I planted musa basjoo's last year in our marina. The first frost, I cut them down and put 6" of mulch on and cover them with screen and rocks to hold down the screen. They go under water quite a bit when it floods. They weather quite well outdoors, when spring comes I pull off the screen and mulch and they take off growing.

Hi .
Go to "Im confused" post to see my recommendations about how to wrap a Basjoo over Winter.
That will be for you NEXT Winter.
Keep your plant in your greenhouse this Winter as I did some years ago. OR if small enough bring indoors being carefull how you water.
BUT here is the main point Basjoo is NOT a pot plant. Prepare a hole in Spring with lots of good things in it (Manure peat compost bone meal grit)plant it and you will be AMAZED at its growth.
Basjoo is magnificent.
Good luck
Sidney in England.

Hi

I live in Graham and last year planted 2 of my musa basjoos and before frost, did what was recommended in "Hot Plants for Cool Climates". I cut off the blackened leaves at their bases leaving the trunklike pseudostem. Pile mulch around the base of the plant. Then tie sheaves of of straw around the stem with garden twine, add a layer of black plastic or tarpaper, tack the edges down and wrap the whole thing up with burlap. Unwrap the banana in early spring whennighttime temperatures rise into the 40s and the last frost date has passed. They looked rather cool in the garden. This year one of my musas has taken off and is over 10 feet tall with lots of pups and I wonder if it will survive without all the above preparation. Any advice? Thanks.

BB

Here is what I did. I have a 4 foot Basjoo that was only 4 inches tall when I got it back in May. I've cut all the leaves off and left a stubbly 3.5 inch psuedostem. Put an old tire over the stem, wrapped the stem with an old cotton towel, put another tire over the first to protect the height. I then fill in the tires with mulch to the top. After this, I wrapped the tires with a heavy blanket and then wrapped everything up with a large piece of plastic to keep out the moisture from the rains and snow we get up here. I let you know how it does come May or so.

i recently bought a hardy banana tree and was not informed thatit needed protection against frost. its only about 2-3 feet tall and we have been hit with frost already. will that ruin any chances of producing fruit on the tree or will cutting back the stalk and covering it till next spring revive it and start all over again like it was never hit by frost? or is the plant already useless? i would really like to know what anyone has to say. thank you.

Heather, you probably won't ever see fruit on your banana in zone 5, the growing season really isn't long enough. Frost is ok, but if you don't protect it over the winter it probably won't survive.

Cut it back, then mulch it heavily and then cover the mulch with plastic. There are tons of tips here for how to do it and techniques to try. A lot of people build a chicken wire cage around it, fill that with mulch or straw and then cover it with plastic. Try to keep it warm and dry.

I covered mine last winter, but none of them made it. This year I'm trying a few different things. So it might take some trial and error. If it makes it through, it should pop back in the spring and start growing again.

Time to drag this back up. For the record, the first year I lost everything cuz I was flying the rookie flag. What didnt get killed by the cold, rotted from our endless wet during our winters.
Started over last year with some in pots and some in the ground. Covered the ones in the ground with fleece when it was really cold but left them open when it was just wet.
The ones in the pots I put in our garage where it's cold but dry.
Ended up losing all the ones in the pots but am glad to say I had 3 that were in the ground make it. They didnt get really tall this year as they were stunted but nevertheless, they lived and now have 3 or 4 pups coming up.

This year I'm going to make a frame out of pvc pipe and some fiberglass roofing. What I'm thinking is making a small shed roof over them that will keep our endless cold rain off of them as best as I can. I really think it's the rot that got to them.

We'll see....... any other suggestions would be appreciated....john

Missed it by that much. Ended up having a heavy freeze T-day night. Soooo, I cut them back and covered them with mulch/bark chunks. We'll see how they do this winter

My experience has been...you cannot kill these things. I planted some, about two and a half feet tall, in unamended, solid clay back in early May of 2007. In just about five months most of them grew to well over ten feet tall, a couple grew to over twelve feet tall. You don't need to worry about creating the perfect conditions (amend the soil, etc...) for these. And it is IMPOSSIBLE to overwater them...I had some growing in a plastic tub in just water for over three weeks.

