Remi

Howdy y'all. I thought I had a SDC but it got a tad tall, so I'll call it a DC. Anyway, I'm moving and would like to take my potted banana, but movers don't take potted plants so I think I'll have to bare root it, trim it, wrap it, and hide it in a box for a week or two. Should that be OK?

When I reach my destination, should I pot it up immediately or wait for spring? My destination will be zone 9bish, which is positively tropical to me, but would my banana feel that way? Can I put it...in the actual ground???

Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

momoese

I think it pretty much boils down to keeping it cold enough while in storage til spring. If you can't then your better served to plant it. Chances of a hard freeze in zone 9 are slim, and you could take precautions for that anyway, especially with it planted in a pot.

PaulOdin

My 9b zone is central Florida, and I have to assume we will get a frost or 3 this winter. My larger bananas will stay in the ground, but anything in a pot will be moved into a temporary greenhouse for about 3 months. Last year my large plants lost foliage, but none died and I have fruit again. If I get nervous, I'll bury them in mulch and plastic sheeting when a freeze is predicted.
Best of luck w/ your Cavendish.

Paul

Remi

Thanks. So maybe I should repot it and stick it in a sunny window and wait until spring before planting it outdoors? Next winter it will be established and so will I so I'll be able to mulch or otherwise protect as needed. I think.

Will it be OK stuck bareroot in a bag for a few weeks while I move? I accidentally froze off most of the leaves, but if I get a big enough box I can keep quite a bit of green stem and a nice leaf or two. It appears to be a pretty tough plant!

PaulOdin

I'd try to save as much of the stem as possible, but all that really matters is the corm. I chopped every pseudostem off a corm last February, giving each stem a fair chunk of corm, and then stuck the remaining corm in a shallow hole at the back of my yard. You guessed it! The corm has produced 6 strong stems, while the stems w/ corm segments have come along much more slowly.
Yeah! Once a banana has gotten going it is a very tough plant.

Paul

Remi

Thanks. I'll report back on its progress. It's a tough little plant...didn't rot over winter, still leafing out in a dark Michigan kitchen after being severely frostbitten in a pot...it'd be a shame to compost it after all it's been through.

Are there any midwest pests of banana that I should be concerned about introducing to California? I suppose I should fumigate it or something...