I'm going to just put my musa basjoo rhyzomes up for the winter since it get's to cold here to leave them out in the elements. I'm not exactly sure how you store them? I heard something like rap them in newspaper or burlap and then store in a cool dry place over the winter? Is there more to this? Like hoe much of the stalk do I cut off? should I really get as much dirt out of the roots as possible or just kind of leave is have a little bit of the dirt left behind? How cold can I store them over the winter? Just protect from freezing temps is good enough?

Thanks guys for any suggestions!

Hi Greenmei, What I do is stop watering them a week or so in advance of digging, dig them out of the ground,and lightly remove some but not all soil to make carrying easier( the soil being mostly added potting type,comes off with little effort) I then remove the leaves, though not the topmost or "new" leaf in the center. I wrap them in newspaper and store in the basement at a low of 50. The cooler temps, and lack of water keeps it from trying to grow and the wrapping cuts moisture loss. Don't wrap in plastic, because it tends to promote mold and rot.

I don't know how cold they can take it, but I would have to work to find anywhere that wouldn't allow freezing and still be colder than my basement area.

Great instructions Guru, I guess that’s why they call you Guru ! Yes don't wrap in plastic, I've made that mistake once before.

Guru what would you say to do if the plant has suckers, but they're not that big, say around 6" tall? I'd like to let the suckers grow some more first. I wonder if it would be better to remove the suckers even though they are little small or just wrap with them attached. Which way would insure their best chances of survival?

What would you do if the banana was starting to get really big, cut the stalk down? My one banana is about 6' tall now, I guess I could trim the leaves still and wrap the whole thing. It probably would be bad to cut the stalk right?

Tapering off the water before storing is a really good point to keep in mind, this helps keep things fresh much longer.

Stijn

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'All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.' - - - T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)