HeatherDawn

Hello, I have some banana plants, I have no idea what kind they are but one of the plants has bananas. I know it won't stay warm long enough for them to mature but is it possible I could make some sort of greenhouse around it & it keep growing the bananas through the winter? Thanks!

sirdoofus

The answer to that question heavily depends on where you are, what your climate zone might be, and any special microclimate that particular plant might be in. Pics of plants are always appreciated as well. Good luck and I am sure you will get some helpful feedback.

__________________
Who keeps calling me nuts??

lkstapleton

I'm not sure if this helps you in your climate, but I am in the SF Bay Area, and we occasionally get weather in the winter that threatens or kills bananas, and certainly could freeze its fruit. One thing I've done that helped me fruit a late blooming banana is to:

1. Put 3 35-gallon black covered trashcans full of water around the trunks. Water is very good at holding heat, so the trashcans absorb heat in the day and radiate it at night, protecting the trunks. This probably adds enough protection that the plants can start growing as soon as things start warming up in March, which helps them fruit in enough time to ripen.

2. Cover the whole thing (fruit stalk, trashcans and plant) with a Remay blanket. Water and air can get to the plant, but Remay (or a similar synthetic fabric) probably adds a few extra degrees to the coldest temp your tree can tolerate.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention is that it is a good idea to put a cup of bleach into the water, to prevent algae and mosquitoes from accumulating if the cover comes off. The other thing is, since you might want to move the cans around, I bought mine to be the wheeled kind, which makes that a lot easier.

I have managed to fruit a few of the more cold tolerant bananas here in San Jose, even though our climate isn't good for it. I have had luck with and fruited California Gold, Sweetheart, and Dwarf Orinocco, and have young plants of Blue Java, Manzano, Goldfinger, and a few others that have survived winters but have not yet fruited.

Best of luck,
Lisa

__________________

Snarkie

Hi Heather Dawn-

Pretty name, BTW. Welcome aboard the Banana Express.

You might look into making a hoop house around and over it. Not sure how big of an area you are talking about, but if you watch some YouTube videos on raised beds and hoop houses, you can make a double walled house that should work pretty well.

__________________
Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"