Zone 5/6 Musa Basjoo Winter Prep Question.
shipkdc
17 years ago
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ohio_banana
17 years agoshipkdc
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Musa Basjoo, for the winter???
Comments (55)I have read a bunch of postings on overwintering the Musa Basjoo, and came across one that said these plants are not for pots. Well,I have mine in a large plastic planter, and it's about 5ft. tall, with 2 pups. I want to keep it in it's pot for the deck, and it's too big and heavy to try to put into the house. Can I overwinter it in it's pot on the deck? I also have a beautiful red banana in the same pot, and want to do the same thing. I've heard the Musa is hardy to zone 5, but I know my red one isn't. I need some advise on what to do!!...See MoreZone 5 Musa Basjoo-- Winter in Ground????
Comments (10)shipkdc... I've tried Basjoo many times, in many areas and with a variety of degrees of protection... Here's what works here in OHIO... 1. Make sure the soil you plant it in is well drained, especially in winter... add rocks and sand if possible... 2. Planting next to the foundation of the house or in a protected area is usually helpful.. not necessary, but helpful... 3. Limit the feritlizer, but give it plenty of water in summer... 4. Wait until a hard freeze kills/turns the leaves brown and cut the pseudostem back to about 2-3ft. It would be very rare to have the pseudostem overwinter, no matter how much protection you afford the plant. 5. Spray the pseudostem, (especially the base of the plant) very well with a copper based fungicide, to prevent rot. 6. Build a wire cage around the pseudostem and fill the cage with oak leaves or dry straw... (make sure the material is DRY and pack it tight) 7. Secure the cage in place and cover it with a big garbage bag. Since a garbage bag in the yard is ugly, I cover it again with burlap, to hide the black bag... As soon as temps begin to warm (mid-April) uncover everything. The pseudostem will be mush, but the base should be firm and a whitish/pinkish/green in color. Spray the base again with the fungicide and growth usually begins when temps start staying in the 70's. Good luck...See MoreHELP - Musa Basjoo in Zone 5
Comments (8)That's not good news Turquoise. I read they are hardy, with mulch, to zone 5. Even read (unconfirmed) reports of someone in zone 4 growing them. Of course all this gets me thinking that perhaps zone 3 is a possibility. Not likely I guess. Anyways, apparently there are other ways to overwinter, such as storing the plant in a cold room, or trying to grow it as a houseplant over winter. I did this with my ensete (Abyssinian Banana) last winter. Put it in a north window (the only window available), watered sparingly (very sparingly, I thought the plant would wilt though it never did), sprayed with neem oil once in a while to ward off bugs, and made sure the heating vent didn't blow hot dry air on it. To my surprise it survived winter, though any growth it gets over winter is basically weak and easily damaged when trying to get the plant used to outdoors again (but the new outdoor growth is healthy). I guess it's sort of like the cold storage method, as long as the corm survives (by whatever method) the plant will send up new nicer growth. Glen...See MoreMusa basjoo in zone 7
Comments (10)I don't even bother protecting them anymore in Zone 7a VA. When I first put them in the ground (5 or 6 years ago), they were placed in my 'dog' yard, where two English Mastiffs were taking up residence. My male would habitually urinate on them, which in the growing season I'm sure they loved, but while dormant I thought for sure they would perish. Nope. At them time there weren't even in a raised bed. I've sited them a little better now, but my biggest clump is on the NE side of the house. Gets direct sun up until about noon. Last year the tallest basjoos were probably about 12-14'. Other than being in a raised bed (about 9-12" above grade), I did nothing to winterize them. They starting growing from the corm prior to April. That clump currently has 7 naners growing, the tallest of which is about 3'. This winter was a mild VA winter, but the previous few winters were brutal here on the east coast. No issues. They just survive. 1) Do they reliably flower and fruit for you? I've never had them fruit in 5-6 years of keeping them. 2) How tall and wide does it get for you every year before dying back in the fall? The clump gets about 4-5' in diameter, and the tallest it's even been has been pushing 15'. 3) Do deer have a tendency to eat/browse on them? No deer visit my city lot. 4) And lastly, are they surviving in your zone 7/6 temperatures? No issues....See Moresandy0225
17 years agoshipkdc
17 years agomander8202
17 years agoSue W (CT zone 6a)
17 years agoornata
17 years agoSue W (CT zone 6a)
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17 years agochrisware
13 years agorudy625
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8 years ago
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