I haven't gotten the cold storage thing perfect yet but prepping them isn't hard. I have always read to dig and clear the dirt, leaving bare root. Cut off all but one leaf and the emerging if there was one. If you keep them cold enough they should just go to sleep. I believe I need to introduce some water or get lower temps as mine die back.

But for cutting. I use culinary shears (kitchen scissors). No part of the banana is too tough. I cut the leaf just behind the leaf base leaving as much petiole as possible. If you are leaving bare root then the majority roots can be removed as they will die off anyway. When mine go in the basement the are just big green logs with a few roots dangling from one end and a floppy leaf on the other.

I have my first Siam Ruby that I must deal with and it
has several pups. Is there any special soil that I need to
use?
Margaret

Stanc-
I am curious about the first banana that you succesfully stored in the basement with little water and light.
What temperatures was it exposed to?
I have room in my basement for my bananas but it stays about 68F. I worry about a temperature/light mismatch.
Does anyone know if it is okay to leave a banana with low water and low light but with such moderate temps?

Kyle

Cold is also key to the dormancy equation. I believe 45-60 is the optimal range. It was on this forum years ago that I would have originally read it. I think the last two winters mine have been too warm as they slowly dry back to the corms. I always get them to spring back eventually but true cold storage should yield a full, firm stalk ready to start growing with virtually no loss of height. This years I will be trying to keep mine insulated against the outside wall of my friends basement with temperature monitoring to see if I can get a handle on maintaining some height.

I overwintered an Abysinnian banana (ensete) in a cool 62F basement with dim light but a bit of late day filtered sunlight. I removed from the pot but kept the rootball in a plastic bag, watered very sparingly once in a while.

Unfortunately, though, the plant them perished in the cool spring of outdoors when it appeared to rot.

This year I am trying both downstairs storage and growing a couple of plants on as houseplants. Unfortunately, when the plants go back outdoors in spring any leaves they grew indoors get quickly tattered and yellow, but the new leaves that it grows in better outdoor light are okay. Also, there is some "stretching" over the course of the winter as the plants reach toward the window light.

Glen

The first bannana I succesfully stored in the basement with little water and light was a Abysinnian banana (ensete).
I kept in the pot it came in that year and moved it to my basement when the temps were 40 deg on a regular basis.
The only light was from the glass block windows and the heat was 55-60.
I watered once a month about 1 cup, thats it.
When mid april came I moved it outside in a shaded spot an planted it in the ground mid May or about the same time you plant your tomatoes.
I watered and fertilized regularly and now its about 12 feet tall.
Need to think about bringing it in soon.

stanc