Author Topic: Bananas - Overwintering  (Read 3505 times)

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Bananas - Overwintering
« on: October 25, 2014, 20:37:52 »
How would you overwinter a large Ensete banana grown in a container rather than the ground?

I have one like this and need some suggestions. In the past it has lived in the conservatory over winter where it has kept growing. It is now too big for this!

Recently on Gardeners World, Monty prepared his for overwintering by removing all compost/soil, cutting back the foliage before turning it upside down to drain like a dahlia. He then says to heel it into a pot or bucket in a dry, dark and frost free place to keep it safe but dormant over the winter. Does this make sense? Or is there a better/more reliable way?

Thanks

goodlife

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Re: Bananas - Overwintering
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2014, 22:14:16 »
Well.. if it is too big for the conservatory in its current state and you don't have any other frost free place, there is not much else to do than having to chop it back :BangHead:
Have you got large greenhouse with soil border that you can keep near enough frost free....room for digging up BIG hole for the pot and kind of 'sinking' it deep down to give room for the height of the plant? You could then tie the foliage up, wrap most of it with chicken wire and pack it with dry straw to keep it protected against cold. Leave may still get affected by cold but at least the main 'trunk' is still safe.
Saying that...the soil in compost would still need to be on the dry side...that's why it would be better to take the plant out of existing compost/soil and give the plant chance to get rid of the excess moisture...and there could be some unwanted 'creepy crawlies' in the soil too that you would not want to over winter with your plant.  Monty's advise is good as the moisture with cool temperature is the main issue.

kGarden

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Re: Bananas - Overwintering
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2014, 15:06:00 »
How would you overwinter a large Ensete banana grown in a container rather than the ground?
Rot is the biggest issue for Ensete in winter.  Big ones (5 feet of pseudostem or more) will be happy being stored dry - all leaves and roots cut off, upside down for a few days to drain, newspaper used to draw and water out - and then put somewhere frost free, but not warm (don't want to encourage it to try to grow!)

I plunge-pot mine in the garden in Summer, and bring the pots/plants in for the winter, but I have a tall conservatory.  I give them a little heat, so 5C or below would be rare, and almost no water - after  a wet autumn like this one the main problem is the pots coming in too wet - but if the plant has plenty of leaf that should help it dry the soil out.

If you store it dry, with the leaves chopped off, the next problem will be in spring - once re-potted and growing again the height of the leaf rollers is an issue with roof clearance, and the plant can't go out if there is threat of frost. If the pot/plant is not too big it could maybe go out for the day, and in for the night, in which case a garage or something frost free, but with enough ceiling height!, would do, but after 2 or 3 years the mother plant is going to be tall and heavy for that sort of in-and-out on a daily basis.

ACE

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Re: Bananas - Overwintering
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2014, 05:08:08 »
Nice sharp knife, cut it right off about 2' high, bung it in a cool dry place, then next year it will shoot out of the middle and before you know it a nice plant again. This will also help it to make a few suckers which can be pulled off for new plants.

All the sap below the cut will drain back into the 'crown' strengthening it for the next season. You might need to increase the pot size as the girth gradually gets bigger and bigger. It sounds and looks drastic but it has worked on my plants for the last 10 years.

woodypecks

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Re: Bananas - Overwintering
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2014, 15:37:59 »
Mine gets dug up with as much of the rootball as I can carefully get up with it ....into a large plastic tub with some nice fresh fairly dry as it comes out of the bag multipurpose compost for it to slowly get its roots into over winter... I dont water it in and hardly water at all over winter  . Then it gets dragged into a corner of our woodshed which has a clear plastic corrugated roof . I never cut the leaves off , the outside ones just go crispy and I feel they protect the inner leaves .  If there is a frost or cold spell ,I throw a sack , or old coat , or fleece over it, over night and remove in the morning . It has come through a good few cold winters now, it is huge , fills a whole wheelbarrow .
Trespassers will be composted !

 

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