Thanks for the help guys!?!

We folks in the northeast have a tough time josh. basements are too warm but garages can get too cold.It is hard in these zones to find 50 or 55 degress in the winter.I know basjoo will wither badly in warm temps.If you get through this winter, they are better off in the ground with mulch.

hey Josh,

why don't you have that basjoo in the GROUND??
It would be much better off. More likely to kill it indoors than outside.

Boca Joe

MY GOD! LOL My 9 footer I will probably leave in the ground. The 13 footer I just got last Monday. It's too late to plant it this season it wont be strong enough to make it through the winter. Dont you think? I would never want to do anything to kill my plant Joe.

Leave the 9' in the ground assuming its been in the ground a couple of months...? The 13' is too late to plant. I used to lug my musa basjoos down to my basement and still bring some cavendishes inside. My basement is finished and heated - 68...they get some light - recessed light& neon light...No problem. If you can, put up some black plastic to block out light and water very little - just to keep from drying out. They will look like sh#t in the spring...Gradually introduce them back to light. Go very slow with direct sunlight. You may even fry your first leaf or two but they will be fine. To bring them indoors, I normally just dig them up and put in a large pot. I have used contractor plastic bags before and even tried burlap...(I got some huge pups that popped thru the burlap in total darkeness that year...they were white...). Some people bring them in bare root to over winter. Some cut the psuedostem down & bring the corm in only...Good luck and don't be too confused with all the info/methods. Its not that hard. Try to keep them in the ground next year and you will be rewarded with huge banana plants that get even bigger the following year.

i keep mine garaged, in a big plastic pot, dark, dry, temp range 35-65F, they grow very fast in spring

I've kept mine in a warm room (with diffused light) all winter long (and have done so for 2 winters already).

They sulk and barely grow and don't appear happy by spring, losing a couple leaves here and there, but they survive. I tend to water just a couple times a winter and no fertilizer at all.

Its a dwarf Cavendish and the one plant I started out with is now about 8-10 or so (with 4 plants being more than 3 feet with 2-3 inch diameter stems)

~Chills

As long as you keep them above freezing, that is warm enough. Try not to go above 50* so they stay dormant. Place them in a large pot with sand. water enough to keep them barely moist. Too moist and they may rot. You may as well trim all the leaves except the youngest one. You don't want to remove th last leaf and the next leaf bud which is inside it. If you can provide a place with substantial humidity, that is best.