For us, at least, we gave them only two things...

(1) Very hot and humid weather. They LOVE direct sunlight (12+ hours per day) and very hot temps. We had nine days of 106 degree heat and 115+ degree heat index this summer.

(2) Lots of water. I put mine on a soaker hose for fifteen or thirty minutes every day.

Here in SE Alabama (in my yard, at least) they are still green and have not been fried yet. I'm gonna cut the psuedostems back to about 6 feet and see if I can overwinter them for next Spring. Who knows maybe they'll bear fruit next year.

Here in Southern Maryland, we allow them to die off on their own, put extra mulch around them, and BAM! they are back and stronger every spring. It gets below freezing for long periods at night here.

Jenny

Regarding cutting back the Musa Basjoo: I am in Northeast Louisiana. For the winter, should I cut it back all the way to the ground or just around 6ft? Do I need to just have a stalk sticking up out of the ground? I just planted the tree in May 07. We got our first light freeze(29 degrees) and the leaves are dead. I just want to make sure I do the right thing for the winter so it will explode in growth like it did this year.

watchit,

If you want them to get huge, do not cut stems to the ground. Just trim off any frosted leaves. Hopefully the pseudostems will stay green in your zone. They'll probably resume growth in March-April and will only get larger each year until about 15', then they'll bloom. Here's how large they can get in Northern Virginia (zone 7a):

{{gwi:407732}}

Hello :)

I'm from Bulgaria and I've always wanted to have my own banana tree and getting it to grow outside in the garden. I guess it would be amazing and very exotic-looking.

Does anybody out there have some free seeds and is willing to send me some to grow? I would be very grateful...

The musa basjoos don't normally grow from seeds. You'll need to get a young plant, probably from within your country. I know I've seen web sites of people growing musa basjoo in Bulgaria, so they must be available. Good luck!

Dave:
i'm quite excited to see that this grows here. Thanks for the pics. i live in Arlington. would love to see your plant in real life. i'm doing a major renovation of my house and going to add a tropical garden look.
i had no idea that this would survive up here.
Would be curious if it involves any special care
Eric

Eric
Basjoos are the hardiest banana their is they can
take the cold, and i agree with joey it is very hard to kill them.

Do you all know the bananas on the Musa Basjoo are not edible?

Also, I have had mine for 4 years (winters)and bring the pot in the house over winter. I do not cut mine back and keep it in front of a south window. It looks great and keeps growing all winter long.

Tj

Wahoo!!! Just for grins I uncovered them today to see what how they did under all that beauty bark. Not only does it look like they made it but they've been buzy pupp'n.

I now have 15 stems.......... Supposed to get almost 60 tomorrow but it's still getting around freezing at night so I covered them back up. I'll keep them under till we are firmly out of the freezing nights......

Dave, if you are still poking around this forum please give me a little more specifics on your care for this banana. I also am in 7a, but in NJ. I see your plant is close to the foundation. Is it on the south side of the house? I have one in the back by the pool. I did not touch it at all, but it doesn't look good. Does your trunk stay green all year? Please give me any more specifics you may have on how you care for your tree.

Thanks,
Roy

Hi,

Just looking for some opinions on whether or not I should give up hope on my musa basjoo. I had two last year, with one of them growing to over six feet. So, I cut them down and piled the leaves and mulch around them. But, I think they may have rotted. I can't see anything coming up yet and the base just looks kind of like shredded mulch or something. Very fibrous. I can't feel anything solid inside either. I think I should have covered them with plastic or something to keep them dry. Does it sound like they've rotted? I'm trying to decide if I should order more. Thanks for any advice.

scully...I had a banana do that to me last year. I left it alone to see what happened. It eventually grew, but, so late in the spring and it only got to a foot or so.

I had another that has been in the ground for 3 years now. I wrapped the trunk the last 3 winters. It now has a 7 foot trunk and up to 10-12 feet with the leaves. (I live in Massachusetts)

First I chopped the leaves off after the first frost (usually mid November here.) Then I spray trunk with fungicide. After that I wrap the trunk with house insulation, and then add a 2nd layer. Next I place a tarp approx 5X5 with a hole cut out of the center and slip over the insulated trunk to keep the ground relatively dry. Then I throw another tarp over the insulated trunk. Last, I spread some chopped leaves from the lawnmower to a depth of about 6" around the base.

