Earlier than we speak about tips on how to overwinter banana vegetation, the very first thing we have to get straight is that the banana tree (Musa spp.) is just not really a tree.
It’s an herb! A quite sizeable herb.
Its “trunk” is definitely a cylinder of tightly layered leaves referred to as a pseudostem.
The banana is a horny herbaceous flowering plant that grows to a mature peak of 12 to 18 ft tall.
Its massive leaves, purple flowers, and brightly coloured fruit make a dramatic assertion within the backyard.
For those who want a refresher on the overall care of banana vegetation, try our rising information.
Now let’s speak about tips on how to overwinter your bananas.
How one can Overwinter Your Banana Tree
There are about 70 species of the genus Musa, and they’re indigenous to tropical areas of India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.
They’re now grown in additional than 135 nations, principally for his or her fruit, which is loved around the globe.
Given their native local weather, it’s unsurprising that banana vegetation are chilly illiberal.
They want gentle temperatures as a way to develop; their leaves will cease rising at round 55°F.
They’ll undergo leaf harm at 32°F, and their underground rhizomes will die at sustained temperatures of twenty-two°F or decrease.
Having stated that, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that there are certainly just a few cold-tolerant varieties obtainable.
For instance, the Japanese fiber selection (M. basjoo) can stand up to sub-zero temperatures.
It’s hardy to Zone 5 or 6, and might be overwintered in colder areas by reducing it again and offering a protecting mulch across the stem.
Nonetheless, most banana vegetation prefer it scorching, and in case you don’t reside in USDA Hardiness Zone 9 or larger, you might surprise how one can add considered one of these tropical beauties to your panorama and maintain it alive over winter.
Let’s study extra!
Right here, we’ll provide 3 ways you’ll be able to shield and protect your banana plant over the winter months:
Container Rising
Maybe the obvious option to efficiently overwinter a banana tree is to develop it in a container and produce it indoors when temperatures drop.
It’s best to pick out a dwarf selection for container rising. A 15-foot “tree” in a pot could be a bit unwieldy!
Merely get pleasure from your potted plant on the patio or deck all summer time, after which carry it indoors when outside temperatures start to drop.
You will have a pair choices by way of the place you place it indoors.
For those who’d wish to adorn an empty nook of your front room, ensure that it’s a sunny spot and you’ll want to maintain the soil moist, however not soggy.
Present humidity by misting the leaves through a squirt bottle crammed with water.
Count on to see sluggish progress throughout this era.
If an connected storage or crawl house makes extra sense for overwintering your container grown banana, start getting ready the plant by progressively lowering irrigation because the climate cools.
Earlier than the primary frost, lower the stem again to about six inches tall, and place it in a cool, darkish place – roughly 40 to 50°F.
Water simply sufficient in order that the soil doesn’t separate from the edges of the container.
It’ll go dormant by the chilly months, and you may take it outside once more and begin watering it correctly as soon as temperatures begin to climb and all threat of frost has handed.
Cowl It
In case your plant is rising within the floor, one choice for safely overwintering it’s to guard it with thick layers of mulch.
The purpose right here is to guard the big rhizome on the base of the pseudostem, which is named the “corm.”
The corm has a number of rising factors that may sprout new rhizomes – or “pups” – which might be transplanted.
Minimize the plant again to about 4 to 6 inches above the bottom, after which pile on not less than a foot of leaves, straw, or different mulching materials.
You may also cowl the pile with plastic sheeting, row cowl materials, or a cloche for extra safety, and to maintain the mulch in place.
For those who can’t bear to chop your plant down, you’ll be able to depart it intact and trend a wire cage across the pseudostem, leaving one to 2 ft of horizontal clearance from the stem to the cage.
Make the cage as excessive as the quantity of pseudostem you wish to shield.
After the primary mild frost, fill the cage with shredded leaves or straw. Be sure to pack it in nicely, so it fully surrounds the stem.
It’s possible you’ll lose any portion of the plant that stands proud above the cage, however the coated parts and the rhizome underground must be protected.
You may also wrap hessian or row cowl materials across the outdoors of the wire cage so as to add insulation and maintain the fabric in place.
Take away the cage and mulching materials when heat climate returns and the plant exhibits indicators of regrowth.
Trim off any lifeless materials and begin watering.
You’ll be able to unfold the shredded leaves or straw across the base of the plant to offer some additional natural materials to the soil.
Dig It Up
One other option to shield your banana plant throughout wintertime is to dig it up and transfer it to a cellar, crawlspace, or related space the place the temperature is constantly 45 to 50°F.
Ideally, this must be achieved earlier than the primary frost.
Earlier than you begin shifting earth, although, you’ll wish to lower the plant again to about six inches tall. When that’s achieved, rigorously dig out the rhizomes and roots.
Be sure to dig out not less than six to eight inches on both facet of the bottom of the stem.
Place the basis ball in a container of barely moist sand. The tree will go dormant so it gained’t want mild, and also you shouldn’t water it in any respect throughout this time.
Banana bushes with pseudostems which are bigger than 5 inches in diameter might be dug up and saved with out lopping off the highest first.
Shake the soil from the roots and lay the plant on its facet on high of a tarp or newspaper in your chosen location.
Replant when all hazard of frost has handed. You’ll wish to give your tree loads of water to revive it.
A Assertion Plant that Deserves a Second Life
With their massive leaves and spectacular peak, banana vegetation could make a spectacular assertion within the panorama.
However for many of us in the USA, the wonder fades when the winter’s chill approaches.
Moderately than merely abandoning your bananas to the whims of climate, you could have a number of selections for safeguarding them for a return engagement come springtime.
Have you ever efficiently overwintered considered one of these tropical beauties? How do you revive them after winter? Share your ideas within the feedback part beneath.
Do you could have different vegetation it’s essential shield from the chilly? Try these guides:
© Ask the Consultants, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for extra particulars. Initially printed December 29, 2019. Final up to date October 11, 2026. Uncredited pictures: Shutterstock.
