Bananas

I would keep it you never know might take off next year

 

I too dug mine up ready for the winter

 

Y0u going to keep it potted, rather than dry-store? Needs a fair bit more than "frost free" in a pot, IME, and very very little water or it will rot.

 

I read best way to store it would be in a green house going to bubble the green house this weekend and probably heat it too I did not think these one dry stored very well

 

Looks large enough to store dried to me, but it needs to be well dried (not dried like a corm, but rather all water that is on the surface bits, and any that the plant is still pumping up to the leaves.

Rot is a much more likely candidate if stored in a frost free, low light, situation. I would recommend that you have a fan in your greenhouse, more than a heater (you still need to maintain frost free, or ideally better than that [which a mild winter will do for you]) as a fan (e.g. on a segment timer, say, 15-on and 45-off) will move the air and dramatically reduce moulds and rot.

 

Been a good year for 'nanna corner - Ive pretty much let them get on with it all year, with only the odd soaking from the hose when its been dry for a bit:

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(started the year like this)

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Ive started tidying up & given the bed a good 6" of compost today, ahead of wrapping them up for the winter: lots of pups coming, hoping for flowers next year if I can get them thru the cold:

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Mine was looking ok last week apart from wind damage until the frost on weds night,ive cut it down and dug it up today so its now in the shed drying off

 

@Joolz - that's a lovely tropical corner you have there.

What are the other plants you have, in particular the big leaves on the right and the short plants with an orange spike?

 

I could tell you but I'll leave it to Joolz.
Time to dig my Ensetes up as they have already been hit by frost.

 

Finished winterproofing this morning:

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Always looks a bit sad with the leaves chopped - Ive left the rollers 'cos if its a mild winter they might well carry on growing:

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Fleece & all the chopped leaves stuffed in, wrapped around with bubble wrap:

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Final layer of fleece over the top - that should do it, although I might throw another layer of bubblewrap over the top if it get really cold.

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Thats it for another year - hoping for flowers next year...

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Just bought my first lot of Banana seeds today on eBay some Musa sikkimensis 'Red Tiger' any tips to germinate?

 

From what I have read about them growing banana from seed is really hard they have poor germination rates think it's something like 1 in ten

 

Ive grown quite a few from seed (the ones in this thread are!) I have had some luck with:

Soak overnight
Use a 50/50 mix of JohnInnes#2 & multipurpose compost, 2 mins in microwave at full power & let it cool before planting (hopefully kills any nasties)
Plant up in a heated propagator on a timer, I aim for about 30'c 6am-9pm & then let it cool to wherever the house is at. Doesn't have to be hi-tech, I use a reptile heat mat to get the heat.

Then should germinate in a month .. or three. Keep it moist, with that sort of heat it can dry out pretty quickly.

Can be a bit hit-miss if you dont know the age of the seed but that should work eventually.