Musa Ornata 'Aurea' x sikkimensis banana

Here's my Musa Ornata 'Aurea' x sikkimensis today, looking stunning

 

Nice markings Bilbo, how hardy do you think it might be?

 

Honestly Pete, I don't know but I believe Sikkimensis to be quite hardy so we'll see how it goes. I'll be keeping it frost free for certain but how far above that I'm not sure

 

Hope frost free works as the last one I had with anything like those markings died very easily.

 

My Sikis have had pretty much no markings at all ... but their suckers are like Zebras. No idea why that would be ... they will be staying out this year (covered with straw within a chicken-wire cage). Fingers crossed as none of the seeds I have sown this year, as potential replacements for next year, have germinates.

 

I've just Googled the two parent bananas which mine is supposed to be a hybrid of and Sikkimensis is accepted as being fairly cold and frost tolerant, particularly the roots, as expected protection of the stem is recommended. Ornata however needs warm winter protection!!, so I'me hoping that as mine looks like Sikkimensis, in particular 'Red Tiger'?, it will share its hardiness. Either way as its a young plant it can stay under cover this winter and I may plant it out next year

Here's a link showing Sikkimensis 'Red Tiger' - http://thelostworldnursery.myshopify.com/products/musa-sikkimensis-red-tiger

 

Regarding leaf makings.
My supposed Cavendish had red flashes on the leaves when I bought it, I then potted it on, the red markings faded, almost disappearing.
I then moved it from the conservatory to the greenhouse, potted on again, the newer leaves then had really good markings.
Its all faded to all completely green now.

 

First time growing musa's this year.
Received this musa sikkimmensis mid June.
Potted on twice now and starting to grow quite fast.
Hopefully I'll get it through the winter

 

Still getting bigger

 

Talking about overwintering any advice? I bought mine as a dry root , so I suppose that can be ket dry in winter ....but how much cold can it take?

 

Thinking of starting some banana seed soon.
Reading through the net ensete's seem to be easier to germinate than musas
I know that the key is fresh seed
I think that I might try these 2

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25-Seeds-...arden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item1e734cc4d9


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Snow-Bana...arden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item1e746da0e5

 

Update......unwrapped my Musa before we went on holiday a week ago and all looked fine, no damp 'mushy' stem, came back from hols to find it had put out about a foot of new growth already , looking forward to seeing how big this will get this year

 

Good to hear @Bilbo675 my musa basjoos and sikkimensis both growing too.
The ensete I got from b&q for a couple of quid moving too now it's n the GH.

 

My Sikkimensis 'hybrid' is coming on really well now and is standing at around 6ft tall, it looks better first thing in the morning and later in the day with its leaves held fully open, not sure its fully enjoying the searing heat during the day that we're getting at the moment? when its leaves 'fall' slightly.

Its also producing its first baby