Cutting corms in fall?

Banana_Jeanne · 11-08-2013, 12:32 PM

Ok, so I have 3 pots of bananas that might be Basjoo, but I'm not sure. The main corm in each has no stem, but there are pups galore coming out of it. The whole thing is way to heavy to lift and carry into the basement for the winter, so I need to know what to do. If I dump the dirt of the pot and cut the pups off, each with a piece of the corm, can I overwinter in the basement without re-planting? Or do I have to wait until spring when I can put each pup into a planting? I need to know quickly since the St. Louis area is already having freezing nights.

Since I don't know what these are and whether they are hardy here, I took the 4th pot and heeled it into my huge compost area to see if it survives. I don't want to try and plant in the ground unless I know they are hardy since my ground takes a pick ax to dig up.

And on that subject, how far away from a concrete in-ground pool should Basjoo's be planted to avoid the risk of the roots trying to break the concrete?

dana mastro · 11-08-2013, 01:10 PM

I would get some window liner to keep freeze away and keep them by the window it makes it so they can still very slowly grow but have no shock for storage or cutting leaves but u have to angle it right so the pups get light too OR a tall window like a sliding glass door so everything gets light

and for the pool thing I've seen them as close as 3 feet when I went on vacation I asked them because these were 13 feet bananas and they said they put one huge sheet of metal that went around 1/2 of there pool so if you want just get 25 gallon buckets from a nursery and put it in the ground so you cant see it and put them in it so you wont have to worry

simple fix the only down side is that the pups cant spread out but clearly you use good soil if you go a bunch of pups already

Banana_Jeanne · 11-08-2013, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dana mastro

I would get some window liner to keep freeze away and keep them by the window it makes it so they can still very slowly grow but have no shock for storage or cutting leaves but u have to angle it right so the pups get light too OR a tall window like a sliding glass door so everything gets light

and for the pool thing I've seen them as close as 3 feet when I went on vacation I asked them because these were 13 feet bananas and they said they put one huge sheet of metal that went around 1/2 of there pool so if you want just get 25 gallon buckets from a nursery and put it in the ground so you cant see it and put them in it so you wont have to worry

simple fix the only down side is that the pups cant spread out but clearly you use good soil if you go a bunch of pups already

Thanks. Just wondering if you grow anything hardy where you are?

Olafhenny · 11-08-2013, 05:05 PM

Hi Jeanne,

since the season is already advanced, you’ll have no choice but bring your plants in, either as
Banna suggests growing them by the window or do the bare root wintering thing. For wintering
outside they would have to be in the ground. In the pot the corms (and they are the only part
of the basjoo, which are hardy to HZ5, provided they are planted deeply enough) are much
too exposed. That will go also for the pot you heeled to the compost. I.e. survival is highly
unlikely.

For bare root wintering, there are also some precautions to take, which I do not want to get
into here, unless you chose that method.

You may get some idea about wintering bananas from my post here:
frustrated by winter, musa bajoo

There is a lot more information available, but the process is better started earlier in the
season (next year).

Dumping out the soil at this close to the winter is not advisable, unless you want to go the
least desirable bare root way. Get yourself some help to haul them in and/or borrow a hand
truck.

Good luck,
Olaf

Banana_Jeanne · 11-08-2013, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olafhenny

Hi Jeanne,

since the season is already advanced, you’ll have no choice but bring your plants in, either as
Banna suggests growing them by the window or do the bare root wintering thing. For wintering
outside they would have to be in the ground. In the pot the corms (and they are the only part
of the basjoo, which are hardy to HZ5, provided they are planted deeply enough) are much
too exposed. That will go also for the pot you heeled to the compost. I.e. survival is highly
unlikely.

For bare root wintering, there are also some precautions to take, which I do not want to get
into here, unless you chose that method.

You may get some idea about wintering bananas from my post here:
frustrated by winter, musa bajoo

There is a lot more information available, but the process is better started earlier in the
season (next year).

Dumping out the soil at this close to the winter is not advisable, unless you want to go the
least desirable bare root way. Get yourself some help to haul them in and/or borrow a hand
truck.

Good luck,
Olaf

Well, darn. All my windows are already taken by the 4 multiyear Dwarf Cavendish I have in pots, but the huge array of other plants I bring in for the winter. For these pots, even if I could haul them in, they are too huge to put anywhere that doesn't require stairs

so not gonna happen - hubby's having rotator cuff surgery Monday and I can't lift more than about 40-50 pounds. So my only choice is bare root. These all started from bare root/corm only and all got over 6 feet tall. Given I hadn't a clue what I was doing, I figured that was success.

The one I heeled in I mis-stated... I took them out of the pot, but all the pups off with corm and planted really deep in the compost. That was my "experimental" one since I had 4 of the pots to start... figured I had plenty to spare if it was a total loss.

I killed all my bananas I tried to save bare root last year because I got some bad advice and wrapped them in plastic and left them in my garage which was way too cold. I've since learned that is a no-no. I have cardboard boxes and peat moss and a few spaces in the basement I can store them in. So I guess my question now is can I cut the pups off the corm (with some corm of course) so I can carry it or do I have to leave it all together?

Olafhenny · 11-08-2013, 10:27 PM

Hi Jeanne,

so bare root it is. I have no direct experience in that, but since I cannot comment on blooming
and fruiting of bananas, I have monitored wintering, my own experiments in it as well as those
of others. Most of the bare root wintering reported here was lying them down flat on garage
or basement floors.

