Hi, I'm in Zone 5 in Wisconsin. This was my second winter trying and I've never been able to successfully get one through. My biggest challenge seems to be keeping them dry, even with multiple layers of tarps they get wet.

There's a lot of advice on the banana forum, but in general you need to heavily mulch them (last year I built a chicken wire cage several feet high and wide, and filled with mulch), then cover the cage with plastic or tarps to keep the mulch as dry as possible. Don't put plastic directly on the stump or it'll trap the moisture from the banana. Use a fungicide to prevent mold.

This winter I'll probably try again, but I also plan to dig one or two up to overwinter them inside or in my unheated greenhouse. There are a few tricks I can still try, christmas lights to give a few more degrees of warmth or building an actual structure around them.

We had a brutal winter (again), so I'm not surprised, but it was my second disappointing spring for bananas. I'm starting to get discouraged!

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

Give it a shot Magic - I'm in London Ontario - I think it depends on the soil type to be honest with you - cold wet damp clay is no good for the corm (so amend it with something ie sand) - I lost 2 this year and the 3rd the main corm rotted but little pups have started to emerge around it. we did have a pretty weird spring also which was not typical for this region. location is key - someplace out of the north and west wind where the sun will warm it up quickly in the spring. I bought another and will store it inside this winter in the basement.

I saw "zonepusher"s post and picture over on the banana forum - with that and your encouragement I am going to leave the little ones in the ground. I may go out and dig them up - get the hole much deeper and add lots of compost for drainage - replant and then see how well they do over the winter. I am also going over to the shop and see if I can't badger the manager into lowering the price to $6 each "to help them out so they don't have to toss them out later on"! Sometimes that works!!! I am also looking for some elephant ear bulbs - I hear they multiply quickly. What I get doesn't have to be fancy at all - just green and tropical looking! Anyone have any extras and how much? I am going to look at the local little store where I got two bananas in pots that were underplanted - $7 each - I think I saw some pots that had elephant ears in them instead of bananas.
Any further advice on zone 5 Musa Basjoo is more than welcome.
Cheers from Michigan zone 5 snowbelt

ooops - I forgot the link to zonepushers photo and post - it is http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/banana/msg030111256903.html?19

Here is a link that might be useful: Zonepushers musa basjoo zone 5

I have a five year old banana clump in Muncie Indiana, zone 5a, see my guide about overwintering them on my website. It's really easy to do. I sometimes have one come up missing and that's usually due to a mouse taking up residence in there and eating them. But normally they all come back.
By the way, you're lucky if you receive snow, that helps insulate too! We usually get our coldest weather when there's no snow cover and that's really hard on things.

Here is a link that might be useful: how to mulch a basjoo for a zone 5 winter easily

Thanks all for the advice and encouragement.
Sandy - that was a really good tutorial, great pics and it gives me hope that is for sure! My inground Musa Basjoos are only a foot tall right now - I am betting that they are too small for wintering this year... what do you reckon?

I wouldn't try it unless they are at least 3 feet tall at the time of frost. I don't get on here much anymore. So e-mail me if you have any more questions.