Bananas

@PeterS , I'm pretty sure the ones overwintered in you sun room will be the best plants next year.
Chop off the leaves as much as you like, its the roots that we have problems with.

 

Hi Richard - they can do but its not that straight forward. I suspect my record at the moment is about 2/3 recovered 1/3 lost. I am sure it would be higher if I knew the precise method to use. In the spring I put mine into compost on a heating pad. The key is in getting the right level of moisture. Too much and it will rot and too little and it won't try to grow. And, of course, the heating pad is constantly drying up the compost. I suspect it needs to be checked daily with a moisture meter.

I would be very glad to heat of a fool proof method. When I propagated from one, at the start of the thread, I cut the old dried corm into 4 pieces. Three did well, but one did nothing.

 

Probably the last pics of the Nanas for this year.
No flowers on the basjoos but if I can keep the biggest stems I think I stand a chance next year.

Still putting off lifting the E. maurelii, dont think I can lift it on my own anyway.

 

They are surprisingly heavy Pete aren't they - it must be all that water - about 90% water.

I have lifted my basjoos as they are only small. They seemed to come up with a healthy amount of soil. How old do you think they need to be to flower Pete?

I looked at the u-tube video link below a short while ago. It showed someone who had lifted his maurelii and was potting it up with the intention of growing it on over the winter. He said he didn't bother to save any of the roots when he dug it up - they had all been cut off. He said maurellii was as tough as old boots and it didn't matter. I would have loved him to have expanded on that - and does it apply to other types.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...6vJJNY&usg=AFQjCNH1jSJsnqS8tu7MAtGe_JchxE2c5Q

 

Never had a basjoo flower below head height, they form a bulge at the top of the stem before showing the flower.
Thats the stem height.

Yes, the last ensete I lifted died, it nearly killed me getting it out the ground and into shed for the winter, so although this one is slightly smaller, I'm not looking forward to it.

I dont think I have conditions suitable to keep it growing over the winter, if I did and it was as small as his, I'd probably do what he has done.

So its lift it and try the dormancy method again, or let it die.

 

I wonder, chaps, if it would be worth trying to overwinter the E. maurelliis in the ground, which is what I've done for 3 years now? And the winters here are easily as cold and wet as UK ones! I only ever dug one up and, as you say, Pete, it's a killer! I use shredded Arundo donax and the old Ensete leaves as a really thick mulch over the root area, at least 1' (25cm) thick. Then dry excess water off the 'trunk', wrap in fleece and then a 'teepee' of 'multicouche' insulation. This is a multi-layered, flexible, metallic sheet used over here for putting under tiled rooves....don't know if there's an equivalent in the UK? The knack seems to be in unwrapping and checking from time to time in the Spring, but always being ready to replace the cover when late frosts are forecast. As the mulch and the teepee keep the ground fairly dry, the roots don't suffer at all. My baby had a diameter of 3ft this year and impressive leaves up to 15 feet :-)

 

Sorry @noisette47 I missed your post until now.

Thats interesting, I've dug mine up now and tried potting it up, if the cut off roots can get going again I stand a chance.
If it does survive and grow on next year I will definitely give it a go in the ground next winter.

 

Basjoos today

 

Hello Banana Experts,

I've got a M. basjoo that's just over a year old and in a 30cm pot. I've got an exposed greenhouse (that's already been down to -2C this year) and no conservatory. I've hacked the leaves off after the frost in the greenhouse got them. What's the best option for keeping it alive over winter?

 

My thoughts are, keep it on the dry side, wrap it in fleece should the frosts get hard, and insulate the pot as best you can.
Possibly sinking it into the ground if possible.

 

Good luck with the Ensete, Pete. Here's hoping that this winter will be as mild as the last one!
There's no frost forecast here for at least a week, so am going to unwrap mine and let it 'air' a bit

 

Thats the bit I find difficult.
Once mine are wrapped they have to stay that way until spring.

 

That must be nerve-wracking when there's a warm spell!

 

More kind of annoying really, just not easy to wrap up quickly when a cold night is threatened.

 

Wouldn't you think that someone would have invented large, insulated, ground-fixable buckets by now?