Hi folks.
Last year we purchased a couple of bananas (Banjoo Musa (sp)) from the local nursery. Wow, did they grow awesome. They were just beautiful. They even had a couple of pups show up late in each pot.
At the start of winter I put them in our unheated greenhouse to let them stay warm and then we got an unusual cold spell of about 20 degrees for a week or so and they died off.
I panicked and cut them back but I can't tell if I did something wrong. We are past the cold and at the harshest we are dipping into the low 40's at night.
The stalk is dark green/black and where I cut them a small yellow stem about the size of my finger is extending up out of the rest of the stalk about 3".

What have I done and what do I need to do to save my plants Help.....

Your plant has gone dormant so I would just leave the plant as is and place it in a cool dark area until the early spring. I would only lightly water it once or twice during that time. Then I would bring it to a sunny window and start watering it regularly. Once the risk of frost is over bring the pot outside and start fertilizing. They will definitely grow better if you put the plant in the ground. They should grow to at least 6 ft this season.

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Regards

You made my day. Thanks a bunch. What type of fertilizer would you recommend and how often should I do it?
Thanks again

I would use a high nitrogen fertilizer such as water soluable 20-20-20. If you do place it in the ground, you can basically throw any organic matter at it, as it is very difficult to over fertilizer them.

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Regards

Gotcha. Thanks..
Since we are past the worry of freezing now, how soon can I put them in the ground and what else would be required?

We are dipping to maybe 40 at the lowest now and get up to the mid 50s during the day. I would like to get them in the ground as soon as I can so they have the best start.

Thanks again......John

These plants we start to grow at much lower tempertures than your regular bananas. If you feel that you will not have any more freezing temps then go a head and plant them.

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Regards

Hi I am fairly new to the tropical world. I live right outside of Atlanta. Last September i purchased a house that had a magnificant Banana Tree in the back yard. There are at lease ten plants that were grouped together that grew in height of almost eleven feet tall.

After the first freeze they turned brown and began slumping over every direction. I was very worried so I turned to the Internet for help. I came across a website that had a very detailed description of what to do. It had step by step pictures.

The directions said to cut back the bananas to a couple of feet off the ground. I did this and over the winter they turned a nice brownish/yellowish/black color. The ends of the plants dried up and a couple of the bigger ones (stalks with about a 5 inch diameter) began to have an orange-ish fluid that excreted.

A local nursery told be to make a small slit toward the base to see if there was water present. I did this and there definitely was. Temps are now averaging in the upper 70's and have for about a week. This weekend is suppose to get into the middle 80's.

The way the plants look now has led me to posting this message. I trying to find comfort that my plant is going to come back and flourish.

Do you have any insight? Was cutting them back the way I did the right thing to do?

Thanks in advance for whatever knowledge you may be able to pass on.

Happy Growing!

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J. Bourgeois
Redi-Floors, Inc.

Good luck with your's I've lost 3 pups and 1 big plant this winter. The remaining plant is all but dead but does have a glimpse of green growth down around the roots. I pulled it and placed in in our greenhouse with a soil heater to see if I can inspire it to hang on. I'm just sick with what's happened and will be ordering some soon