tim

Just bought two Musa Basjoo , about 4 ft in size, whats the best way to look after them in pots through winter? I do have a greenhouse if this is any use?
I live just outside london so weather is wet rather than freezing. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

jmoore

Keep them in the greenhouse and water them sparingly. They should do well.

Welcome by the way

Eric

I'd go with the greenhouse, too. And James is definitely right about watering. Also, if they seem to be going dormant at any time, reduce water to almost none or none. Dormant plants must be kept dry to prevent corm-rot.
Just another note. Despite the best indoor conditions, most banana varieties tend to grow more slowly in the winter so fertilization should be greatly reduced as well.
I like to force dormancy for all my Blue Javas, Giant Sweet plantains and Zebrinas, but will likely continue growing my Basjoo, dwarf Cavendish, Ruby Siams, Gran Nain, and Sikkimensis in the atrium this winter.
Best of Luck !

Btw, are you a new member? If so, Welcome aboard !

marenmar

Hi, may I ask why you force for example an Blue Java and continue growing others? And how do you force them? Water 'em less and less? And at which termperature?

stevelau1911

I also bought 2 musa basjoo about 1ft in size, put them in 2 gallon containers, but I kind of regret it because in my greenhouse which has day-time temps of 100-110F and nights at 60-70F, these banana plants noticably grew about 3-4 inches, pretty crazy for bare root plants.
At this rate, I'll need to re-pot before transplanting them out in spring, but I'm really surprised at the rate of growth.

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I'm in zone 6 upstate NY, specialize in growing temperate cold hardy bamboos(mainly phyllostachys) and starting to get into bananas.

my picture website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/

http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

musa_monkey

Tim your not that far from me. The main thing you need to look out for in our damp wet climate is rot. If your storing in the green house water very sparingly (I do not water at all in winter here) and make sure the greenhouse is properly ventilated. Basjoos are tough as old boots so as long as you avoid rot they will be fine.

tim

Thanks for the advice, now i need a little bit more, when should i put them in the greenhouse and do i need to heat the greenhouse? i do have a big window sill in the house if this is better?

musa_monkey

For basjoos an insulated (bubble wrap) unheated greenhouse will be fine. You could take them in, i usually keep a few of the more tender plants inside over winter but not basjoos.

tim

Thanks, when do they need to go inside?

jeffreyp

If you have enough ceiling height and a sunny window you could grow it indoors through the winter and then you'd have a huge plant in the spring.

musa_monkey

Unless there is a frost first mine will go inside at the end of the month

Eric

Sorry, Marenmar . Been so busy with school, chores, etc. Havent had much time.
Anyway, the reason I force just the Blue Javas is because of the size. They're the only banana cultivar I have that's over 7 or 8 feet tall.
The ones I keep as houseplants, I keep at 72 degrees F (22 degrees C) with fair amount of light, reduced watering, & reduced feeding.
Btw, Thanx Steve . Wasn't aware Basjoo would grow that fast! This is, however, my first experience with it (since late spring this year).
For 'Forced' dormancy, I just set up the right conditions so that nature does it for me. I cut most of the leaves off, make sure the soil is dry (can store bare-root, however), and put it near a sunny window in a room that is around 48-55 degrees F (9-13 degrees C).
Sorry I'm so late answering but with over-wintering added to everything else I'm doing, time is getting hard to find.

51st state

most of my Basjoo (and some others) will be staying out this year with a thick mulch they made it through last winter (which was the coldest here in 15 years) so they should be fine. there will be some 'insurance' plants coming in to the tunnel

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