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best_botanist

Torn up trees

best_botanist
17 years ago

i brought some banana trees from texas as a gift, i put them into a pot of potting mix, i put them outside but the wind got them, now they look like they are going to die, are they, how can i save them.

Comments (12)

  • islandtim
    17 years ago

    plant them in the ground and water them. they will be fine if the only problem is wind damaged leaves.

  • pitangadiego
    17 years ago

    It doesn't matter how bad the leaves look, as long as they are green, they are functioning and providing energy to the plant.

  • shiollie
    17 years ago

    They call that the "island look". As long as they are sheltered from the wind the next leaves should look normal.

  • unautre
    17 years ago

    shredded leaves, and drooping brown leaves are natural conditions for banana plants, but are the two main reasons many homeowners don't like bananas in their yards. They want magazine-perfect plants, HOA-approved, which means often unnatural.

  • best_botanist
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    i live in kansas, can i plant them in the ground

  • islandtim
    17 years ago

    there is no reason not to. they will grow faster and better in the ground where the roots can expand and not get root bound. if you leave a banana in a pot and have it sitting on the ground then the roots will grow out the drain holes and get to the ground. when i take 3 feet tall pups up and put them in pots to give away or save for next years stock, I allways have to pull them up as they are stuck to the ground.

  • lee466
    17 years ago

    I put my banana plants in the ground all the time, and they grow a lot faster than in a pot. I dig mine up before the first frost, and stick them in a pot. I don't take alot of roots when I dig them up, and they still survive.

  • best_botanist
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    but i live in kansas will the survive the winter

  • austinl
    17 years ago

    That depends what kind they are. Musa basjoo are hardy in Kansas with heavy mulch. I'm going to assume you have Orinoco since that seems to be the most common. You should probably dig them in the fall before first frost, store them in a cool, dry, dark place without the leaves attached. Plant them back out in the spring when you plant tomatoes. They will continue where they left off.

  • best_botanist
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    dig them up, how would i do that? how do i store them. mine just look like regular trees

  • mikevanecek
    17 years ago

    You can dig them up and stuff them in a large pot with some good draining potting soil. I don't even shake off any attached soil - but I usually just dig a big clump with the nanner in the middle then plop the whole thing in the pot and stuff soil around it and water it. Keep it moist but not wet and allow to dry just a little between waterings over the winter - it will slow down and too much water will cause it to rot. A great many a nanner is lost do to too much TLC. :) Provide it good light over the winter and, of course, warmth. In the spring, wait til it warms up a bit so the soil is good and warm. Pull back the mulch to speed up soil warming. Then about when you would plant out tomato transplants, plant the nanner back in the ground. Of course, you could get yourself a really large container and just leave it containerized on wheels and just wheel it from protection to outside and back...

    Have fun,
    Mike

  • fglavin
    17 years ago

    Here's how I overwinter my bananas:

    http://www.bananas.org/showthread.php?t=310

    Hope it helps.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Overwintering bananas