Here is a pic from last summer. For reference see the 6 foot fence and trellis on the right:

{{gwi:420935}}

Hello, first year plants that were wintered under 10" of straw after I cut them to about 4-6" Mushy, brown and soft...I want to post some photos, can anyone tell me how to do that?? Thanks...Don

Don, put the photos on a web hosting service such as www.photobucket.com. They will give you a link to the photos. Then you can add them where it says 'Optional Link URL.' (That's right under where you post your message.)

And, greg, thanks for the detailed explination of how you covered yours. I'm going to save the link and do the same next winter. I chickened out and ordered two more. Still, I'll give the others every chance in the book.

UPDATE: Went to dollar general store yesterday and bought a clear plastic box (biggest they had) and covered the entire area of my banana mush...sunshine today and greenhouse temps inside the box brought up 3 starts off to the side of the 2 bulbs (corms)...I assume these are pups...has anyone else ever jump started them like this??

6 total starts at 8:00am this morning, 3 on each plant...

Photos of my mush, before and after winter. I believe I can post them....

ok, trying again...photos of this spring and 1 from last summer in June...enjoy.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:420933}}

Well, I may have answered at least some of my own questions, because on further research, I figured out that I do not have a Musa Basjoo, but rather a Musa Dwarf Cavendish, which apparently is not tolerant of full sun unless it's older, and is not cold-tolerant either (good thing I brought it in for the winter! It's only good till 12 C) I'm still curious if anyone has any recommendations about how to deal with old dead leaves on it. Thanks.

Hello,

I have a Musa banana plant that gets quite frayed leaves from the wind on my balcony. I have no other place to put it, so other than inside the apartment, that's where it has to stay! I didn't know it was so cold-hardy, so I brought it in for the winter. I occasionaly cut dead leaves off of it, but can anyone tell me: should I take them off all the way down to the base of the plant? When I bought it I could see that previous leaves were just cut off towards the base of the leaf (not the base of the plant). Now the stem looks pretty ragged, with the accumulation of all those dried layers. Should I be taking them off completely? One more thing, the tag on the plant says it should be in full sun, but this contradicts information I find elsewhere about the Musa... any thoughts? It puts out new leaves regularly, although I can't say it grows fast. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks! (sorry, this was my original post which somehow disappeared)

Hi
My musa has a huge flower on it but there are no leaves. I hear that the flower indicates the stalk will die. If I cut off the flower now before it gets bigger, will the tree continue to grow or is it too late?
Thanks!

The flower indicates that it is making bananas!! Lucky you!!
You did things RIGHT!!!
Hopefully she'll start sending out pups for you, if you don't already have them.

And yes, unfortunately it will die. But be of a stout heart, she's probably making babies for you!!!

If no babies(pups), look inside your bananas once they are ripe, and see if you have seeds!!!
Good luck, and i hope this helps!

gregrc75,

Why not let it flower? It will produce some pups.

Thanks for the responses. I already have pups but I was really hoping for one bigger tree. I am growing this more for the foliage and not so much for the flower. I feel like I am starting over again with the pups. The stalk itself is 7 feet and I wanted it to grow from there. I am in Massachusetts and it is definitly something people dont see everywhere around here!

5/5/08, Some pups hitting the 1 foot range already.

I have 6 musa basjoo about 1ft-2ft tall, and they are growing well. I live just north of Seattle. I have then in pots but I would like to put them in the ground. Any advice? when is a good time to plant them in the ground? and does anybody have an idea on how big they could get?

Wilson1963,Hooray for you! If my basjoo corms looked like that, I would have considered them dead also. In fact I dug up two musa sikkimensis that looked like your corm. I should have waited. I have one basjoo that is growing out of the center of the corm and is already 3 feet. My other basjoo pupped with 7 babies. They are now about 2 1/2 feet tall. I tried to snip about 3 of them off, but they are growing again.

