winterizing ornamental banana plant

MJWhite · 09-08-2009, 11:39 AM

Hi! As a newbie to the group, I need some help! I planted an ornamental early summer and it has grown to about 5 feet and is beautiful! I live in Chicago, what do I do with it now for the upcoming winter? HELP!!!!

r3tic · 09-08-2009, 12:13 PM

Your best bet for survival this winter will be to dig it up and bring it indoors over the winter. If it is a basjoo then next winter it should be able to be left outside with some good protection. When you bring it in you can pot it in a fast draining soil and keep it in a south facing window, watering lightly only when the soil has dried several inches down. You can also wait until the leaves start going brow chop them all off and keep it in a cool dark place like the basement until spring.

Check out the cold growing forum for more specifics and feel free to ask questions. Everyone is very helpful here.

Oh yes....Welcome to the .org!

LilRaverBoi · 09-08-2009, 12:21 PM

Welcome to the site! I hope you enjoy it here and learn a lot. As far as overwintering plants, a lot of people have different methods for doing this. In my opinion, for someone with a small number of plants, I wouldn't risk losing your plant to rot in a cool garage or basement. I have always dug up my plants in the fall, put them in a pot and overwintered them (NOT dormant...growing) indoors by a window that gets a lot of direct light. If you have no such window, consider growing lights, but with a good window, they do quite well. This has always worked great for me and I have never lost a plant yet. Best of luck!

09-08-2009, 11:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
MJWhite Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1 BananaBucks : 8,590 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 0 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	winterizing ornamental banana plant Hi! As a newbie to the group, I need some help! I planted an ornamental early summer and it has grown to about 5 feet and is beautiful! I live in Chicago, what do I do with it now for the upcoming winter? HELP!!!!

09-08-2009, 12:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
r3tic r3tic's Photo Gallery Location: Drexel Hill, PA Find me on the map! Zone: 7-8 Name: Dave Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 216 BananaBucks : 46,117 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 531 Times Was Thanked 123 Times in 71 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 306 Times	Re: winterizing ornamental banana plant Your best bet for survival this winter will be to dig it up and bring it indoors over the winter. If it is a basjoo then next winter it should be able to be left outside with some good protection. When you bring it in you can pot it in a fast draining soil and keep it in a south facing window, watering lightly only when the soil has dried several inches down. You can also wait until the leaves start going brow chop them all off and keep it in a cool dark place like the basement until spring. Check out the cold growing forum for more specifics and feel free to ask questions. Everyone is very helpful here. Oh yes....Welcome to the .org! __________________

09-08-2009, 12:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 118,897 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: winterizing ornamental banana plant Welcome to the site! I hope you enjoy it here and learn a lot. As far as overwintering plants, a lot of people have different methods for doing this. In my opinion, for someone with a small number of plants, I wouldn't risk losing your plant to rot in a cool garage or basement. I have always dug up my plants in the fall, put them in a pot and overwintered them (NOT dormant...growing) indoors by a window that gets a lot of direct light. If you have no such window, consider growing lights, but with a good window, they do quite well. This has always worked great for me and I have never lost a plant yet. Best of luck! __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

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