How to cut them down for inside storage

timmko · 09-06-2010, 05:17 PM

Can I just cut the tops off my banana's anywhere along the stem? I don't want to kill them. Right now they are 8ft or so and in another month or less I will have to bring them indoors. I have a 9ft ceiling so I don't have much room for overwintering. I will keep the room around 60 or so to not get a lot of winter growth. Can I cut anywhere along the stem even if a new leaf is emerging? Thanks

sunfish · 09-06-2010, 08:12 PM

Yes you can cut them anywhere.The only problem would be if there was a bud in the P-stem and you cut below it. I guess to be safe cut as little as needed to fit inside.

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-06-2010, 08:16 PM

Good advice, Tony.

I am concerned about this myself and don't want to cut too far down when I bring a certain banana plant in for the Winter. How awful that would be...to cut off the flower!

: (

timmko · 09-07-2010, 07:42 PM

And what are the cons of cutting the flower. Will the plant die? I don't count on getting fruit up here anyway just using them for that "tropical feel". thanks guys

Blake09 · 09-07-2010, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmko

And what are the cons of cutting the flower. Will the plant die? I don't count on getting fruit up here anyway just using them for that "tropical feel". thanks guys

No it wont kill the plant, just delay the bud from flowering for a season or so. I say chop it down to 6 ft

natej740 · 09-07-2010, 09:44 PM

Im no expert but i though if you cut a plant down past a flower that plant will die...Its pups will live on but that specific p-stem will die...

Bob · 09-08-2010, 04:01 PM

Once you've cut past the flower it's done but since you're only looking for the tropical look the mother corm of the "dead" plant will still supply any pups left behind. If you do happen to cut beneath an emerging flower just chop it to the base and grow out the biggest pup which will grow all that much more vigorously from the added nutrient supply from a larger corm. Sometimes you can give an educated guess by the age of the plant and the tapering of the p-stem if there is a chance of a bud being present but not always. Everyone in a cold climate should be familiar with this thread , it's a gem.

Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter

Jack Daw · 09-08-2010, 04:13 PM

Cut it as high as it is possible. The stem will most likely slightly dry up at the top and you will have to remove several inches. Other than that, if you cut off the flower bud in the P-stem, you will kill the flowering process and the mother plant will just die off. So no need to chop the P-stem up, just remove the leaves, close to the p-stem and the plant is ready to be stored. Good luck.

The Hollyberry Lady · 09-08-2010, 04:25 PM

Wow, thanks for the great information everyone.

This banana flower stuff has got me so excited...especially seeing Bob's amazing success with his Ice Cream banana plant, and living only 10 hours away from me!

I can only hope and dream that I too will get a flower someday...

and not cut it off!!!

Great thread....learning tons.

: )

stevelau1911 · 09-08-2010, 07:31 PM

I think it is probably easier to leave them in the ground and wrap them up as good as possible. I plan on using many layers of plastic to wrap up the p-stem to try and keep moisture out, a few layers of old clothes, then more plastic and finally leaf filled bags which will eventually be covered in something like a trash can or foam container to keep the moisture and cold out. A couple layers of tarp could be used to seal the deal and I could just leave everything on until the middle of May when I expect new leaves to come out again.

I tried growing bananas indoors last year and even with little watering, the plant still rotted and dried up due to a lack of sunlight which allowed the p-stem to get thinner and thinner until it eventually couldn't support itself. Maybe it was too small at the time.

timmko · 09-08-2010, 08:14 PM

I grew mine indoors last year just fine but they were small and not near as large as this year. They had window light and 10,00k 4oo watt MH to supplement that. THey grew from about 4 inches to over 3ft in about 5 months. My only problem now is the size and how much "more" light to add, so I don't break the bank buying lights.

sandy0225 · 09-09-2010, 07:46 PM

If your ceiling is 9 feet, I'd cut it back to about 5 feet. That will leave a little room for new leaves to expand out and still not be up towards the ceiling too far where it's not as bright.
If your plant is two years old, or even three in Wisconsin, you're not real likely to cut off the bud. But if you want to know for sure, after you cut it off, cut the part you cut off longways and examine it to see if it's in there. Then use the leaves to cook yourself up a good meal in the crockpot. I have a good recipe for a pork roast in banana leaves on here, or you could use beef, chicken, deer, or fish.