Hi,
I just purchased a hardy banana (Musa banjoo). I noticed from some photos posted on this site that they appear to be in full sun. The tag on my plant (7 feet tall and still in the pot at this moment)says best planted "in full shade" or "in partial shade". I am zone 6 in Utah where Summer temperatures frequently reach 100 degrees with low humidity (15 to 25 percent is not unusual). From various web forums I am getting mixed messages as to recommended amount of sun exposure. Any suggestions from the experts. Maybe our arid environment would burn the leaves if exposed to full sun and hundred degree temperatures. Anyone out there growing this plant in the hot arid southwestern US?
Wayne

I am new here and am finding the information to be very useful. I also live in Western Washington, and put my tree in the greenhouse each year. But, I'm feeling more confident about putting it outside as well. My greenhouse is completely full of Angel's Trumpets, so any excess plant material is really hard to find room for. I will try it next year.
Also, have you seen the one that is dark and light colored leaves? It is really pretty, but I don't have one, believe it or not, a hardware near us had them, but I didn't get there soon enough. Thanks for all the great information.

Does anyone out there know why the leaves on my plant turn black? Is it to much fertilizer? I love my banana tree, it is in a pot, but next year I am transferring it to the garden. Hopefully it will do better there. It was my first year with it, and it was about 1 and 1/2 feet tall in the spring, but quickly grew to about 10 feet. It eventually lost all it's leaves and now I have several pups growing. The large middle stem turned to mush and I cut it to about 1 foot. It is in the greenhouse, and still growing. Has anyone else experienced the black leaf syndrome? Thanks for your help.

Hello!

I live in Bulgaria (Varna). Ive got a trachycarpus fortunei growing fine in the ground(a seedling). I also have a Musa Basjoo (with a pup). I won`t risk the main plant by planting it in the ground, but will try the pup. If I have success, I will tell you, bobyle.
Sasha

The Banana Tree has a variety of cold hardy bananas. They ship from their farms weekly, which is important because the rhizomes (root stalks) must be fresh to be viable.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cold Hardy Banana Trees

"They ship from their farms" - they? Hmm, wonder if having the username banana.tree signifies any connection with the company being spammed for...

Potential buyers should check out ratings for this firm.

I have read a bunch of postings on overwintering the Musa Basjoo, and came across one that said these plants are not for pots. Well,I have mine in a large plastic planter, and it's about 5ft. tall, with 2 pups. I want to keep it in it's pot for the deck, and it's too big and heavy to try to put into the house. Can I overwinter it in it's pot on the deck? I also have a beautiful red banana in the same pot, and want to do the same thing. I've heard the Musa is hardy to zone 5, but I know my red one isn't. I need some advise on what to do!!

I can tell you, they do rot. I brought mine in to the gargage for the winter and not only did it rot but it developed mold at the base. Maybe I over watered during the winter since there was no sun or warmth to evaporate the excess water. My pots do have holes in the bottom for drainage. :(.... I'll try again this year.

Without heat and light they will. You can store them like that just don't water. In spring you may have to cut the corm to the ground but the plant will take off when temperature rise. I always keep one in front of a window so I have a 6' banana in spring. But I still water sparingly.

I live in Colorado Springs, CO. I got my musa basjoo back in March. It's now mid-September & it is thriving beautifully. 4 foot tall. I have repotted it twice and currently its in a large pot on my back deck facing west. How should I best prepare it for the upcoming cold and winter in my area? Elevation 6500 feet. Should I leave in pot and wrap up? Or should I plant in ground and wrap? Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Had mine in a pot after buying it in the sunroom where it grew to 5 feet tall and planted it in the soil in March 2012 (a couple weeks ago). It grew in the pot fast even in the winter, but after I planted it into the ground it stopped growing. Does that mean it is gaining pace establishing itself in the soil before it shoots up? My zone is 8A, maybe 8B (South Carolina).

Question for all smarter than me. I have just purchased 3 Musa. The soil at home is HARD. Old slide. Does not drain hardly at all. If I build a well insulated raised box how do you think they will do?

Yes that will work. Will grow well I mean by that. It may not survive the winter, depending what zone you are in.