a few months in growth. The only thing to worry about is cutting a plant that is just about to bloom, since you can cut off the bloom in the pstem and effectively cull that main pstem.

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Kevin

About cutting it back - how would I know if there is a bud in the stem somewhere? If I cut it, I might cut the bud, then it won't ever flower, right? I want the plant to get big too, and if I cut it back enough so that it doesn't reach the ceiling by spring, I'll only end up with a plant that is as big as what I have now. I'd have to take into account the pot size for a plant that big that I want to grow all winter - I don't have that much space.

How about if I don't cut it, and pot it up, and put it in a place that has cooler than optimal temps and not much light? Would it suffer?

I really don't want to lose it, and I don't have room to grow a big plant all winter. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten into bananas.

LilRaverBoi

Honestly, my best advice for people growing bananas in places that get cold is to FORGET about fruiting entirely. Learn to grow such plants year round in your climate, and learn what you need to do over winter to keep them going. THEN and only then, should you think about getting one to bloom/fruit. Sorry if that sounds a bit harsh, but the truth is that bananas aren't native to cold places for a reason. It is a challenge to get them to flower/fruit and a blessing when it happens.....IMHO having fruit production as your main goal is setting yourself up for some disappointments. Worry first and foremost about keeping them alive.....then worry about fruit.

That's my two copper Lincolns, anyway.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

Kevin

I understand, and don't misunderstand me - flowering it is not my main goal. I have been growing this plant well for over a year now, and I'm very happy with the result. It would be such a shame to go to all that work and then not let it flower. If I had room, I'd let it grow this winter inside. I could try a not very ideal place that has more room, but I don't want to saccrifice the health of the plant. I wish I had a greenhouse! Or, if there are any bananas that don't get as tall as the 'dwarfs' (8' is not really dwarf for me). I did get a pup from a friend of what looks like a mini banana. I didn't see the mother plant, but from the looks of this pup, it might be something like Truly Tiny. I'll see how that one works out.

blownz281

I dry stored several nanners here in a storage closet (NC zone 8b next to the ocean and a huge river. So we are warmer then the city folks.

Ice cream
Lateria
Velutina
Yellow
Sikk
Basjoo stayed outside on the balcony all winter and slowly grew. This was our worst winter since the 70's. Yellow did perfect in the closet,all the other were a lose. Then all of a sudden ice cream and orinoco came back. IC was tiny and never recovered,orinoco is 4ft with a 1ft pup. So I have not had good luck storing them,atleast dry storing them. So they will come inside in pots and sleep in our spare bathroom in the winter. I feel with the cold dry air they just shrunk to nothing and needed dirt to keep them from shrinking to nothing.

LilRaverBoi

If you want another idea of something to try that will produce edible fruit, but won't get very tall, try Super Dwarf Cavendish....mature height of 3-4'.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

Kevin

Good idea. Those might be what I saw at the big box stores. Otherwise, I don't know who sells them in Canada. I don't want to bother with Phyto for importing. Plus, I already have 4 different banana plants, and my grow room was over full last year already! I don't know where I would put them.

I'm not really looking for edible or not, just a nice plant.

Kevin

What is the lowest temperature I should let my Dwarf Orinoco experience before bringing it in? Can it handle frost? Should I bring it in before then when it is still warm out?

blownz281

they are rated down to zone 7,so if it was a very light frost just to burn the leaves it should be fine. Since you have to bring it in during winter,just bring it in once night temps fall below 55*.

Kevin

55?? That's still quite warm. We are having a heat wave right now, and the lows are between 65 and 70 (18 -21C). Regular lows in summer are about 60F (15 C). We get lows below 55F regularily during summer too. I was hoping to let it stay out for another month or 2. It seems to slow down growth when the temps get too low. I'm not sure which method I'm going to use to overwinter it yet.

hammer

I would let the get to temps upper 30s to slow the banana growth and the i would dig them up. thats what everyone does around here .

blownz281

The ground temps are whats important the most.

LilRaverBoi

All my plants sustained no damage down into the low 40's (and one is a SDC which doesn't tolerate cold nearly as well as orinoco). I would say you're cool down to at least mid 30's but I'd be very mindful of what the weather is doing and dig them up early enough so you don't lose it if it unexpectedly frosts. Orinoco is pretty cold hardy, though.....well, for a banana, anyway.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!