The most important thing there is, that the PS do not come in direct contact with concrete.
That causes rot The thing to do is laying poly-sheeting on the concrete, a layer of cardboard
on top of that before lay down the PS. It is probably also advisable to cut all but the smallest
top leaves off, since leaves evaporate much of the stored moisture. If you elect to store them
upright in boxes, make sure, that there is a plastic barrier between the concrete and the
bottom of the box. A garbage bag will do nicely.

Your suggestion of peat moss sounds like a good one, since it will help the moisture household
of the plants balanced. Humidity control is one thing, you want to strive for a balance between
rotting and drying them out, temperature control is another. Ideally they should be kept most
of the dormant time cool but above freezing.

All of that can be avoided, if you plant them in the ground next spring and protect them well
for the following winter. The best, I have come up with so far you will find here:
Permanent banana shelter for winter and spring

It is a bit work at first to assemble, but has the advantage, that it can be re-used year after year
and will save a lot of work thereafter, as well it adds at least a month to your growing season
and thus to the height your plants will achieve, since it will allow you to take advantage of
warmer days in March and April, and re-apply the lid again in seconds, when frost threatens.
Otherwise you will have to wait until early to mid May, when it is safe to plant tomatoes outside.

Any more questions, feel free to ask,
Olaf

11-08-2013, 12:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
Banana_Jeanne Location: Midwest Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Name: Jeanne Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 13 BananaBucks : 7,906 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 6 Times Was Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2 Times	Cutting corms in fall? Ok, so I have 3 pots of bananas that might be Basjoo, but I'm not sure. The main corm in each has no stem, but there are pups galore coming out of it. The whole thing is way to heavy to lift and carry into the basement for the winter, so I need to know what to do. If I dump the dirt of the pot and cut the pups off, each with a piece of the corm, can I overwinter in the basement without re-planting? Or do I have to wait until spring when I can put each pup into a planting? I need to know quickly since the St. Louis area is already having freezing nights. Since I don't know what these are and whether they are hardy here, I took the 4th pot and heeled it into my huge compost area to see if it survives. I don't want to try and plant in the ground unless I know they are hardy since my ground takes a pick ax to dig up. And on that subject, how far away from a concrete in-ground pool should Basjoo's be planted to avoid the risk of the roots trying to break the concrete?

11-08-2013, 01:10 PM	#2 (permalink)
dana mastro Banned Location: moscow idaho Find me on the map! Zone: 6 - 7 Name: banna Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 124 BananaBucks : 35,920 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 82 Times in 53 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 18 Times	Re: Cutting corms in fall? I would get some window liner to keep freeze away and keep them by the window it makes it so they can still very slowly grow but have no shock for storage or cutting leaves but u have to angle it right so the pups get light too OR a tall window like a sliding glass door so everything gets light and for the pool thing I've seen them as close as 3 feet when I went on vacation I asked them because these were 13 feet bananas and they said they put one huge sheet of metal that went around 1/2 of there pool so if you want just get 25 gallon buckets from a nursery and put it in the ground so you cant see it and put them in it so you wont have to worry simple fix the only down side is that the pups cant spread out but clearly you use good soil if you go a bunch of pups already

11-08-2013, 05:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 251,339 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Cutting corms in fall? Hi Jeanne, since the season is already advanced, you’ll have no choice but bring your plants in, either as Banna suggests growing them by the window or do the bare root wintering thing. For wintering outside they would have to be in the ground. In the pot the corms (and they are the only part of the basjoo, which are hardy to HZ5, provided they are planted deeply enough) are much too exposed. That will go also for the pot you heeled to the compost. I.e. survival is highly unlikely. For bare root wintering, there are also some precautions to take, which I do not want to get into here, unless you chose that method. You may get some idea about wintering bananas from my post here: frustrated by winter, musa bajoo There is a lot more information available, but the process is better started earlier in the season (next year). Dumping out the soil at this close to the winter is not advisable, unless you want to go the least desirable bare root way. Get yourself some help to haul them in and/or borrow a hand truck. Good luck, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

11-08-2013, 10:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 251,339 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Re: Cutting corms in fall? Hi Jeanne, so bare root it is. I have no direct experience in that, but since I cannot comment on blooming and fruiting of bananas, I have monitored wintering, my own experiments in it as well as those of others. Most of the bare root wintering reported here was lying them down flat on garage or basement floors. The most important thing there is, that the PS do not come in direct contact with concrete. That causes rot The thing to do is laying poly-sheeting on the concrete, a layer of cardboard on top of that before lay down the PS. It is probably also advisable to cut all but the smallest top leaves off, since leaves evaporate much of the stored moisture. If you elect to store them upright in boxes, make sure, that there is a plastic barrier between the concrete and the bottom of the box. A garbage bag will do nicely. Your suggestion of peat moss sounds like a good one, since it will help the moisture household of the plants balanced. Humidity control is one thing, you want to strive for a balance between rotting and drying them out, temperature control is another. Ideally they should be kept most of the dormant time cool but above freezing. All of that can be avoided, if you plant them in the ground next spring and protect them well for the following winter. The best, I have come up with so far you will find here: Permanent banana shelter for winter and spring It is a bit work at first to assemble, but has the advantage, that it can be re-used year after year and will save a lot of work thereafter, as well it adds at least a month to your growing season and thus to the height your plants will achieve, since it will allow you to take advantage of warmer days in March and April, and re-apply the lid again in seconds, when frost threatens. Otherwise you will have to wait until early to mid May, when it is safe to plant tomatoes outside. Any more questions, feel free to ask, Olaf __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them.

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