musa bajoo

I have a large musa bajoo in the garden which is about 5 years old now. It has 6 thick stems on it each about 6ft tall. Last year for the winter I cut them back shorter and covered them with straw and placed a water butt (with holes in) on top for frost protection.
This winter, would it be hardy enough to just wrap fleece around the top of the stems or should it be completely covered.
Any other ideas would be great.

Thanks. GF

 

Dont like to advise one way or another on this, but I can only say mine have not been protected for about five years now and have not suffered any real damage, other than the obvious leaf loss.

The stems have always resprouted in the spring.

 

GF, Ive just wrapped mine in fleece, plus, I`ve left most of the leaves on to deflect airfrosts from the stems.

 

Personal choice but I now do nothing to mine at all.

You will lose late flowering stems, but I haven't lost any normal growing stems to the cold.

 

Well ventnor botanics have had mature bananas outside for the last 20 odd years and there still fine, although there always worrying if this winter might just be the one to finish them off:tnp:

 

I made fleece jackets and wrapped 8 musa basjoo trees in late October. One of my trees is 7' Just fold the leaves over and wrap them up with fleece. I dont take them in as they are firmly established in the ground.

In Sri-Lanka we have other varieties and with the weather being warm we dont think of wrapping
them up.



this was taken in my bak garden in Leicester.