There is no problem applying fertilizer in your area at the current temps, in fact it's the best time. The winterizer should be applied when top growth has stopped but the ground isn't frozen. It should also contain all quick release nitrogen. This is usually around Thanksgiving where you live, but can be later if the weather is mild like last year. One more thing regarding fall overseeding; you don't need to use siduron since the main weed it prevents is crabgrass which won't germinate in the fall.

I think the real problem is the fact that you have NO sun during the summer. While bananas might be expected to survive with half-day sun, no sun is a problem. I bring my bananas into the basement around November--after removing them from the soil, removing the leaves and maybe cutting down the length of the trunks on the taller ones, shaking loose any soil, etc. (but I don't wash off the roots.) I don't think your particular variety should pose any special challenges regarding overwintering. Again, your real problem in the lack of good sun during the active growing season. --My bananas are outside from about mid-late April till mid-November in full to half-day sun locations. Under these conditions I have managed to get my Himalayan to flower/fruit (in the ground).

Tree still looks fine but has been dropping around 5-10 leaves a day for the past week. Is this normal as the tree adjusts to the lower level of sunlight during the winter? I'm watering about once a week and supplementing with acidic fertilizer once a month and liquid seaweed every 2 months. The single orange continues to grow and has quadrupled in size since the last post. Any advice is welcome. Thanks!

John hello..See if you can try to grab the concept of growing trees in a pot? Your goal is to keep your mix open and porous as much as you can for as long as you can until your next re pot. It also helps to aerate the mix often which allows oxygen to get to the roots more often. In turn you avoid root rot, fungal issues, gnats and a host of other surprises.. If you use 'Organics' in your mixes, not only is it not readily available to the tree, but it will eventually clog your air porous mix and catch you off guard. It will not provide all the important nutrients your tree needs at once but only certain kinds and in the end, you will be caught of guard and your tree will decline in vigor all of a sudden. My goal is to ALWAYS use water soluble fertilizer which provide nutrients right away without the fear of clogging up my mixes, and trust me, 'Organics' with clog up your mixes and will further speed up decomposition of an open mix which can cause compaction...Do you understand where I am coming from? Those 'Organics' seem to work for a while, and then like a firestorm, always catch people off guard with a host of nutrient problems for 'containerized' trees... Most here have found out that' Organics' do much better in the ground with reliable microbes to make them available to life in the dirt.