Kevin · 09-09-2010, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandy0225

If your plant is two years old, or even three in Wisconsin, you're not real likely to cut off the bud. But if you want to know for sure, after you cut it off, cut the part you cut off longways and examine it to see if it's in there.

Isn't it too late then? Could you slice off thin sections of the p-stem to see if you are getting to the bud, and stop when you reach it? How can you tell what the bud looks like in this immature stage?

sandy0225 · 09-10-2010, 05:58 PM

Well, yeah, it's too late if you already sliced it off. but usually you don't. When you slice the stem open lengthwise, you'll normally just see a lot of rings like a tree ripped down the middle, the bud looks different, kind of fat and when you slice it open a little like a button or a sponge mushroom rolled up tightly in a leaf. You're really just looking to reassure yourself that you didn't cut the bud off and then you can breathe easy again!
It takes me 4 years to get blooms on most of them around here, so you're almost 100% good in two years in Wisconsin. But then after it blooms the first time if you don't divide up the plant, my ice cream did bloom the next year too.

timmko · 09-10-2010, 06:45 PM

What about stripping the lower leaves? If I cut the top down should I leave all the smaller lower leaves on? IT would be easier to cut them off to give all the plants room to grow and prevent "shading".

timmko · 09-10-2010, 06:45 PM

Oh by the way thanks for the Borneo Giants Sandy they are great!!

Kevin · 09-10-2010, 06:48 PM

Do you just use a large kitchen knife, like a bread knife, to cut them down? What's the best way? Is there a possibility of disease or infection after cutting?

sandy0225 · 09-13-2010, 06:49 AM

You just use a sharp knife to cut them down. If you are worried about disease or infection I suppose you could dip your knife in rubbing alcohol between plants. They are not hard to cut down at all.
I've always left any leaves below the cut so that the plant can use them to make more food for itself. Remember, and this is important...after you cut them, they don't need much water until they have leaves again. It's easy to overwater them after you cut them off. So back off on the watering after you cut them off.
I think I'm going to have to repot or cut back those borneo giants, I think I have them as big as I can get them in 4" pots don't you think?LOL...

microfarmer · 09-14-2010, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevelau1911

I think it is probably easier to leave them in the ground and wrap them up as good as possible.

Unless the ground is heated, leaving a banana corm in the ground in central Wisconsin is certain death, unless it's a Basjoo or other very cold hardy specimen. Even then you'll need to keep the frost out of the soil. I have seen the ground frozen to over a foot deep in Illinois which is several hundred miles south of Timmko.

stevelau1911 · 09-14-2010, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Unless the ground is heated, leaving a banana corm in the ground in central Wisconsin is certain death, unless it's a Basjoo or other very cold hardy specimen. Even then you'll need to keep the frost out of the soil. I have seen the ground frozen to over a foot deep in Illinois which is several hundred miles south of Timmko.

I don't know about Wisconson, but around here, I have been able to just put a leaf bag over my gunneras which is enough to prevent the above ground bulb from freezing so I really doubt it freezes that deep around here especially with regular residual snow fall in zone 6.

09-06-2010, 05:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
timmko timmko's Photo Gallery Location: Central WIsconsin USA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 162 BananaBucks : 96,823 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 54 Times Was Thanked 123 Times in 57 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	How to cut them down for inside storage Can I just cut the tops off my banana's anywhere along the stem? I don't want to kill them. Right now they are 8ft or so and in another month or less I will have to bring them indoors. I have a 9ft ceiling so I don't have much room for overwintering. I will keep the room around 60 or so to not get a lot of winter growth. Can I cut anywhere along the stem even if a new leaf is emerging? Thanks __________________

09-06-2010, 08:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,002,373 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,592 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Yes you can cut them anywhere.The only problem would be if there was a bud in the P-stem and you cut below it. I guess to be safe cut as little as needed to fit inside. Last edited by sunfish : 09-08-2010 at 04:56 PM.

