keep inside. Your temps in ohio would turn a basjoo into popsicle in no time. plant in spring time.

I too would keep them inside until you can give them a good head start to grow deeply into the ground starting from the beginning of spring.

Also since you are going to keep them inside for the winter, give them lots of light and watch for spider mites. Spider mites eat these leaves like candy.

Keep a bottle of Kneem oil or some other horticultural oil and a magnifying glass at the ready . You can also use a natural soapy water.

Mike

Boy..... glad I asked ! Thanks, you guys.
Geno

I agree, keep it inside the first winter.
I think one of the biggest influences on hardiness is the mass of the corm / root ball.

The thicker it is, the harder it is for freezes to penetrate and damage the corm inside.
This is how it works with the stems- Last Spring I looked at a 7 inch thick stem and the outside 1-2 inches was frost damaged, but after I dug into the stem past that, the next layers were green and alive.

A small plant simply does not have the mass to protect itself, nor the stored energy in the corm to sustain it when there is no photosynthesis of food via leaves.