Musa Basjoo care – Page 4 – Cold Hardy – General – PalmsNorth.com

sidpook · 2010-07-06T10:30:51Z

I have 4 Musa basjoos in the ground right now. never grew them before, but am loving their quick growth. They are amazing. One question though. As they grow taller, should I clip off the bottom leaves that are smallest and kind of shaded and just hanging inthere or do i leave them on to suck up more sun if they can get it?? Thanks for any advice on these folks. I am attaching a pictur of two of them here..

hardyjim

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Good plan!

I usually save some Basjoo pups to bring in,just in case but I won't this time because I am 99%
they will come back and even if they don't there actually in the best spot in the yard,so.......

I would just try another kind as there are so many cool types of Bananas to grow and some are
probably very close to Basjoo in hardiness so I would just try those,or................

get some massive Trachys for those spots! 😯 😈

Posted : 13/09/2010 10:33 am

TerdalFarm

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Jim,
go with the massive Trachy plan!
Rent a minivan and take the GF down to Louisiana for a Fall vacation. Buy a huge boxed Trachy on sale, drive it home. Keep it indoors over the winter and plant it in April.
As for Musa basjoo, I agree. I got better results last winter with those I fussed with the least. Plus they are cheap to buy around here each April. I won't bother to divide and save any pups indoors. It just doesn't pay.
I lost one of my two Musella lasiocarpa, though--one that had been in the ground through two previous winters.
What other cold-hardy bananas do you suggest? --Erik

Posted : 13/09/2010 12:16 pm

hardyjim

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Jim,
I lost one of my two Musella lasiocarpa, though--one that had been in the ground through two previous winters.
What other cold-hardy bananas do you suggest? --Erik

Thai black- Yunanensis-Itinerans(0!) 😉

Posted : 13/09/2010 5:32 pm

sidpook

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I was just outside looking at my bananas....they are insane now: the trunks and bases of them resemble elephants' feet!!1 Insane!!!

Mike Trautner

Posted : 15/09/2010 7:50 pm

TerdalFarm

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Can you post new photos to make me jealous? --Erik

Posted : 15/09/2010 8:01 pm

sidpook

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Will do Erick...Dark outside now, will take some tomorrow. I'm just amazed atthem...I would never have thought they would have gotten soooo big....The bottom bases are amazing!!!! And they are still putting out new leaves every few days even though there is less light and virtually no rainfall...We're on drought watch now....

Mike Trautner

Posted : 15/09/2010 8:09 pm

sidpook

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Here is a picture update of my bananas in the yard by the shed. Even though they get mush less light now, they are still pumping out new leaves. I have decided to leave them all outside this winter. We should get a hard freeze by sometime in mid-November so I guess by then I'll winterize them after they start dying off from the top. Chat soon everyone...
Mike

Mike Trautner

Posted : 18/09/2010 10:13 am

TerdalFarm

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Thanks, Mike!
Very impressive. --Erik

Posted : 18/09/2010 11:45 am

lucky1

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You've either got very little feet 😆 😆 or those musa are as thick as an elephant's trunk.

We'll look forward to seeing your protection pics.
Barb

If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.

Posted : 18/09/2010 12:45 pm

sidpook

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LOL, size ten only, but I swear to god the trunks are intense: totally shaped like elephants feet!!!!!!!!

Mike Trautner

Posted : 18/09/2010 1:08 pm

lucky1

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😀 😀 😆
It'll take "some winterizing" to protect those beauties.

If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.

Posted : 18/09/2010 3:29 pm

igor.glukhovtsev

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Mike there are no news about your Dwarf Musa for a while. How did your plants overwintered finally? I have my Dwarf Banana but I'm still not sure if it's basjo. I'm posting pics for getting your opinions on it. Please advice!

Posted : 01/08/2011 12:21 pm

hardyjim

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Looking good Mike.
Basjoo are easy to protect,throw a bag
of leaves over them and fogettaboutit.

Posted : 01/08/2011 1:08 pm

sidpook

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Hey all....Hope everyone is having a great summer. Hot as B@LL$ here as we say in jersey. I know alot of you are also experiencing so much heat, humidity, drought etc....I wish you the best. Hang in there!

@ Igor, the bananas did great for the most part...stronger and more agressive this year in back garden by shed and even out front, some did die off due to moisture but the ones that lasted are at least a month in advance of the size they were last year....Pics below:

@hardyjim I hear ya....I find the less I fuss with things, the better they do....We had a dry June and May and now a lot of little rain storms We do get cold winters but the springs summers and falls are insanely hot here. This month we have had 22 plus days in 90s and above. Humid as all get out and we all know what that does for bananas....Gotta love summer. Hope you are all doing well in Iowa! I know you guys have also had some insane heat there!

Mike Trautner

Posted : 01/08/2011 10:27 pm

sidpook

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Mike there are no news about your Dwarf Musa for a while. How did your plants overwintered finally? I have my Dwarf Banana but I'm still not sure if it's basjo. I'm posting pics for getting your opinions on it. Please advice!

Hmmmm. Is this the first season in the ground???? It does ressemble mine, but one never knows?

Mike Trautner

Posted : 01/08/2011 10:36 pm