Musa banana

i`ve got 3 musa about 4 feet high in the greenhouse, in the last 3 years I`ve lost all the outdoor bananas because of the extreme cold ......should I still keep in pot for few more years or can they be planted in the soil and got trough the wrapping process every year?

 

Are they basjoo Sal?

 

I've planted 2 small musa basjoo in a client's garden a few weeks ago

they are tiny (under a foot tall)

planted them with lots of perlite and ensured that the mix in the planting hole is very free draining, and the planting holes are large

this is a 1st for me, and in the few weeks that they have been planted, they have not grown (or died)

not sure what they look like as of now, as we had minus 5 degrees C a few days ago, and they were not protected ....

I work in that area again on Tuesday, so will have a look, but am not holding my breath (I paid for them myself, but they were only £5 each)

I have another 2 that are protected with cloches in another garden, so will remove the cloches on tuesday and check those aswell

 

Musa basjoo "hardy" - tops tend to die down, and then grow again from the roots (so you get a clump, and never tall pseudostems). Worth protecting the pseudostems with chicken wire "cylinder" stuffed with straw, and a plastic sheet over the top (only) to stop the straw getting wet. That may be a substitute for having them indoors for the few couple of years.

Musa sikkimensis next up on hardness scale I think. "Touch and go", probably all right with chicken-wire-straw-cylinder, except in really cold winters. Personally I would overwinter under cover for first two Winters.

Rest of the Musa and Ensetes I think are dubious for hardiness, unless you are in very mild part of the country

I've seen recommendation to grow Musa sikkimensis from seed every year. Leave them out. If you get any that don't die in a cold winter stop sowing seed! because you've now managed to get one that is genetically adapted to colder conditions

 

Yes they are basjoo musa ,
Dim not too sure but look too early to go outdoor , Mine are still in the greenhouse up to May , I did cover all up , chicken wire , straw and bubble wrap to evoid the rain , but there where to small and the freeze had them ......so for the first year I`ve dag them out and puit in the greenhouse they are all nice and alive along with the 3 musella (best £7.50 I`ve ever spent in my life) , wich is started to regrow as well.

 

John how big are yours? I`m just not sure if I should plant them this year so they will grow fast and hardy for the winter or just wait another year . they suppose to be really fast grower but mine went from 2 feet to 4 , got some few cinese lasiocarpa put they die down in the greenhouse .

 

ps , for who may remember of me posting about musa dwarf cavendish and super dwarf in the greenhouse , the answer is no ..........those to plant will not survive in an unheated greenhouse , must have die at -3

 

Sal you need to plant them out this year in late May, give them a good start with lots of organic matter and get the stems as thick as possible.
Then use the straw for protection like John next winter.

Its touch and go these days, but I can remember a few years ago mine were coming through with no protection whatsoever..
But its down to getting that stem thickened up, which in itself is insulation during winter.

 

That`s my target , to tick them up as much as possible , but if the summer will be again like last year no much of hope .....what do you suggest, sunny position or half shadow?
nitrogen or potassium fertilizer? I really don`t want to lose them this time.

 

Go for full sun, warm as possible.
A wet summer suits them much better than a dry one, but warm humid weather is best.

 

John I'd be intrested to hear how the rockwool did during the winter, did it get water logged?
Its a good insulator but not if sodden I suspect.
Did you keep it dry?

 

talking about insulation , Pete did you ever use woodshaving rathen that straw?
I`ve used the tenon machine shaving , it kept dry but still lost the bananas as they where to small , it would be nice to find a less messy way wrapping the bananas as insulation would be easy to store .