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Mon, Oct 31, 11 at 15:27
| hello everybody,
i just got home with a banana tree i purchased off of craigslist. i have no idea what variety it is, neither did the person i got it from. they had just moved into the house and someone told them to "get rid of that banana tree, it will be nothing but trouble". so they dug it up and stuck it in a pot and put it on craigslist. they told me it had, what appeared to them to be two more baby trees next to the main trunk, i did not varify this yet. they just covered up the "new trees" i live just outside of dallas tx in zone 8a i'm pretty sure. so i don't think i can plant it right now since it was just dug up last week. and from what i read in the forums i don't think i can chop it to force it to go dormant. so my question is, what would be the best way to "store" it till spring? it's pretty big to be in the house, but if i leave it outside i know it will freeze. i am building a greenhouse in the next couple of weeks and i'll put it out there when i get it finished. have i missed something? any suggestions would be awesome. thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by samuelforest 5b (My Page) on Mon, Oct 31, 11 at 18:07
| Leave it outside ,but when there will be frost or freeze annonced bring it in till the temperature goes up above freezing.I don't know what else you could do because even my banana is indoor in winter and not dormant. sam |
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| If it is going to freeze bring it indoors and allow it to go dormant. This way it will save its strength for the spring. Give it light watering once every two or three weeks and put in the basement. Keep out of sunlight. It will rest and will do just fine. The key is to not give it light or sunlight so it can go dormant. Then in the spring bring it outside a couple hrs at a time gradually until it gets accustomed to the bright sun. If not it could go into shock and stop growing or possibly die back. |
Here is a link that might be useful: growing dwarf trees
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- Posted by dreaminofthetropics (My Page) on Sun, Nov 20, 11 at 22:23
| In zone 8, I would put it in the ground and mulch it heavily. If it was growing in your area I'll assume that its hardy there. Let the cold kill the leaves back and then use them as natural insulation around the trunk (bend them after they freeze back) then wrap frost cloth or a blanket around the trunk if there is going to be a freeze. If the trunk gets hit by a freeze (turns to mush) cut the mushy part off and continue wrapping. Your main goal is to protect the trunk as much as possible, if you don't cut the mushy part of the trunk off it will spread down and rot more of the trunk. I have photos I could email you of mine and what I'm doing with them (I have about 50 in the ground) I am in the same zone as you. |
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