Does anybody have any experience with overwintering banana trees? (I'm in
zone 7.) Last year I dug them all up and brought them into the garage, but
several did not survive. However, two that were dug up and inadvertently
got left outside behind a shed, DID come back from the roots. Is it
necessary to dig them up and bring them in, or could I just leave them in
the ground? Should they be covered up, or will that promote rot?
TIA
Richard
Hi Richard,
I don't have any experience in banana growing yet, but here is a site you might
find useful.
http://www.crfg.org/
It is the website of the Calif. Rare Fruit Growers. Hope this helps.
Sheri
Zone 9
--
Richard,
I've never left mine out. I keep them in pots and haul them around with
many curses. However...some people have reported doing it in 7B. It's
probably a good idea to mulch them heavily with Xmas tree branches (stolen
from your neighbors after the holidays). They don't pack down and are
easily removed when the weather warms up.
Some bananas are lots hardier than others if check for bananas with your
favorite search engine, you'll find some pages and a mail list that can
help more than I.
Libby
libby@igc.apc.org Libby J. Goldstein phone & fax: 215-465-8878
Philadelphia USDA zone 7A Sunset zone 32
My garden must be n-dimensional if it's out here in cyberspace.
Are your trees real bananas (Musa spp) ? These non-woody trees only live
about 18 months. The tree grows, flowers, fruit and dies. To propogate,
cut away a sucker and start a new "tree". They will grow new suckers from
the corm. Another note (from Gardening in the Caribbean) bananas need rich,
well drained compost and should be heavily mulched. The authors recommend
feeding additional phosophate and potash and advise the need for boron and
manganese.
Laura Sabourin
Feast of Fields Inc Organic Farm - Ragenesque Cattery
R R # 1, St. Catharines, Ontario
Laura Sabourin wrote:
The 18 month cycle explains a lot! I had a lot of "wild" banmanas growing
around my house when I lived in Panama, and it seemed that every time one
of them fruited, the fruit would get ripe & the tree would fall over from
the weight of the banana cluster. I thought it was just the waterlogged
soil doing them in!
You can actually grow these from a banana instead of a corm: when we'd
leave the fruit on the ground, within a couple of months, a small cluster
of trees would start in the spot from the tiny seeds in the fruit. I don't
know how well this would work in a less hot & moist climate.
I don't know about the rich, well-drained compost, though. They seemed to
thrive in the horrible nasty clay that dried to a cement-like substance we
had around the house.
Ah, memories.
Liz in Bremerton WA (USDA zone 8, Sunset zone 5)
Hi everyone,
I'm wanting to get some banana trees started but am not sure what
variety to choose.
Do any of you have a suggestion of what would be a variety for the
Gulf Coast area?
Thanks Robbie
I'm wanting to get some banana trees started but am not sure what
variety to choose.
I don't know the variety of these but we get bananas from them every winter.
They are kept in a green house as the winters here get to cold. Altho we
have some out side that die down but come back each summer.. We have pacan trees
also. the squirrels seem to get more than we do. Yet in turn the poodles
enjoy chaseing the squrrels, so as with everything in nature it works out.
My grandaughter loves the baby bananas. even with out the bananas the tree
is beautiful makes a wonderfull background for my pet photography.
shirley lee
www.homestead.com/spoos
Photos can only be posted in the photo section. They are automatically
removed from emails.
Philip
GardenMessenger
Tom- I posted a reply to your post this am, but I guess it did not go through since I don't see it! Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I live in South Coastal Georgia- close to Jacksonville, Fla- , and that I have been growing three diferent Banana plants; some winters they go down a little but always they come back; also that I have eaten bananas from them a few times! I feed them well during the warm months, and a lot of water! I expect to hear from you.
Luis A Valera -orquidman2004@yahoo.com
Tom Foley
I have some babies coming up I live in Fort Myers
Tom
Try the Banana Tree dot com but you plant corms, not seeds and I presume
you know it will probably not survive winter in WVA but you can bring it
in for the Winter if you get a dwarf.
Check out my banana story at http://schmidling.com/banana.htm
js
hello my name is jacqueline I live in west virigina I would like to
f=3Dgrow a banana tree but can't seem to find any here or how to get
some seeds hopefully someone out there can help me
--- In PlantsandFlowers@yahoogroups.com, "jacqueline"
wrote:
> hello my name is jacqueline I live in west virigina I would like to
> f=3Dgrow a banana tree but can't seem to find any here or how to get
> some seeds hopefully someone out there can help me
hi jacqueline -- I really don't know where to get one, but try calling
your local greenhouses and see what they offer. Mine was given to me -
and so far so good. The leaves that were injured are dying off, but it
has a new one that just opened and I keep it in sunshine (in a large
container) and watered as needed. Naturally its indoors in the winter,
but will go out next summer. Best of luck locating a "pup" (a young tree).
CK
