Winter

Well got the straw ready to wrap up the musa sikkimensis but decided not yet. It's still growing, it's in the unheated GH. Temps are not forecast to get lower than 3'c this week and I go and holiday next Sunday. Don't know whether to chop and wrap or bring it in to the kitchen when I go away. Also where would You chop the pseudostem?

 

Mowgley , why do you want to chop it ? It`s not big not , just put some protection under the pot to keep the roots protect and keep it alive untill next year ....the steem need to get thicker , then plant outdoor and then wrap with straw . . .

 

I meant chop the leaves @sal73 then protect the stem. It's too big to bring into the house

 

Mowgley , I`ve got one the same size , just wrap the pot with bubble wrap and leave it in the green house , if you got space , don`t cut the leaves ......

i`ve learned by mistake that sometime , the roots get frozen even in the greenhouse as the pot will not protect the roots and then it`s better to keep small bananas in a growing condition over winter , also noticed that I had more chance of surviving in the greenhouse then indoor , as the dry hot from the central heating is not the best for them .....all my bananas are resting on a polisterol sheet...... as last year lost almost all ensete that where sitting on the soil .

 

I stand root tender plants on several old newspapers.

 

@mowgley my banana sikkimensis hybrid looks to be of similar size to yours, approx 4-5ft tall from seed this year. I have wrapped the stem in straw and and removed two fading leaves but left the top open as it still has other healthy leaves, its in the greenhouse which is unheated and I think it will be fine. As we progress into winter I will wrap the pot and maybe put some fleece around the straw too. Its too big to go in the house so fingers crossed

 

Sound like a great plan @Bilbo675.
what shall I do about the pup growing?

 

Good question , when I've grown Musa basjoo in the garden in the past, the pups used to get covered in the straw, come the spring most of them grew away happily

 

Ive got a couple of trachycarpus fortunei on the front lawn, should be hardy but ive given them a bit of help just in case:

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Out the back there are four musa sikkimensis which have been doing well this year, but keeping them alive thru the winter is going to be touch 'n go -

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So Ive given then a bubble wrap overcoat

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Which Ive stuffed with fallen leaves & wrapped around with fleece -

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Hopefully the leaves will break down slowly over the winter & generate enough heat to keep the 'nannas stems alive. We will see - if we get a bad winter it will probably all turn to mush.

I still have the tree ferns to do, but they seem to be enjoying the damp cold at the moment so I may leave those a week or two:

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Although I did move the babies into the greenhouse where its warmer:

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Hopefully everything will be happy - the winters are not too harsh around here but every few years it gets below zero & stays there for weeks on end.

 

I wrapped my M.basjoo today along with a small Musella.
Its all packed with straw inside.

As to palms, I have a small long suffering Washingtonia and a Butia capitata, they will get overhead protection from rain. as I find the usual palm problems arise from water in the crown freezing and killing the growing point.