Banana Planting time

Mine are only a couple of inches high in 3" pots ... I reckon they are staying int eh greenhouse for a year, maybe two :(

 

Basjoo is growing away right now here, and only frost on the leaves will now damage a well hardened off plant.
Cavendish is more tender and is only really half hardy at best, as far as I can tell.

I've got what I believe to be a Musa zebrina in the conservatory going crazy, but I think I'll give it another month yet.

 

Kristen, I wish I had a greenhouse that big.:D
What are they, BTW?

 

You certainly have money burning a hole John, the palm centre?

 

One's 30' x 10' and the other one 12' x 10' ... oh ... the Bannanas?

Musa sikkimensis and Musa Sikkimensis Daj Giant - I figured they looked to be about the hardiest that could be grown from seed.

Got less than 20% germination though ... :(

 

Mine are growing like mad already, new suckers unprotected all year

Basjoo will be fine to plant out now

Don't buy big, they grow like mad anyway ! the most important part is nurturing a good root/base plant which can sucker in the event of stem death due to either flowering or cold. Mine get decimated each year and walked over, yet still come late April the suckers appear The only banana which will survive this is basjoo, even protected the siki's will progressively die a little each year till gone, especially given the winters we have had. I used to be able to get an ensete through an outdoor winter with dedication, but no chance of late !

 

HO ho ho:D

Yes I think you are right on Sikki being the hardiest from seed, but I doubt it would get through the kind of winters we have had the last three years, even with protection.

Basjoo is really the hardiest, I protected mine this last winter for the first time in years, and have managed to save a few short stems.

Got a few cuttings potted up as well from last year.



It will be a year or two before I get it back to how it was in 2007

 

I had a basjoo in my old garden in Cheshire and the main stems grew to 10ft and it suckered - A LOT, producing a forest for want of a better word. Every neighbour in the street that was interested in gardening had a rooted sucker as a gift.

I used to protect the stems with straw and fleece and leave the leaves sticking out the top and just cut them off when they got tatty. I never built anything around it and it came back every spring with no problems.

It survived for 5 or 6 years on a slightly raised bed until the winters of the last two years proved too much for it, it was hit with -20 frosts for two years running and being so big my mum (who still lives there) couldn't manage to give it the protection it would have needed.