09-06-2010, 08:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady 's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,320,312 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Good advice, Tony. I am concerned about this myself and don't want to cut too far down when I bring a certain banana plant in for the Winter. How awful that would be...to cut off the flower! : (

09-07-2010, 07:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
timmko timmko's Photo Gallery Location: Central WIsconsin USA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 162 BananaBucks : 96,823 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 54 Times Was Thanked 123 Times in 57 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage And what are the cons of cutting the flower. Will the plant die? I don't count on getting fruit up here anyway just using them for that "tropical feel". thanks guys __________________

09-07-2010, 09:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
natej740 natej740's Photo Gallery Location: Chillicothe, Ohio Find me on the map! Zone: 6 Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 509 BananaBucks : 197,217 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 262 Times Was Thanked 480 Times in 224 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 49 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Im no expert but i though if you cut a plant down past a flower that plant will die...Its pups will live on but that specific p-stem will die...

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09-08-2010, 04:01 PM	#7 (permalink)
Bob Orang Puteh Bob's Photo Gallery Location: Washington Twp N.J. Find me on the map! Zone: 6a Name: bob Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,528 BananaBucks : 209,014 Feedback: 12 / 100% Said "Thanks" 9,537 Times Was Thanked 4,058 Times in 1,694 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 565 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Once you've cut past the flower it's done but since you're only looking for the tropical look the mother corm of the "dead" plant will still supply any pups left behind. If you do happen to cut beneath an emerging flower just chop it to the base and grow out the biggest pup which will grow all that much more vigorously from the added nutrient supply from a larger corm. Sometimes you can give an educated guess by the age of the plant and the tapering of the p-stem if there is a chance of a bud being present but not always. Everyone in a cold climate should be familiar with this thread , it's a gem. Time to put the bananas to sleep for the Winter __________________

09-08-2010, 04:13 PM	#8 (permalink)
Jack Daw I think with my banana ;) Jack Daw's Photo Gallery Location: BA, SK, CEU Find me on the map! Zone: Dfa (Köppen-geiger) <-> 7b/8a? (USDA) Name: Jack Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 3,525 BananaBucks : 213,079 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 2,771 Times Was Thanked 2,461 Times in 1,355 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 383 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Cut it as high as it is possible. The stem will most likely slightly dry up at the top and you will have to remove several inches. Other than that, if you cut off the flower bud in the P-stem, you will kill the flowering process and the mother plant will just die off. So no need to chop the P-stem up, just remove the leaves, close to the p-stem and the plant is ready to be stored. Good luck. __________________ Thnx to Marcel, Ante, Dr. Chiranjit Parmar and *Francesco* for the plants I've received. Zeitgeist - Corporatocracy 101 (~2hrs) Zeitgeist - Moving Forward (~2.5hrs)

09-08-2010, 04:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
The Hollyberry Lady The Hollyberry Lady 's Photo Gallery Find me on the map! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 15,161 BananaBucks : 1,320,312 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 12,042 Times Was Thanked 11,326 Times in 5,311 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 102 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Wow, thanks for the great information everyone. This banana flower stuff has got me so excited...especially seeing Bob's amazing success with his Ice Cream banana plant, and living only 10 hours away from me! I can only hope and dream that I too will get a flower someday... and not cut it off!!! Great thread....learning tons. : )

