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dried out stem/reverse

18 years ago

It's probably been discussed earlier, so I apologize for any re-hashing, but here's my situation. This is my first winter with my basjoo. It was planted last May and reached a height of between 7 and 8 feet before I chopped it down and covered for the winter. I left about a foot of stem then placed four stakes in a square pattern around it. I then wrapped bubblewrap around the stakes and filled it in with bark mulch and leaf mulch. I finally covered that set-up with plastic to avoid moisture build up, and figured I'd see everything again in the Spring. Well, we all know how mild this winter has been. Until the other day that is, when a 'noreaster hit us with severe, gusting winds and about 8/9 inches of snow. Went to check on my windmill (which came through it fine, even though it's greenhouse was blown clear across the yard)and my banana. Troublesome story for the basjoo. Wrapping removed by the wind, and snow covering what I came to discover was about ten inches of new growth. Naturally, that new growth was reduced to mush. Now...do I just leave it alone until Spring, or do I cut it back again to the undamaged height now and cover again with mulch? I was amazed that it was growing through the mulch to begin with, but it HAS been a mild winter. Just curious if two chops in one season is okay.

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Comments (3)

pitangadiego
18 years ago
The trunk is composed of leaf stems, so shortening the leaf stems will have little or no effect on the plant (any more than cutting the leaf stems on a maple tree a couple times would have).

You should observe closely and remove any portions that are ROTTING - brown mushy stuff - because that will spread. Otherwise, I would let it be, probably let it get some warm sun on days when that is possible, and protect it from freezing, if you get more nights like that. Keeping it DRY should help avoid rotting, whereas sealing it up might help retain moisture and promote rotting. Needless to say, these are not issues we deal with in San Diego.
tropicalintoronto
18 years ago
I would spray some copper fungicide on the plant to help protect it from rot.
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steve_nj
18 years ago
I don't cut my basjoos until spring nor do I use copper on them. A good leaf mulch is all they get. I preserve a little trunk, but that's not my main goal. Mine are in high organic sandy soil and I water with water soluble fertilizer almost weekly to promote fast growth. I've found abundant water and osmocote and/or water soluble fertilizer from April to October are necessary for fast growth on bananas, Colocasias, and palms.

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