09-08-2010, 07:31 PM	#10 (permalink)
stevelau1911 stevelau1911's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 458 BananaBucks : 147,133 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 51 Times Was Thanked 561 Times in 258 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 24 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage I think it is probably easier to leave them in the ground and wrap them up as good as possible. I plan on using many layers of plastic to wrap up the p-stem to try and keep moisture out, a few layers of old clothes, then more plastic and finally leaf filled bags which will eventually be covered in something like a trash can or foam container to keep the moisture and cold out. A couple layers of tarp could be used to seal the deal and I could just leave everything on until the middle of May when I expect new leaves to come out again. I tried growing bananas indoors last year and even with little watering, the plant still rotted and dried up due to a lack of sunlight which allowed the p-stem to get thinner and thinner until it eventually couldn't support itself. Maybe it was too small at the time. __________________ 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/

09-08-2010, 08:14 PM	#11 (permalink)
timmko timmko's Photo Gallery Location: Central WIsconsin USA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 162 BananaBucks : 96,823 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 54 Times Was Thanked 123 Times in 57 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage I grew mine indoors last year just fine but they were small and not near as large as this year. They had window light and 10,00k 4oo watt MH to supplement that. THey grew from about 4 inches to over 3ft in about 5 months. My only problem now is the size and how much "more" light to add, so I don't break the bank buying lights. __________________

09-09-2010, 07:46 PM	#12 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 363,261 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage If your ceiling is 9 feet, I'd cut it back to about 5 feet. That will leave a little room for new leaves to expand out and still not be up towards the ceiling too far where it's not as bright. If your plant is two years old, or even three in Wisconsin, you're not real likely to cut off the bud. But if you want to know for sure, after you cut it off, cut the part you cut off longways and examine it to see if it's in there. Then use the leaves to cook yourself up a good meal in the crockpot. I have a good recipe for a pork roast in banana leaves on here, or you could use beef, chicken, deer, or fish. __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

09-10-2010, 05:58 PM	#14 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 363,261 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Well, yeah, it's too late if you already sliced it off. but usually you don't. When you slice the stem open lengthwise, you'll normally just see a lot of rings like a tree ripped down the middle, the bud looks different, kind of fat and when you slice it open a little like a button or a sponge mushroom rolled up tightly in a leaf. You're really just looking to reassure yourself that you didn't cut the bud off and then you can breathe easy again! It takes me 4 years to get blooms on most of them around here, so you're almost 100% good in two years in Wisconsin. But then after it blooms the first time if you don't divide up the plant, my ice cream did bloom the next year too. __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

09-10-2010, 06:45 PM	#15 (permalink)
timmko timmko's Photo Gallery Location: Central WIsconsin USA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 162 BananaBucks : 96,823 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 54 Times Was Thanked 123 Times in 57 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage What about stripping the lower leaves? If I cut the top down should I leave all the smaller lower leaves on? IT would be easier to cut them off to give all the plants room to grow and prevent "shading". __________________

09-10-2010, 06:45 PM	#16 (permalink)
timmko timmko's Photo Gallery Location: Central WIsconsin USA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 162 BananaBucks : 96,823 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 54 Times Was Thanked 123 Times in 57 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Oh by the way thanks for the Borneo Giants Sandy they are great!! __________________

09-10-2010, 06:48 PM	#17 (permalink)
Kevin Location: Winnipeg, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: 2b Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 184 BananaBucks : 136,679 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 31 Times Was Thanked 100 Times in 76 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 5 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage Do you just use a large kitchen knife, like a bread knife, to cut them down? What's the best way? Is there a possibility of disease or infection after cutting?

09-13-2010, 06:49 AM	#18 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 363,261 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: How to cut them down for inside storage You just use a sharp knife to cut them down. If you are worried about disease or infection I suppose you could dip your knife in rubbing alcohol between plants. They are not hard to cut down at all. I've always left any leaves below the cut so that the plant can use them to make more food for itself. Remember, and this is important...after you cut them, they don't need much water until they have leaves again. It's easy to overwater them after you cut them off. So back off on the watering after you cut them off. I think I'm going to have to repot or cut back those borneo giants, I think I have them as big as I can get them in 4" pots don't you think?LOL... __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

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