Overwintering Banana Plants
The only way of growing the biggest garden Banana plants is to carefully see them through the winter and protect their “trunks” from temperatures below -4°C (25°F). You will see when this has not been done as the trunk will be killed back and a “sodden mash” in its place will be all that remains. The time to start to overwinter your plant is late autumn. Firstly, remove all the leaves with one horizontal cut towards the top of the trunk. Next construct a straw “coat”, supported with chicken wire, posts and canes, Although a little unsightly, this is cheap, rustic and enviromentally friendly.This can also be covered with horticultural fleece for added protection and it helps to keep the straw in situ.
Alternatively, glazed chimney flue liners are available in short segments that can be added to annually as the trunk gets taller. Plastic drain pipes, 60cm (2ft) in diameter, could also be used. These can be obtained double-skinned and so could be filled with straw to supply further insulation.
Finally, probably the cheapest, easiest but unfortunately most ugly method is to use blankets. Start first by wrapping horticultural fleece loosely around the trunk (in no circumstances use “bubble wrap with any of these methods – this does not allow air circulation so causes the trunk to rot). Dont worry if the fleece is not neatly wrapped around the trunk, the object is to get as many “air pockets” as possible between the trunk, fleece and blanket. Next, get a small square of fleece (or even a J-Cloth) and screw this up and put it into a smallish flower pot. Now put this on the top of the trunk over the fleece – this will add additional protection to the top of the trunk. Now cut an own blanket to size so that it will loosely fit when wrapped around the trunk. Secure the top end with string so as the enclosure is sealed and then secure the whole assembly by tying loops of string along the whole length. Ensure that there are no open ends and the whole trunk is fully enclosed and the blanket will not be loosened thoughout the winter by wind and rain (and possibly snow).
If you do not wish to go to all this trouble or have the luxury of a greenhouse then most bananas can be overwintered in a greenhouse. Lift the plants in late October or the beginning of November,( but keep horticultural fleece is on standby just in case an early hard frost should occur. Lift the plants from their planting positions with a fork, taking great care not to pierce or damage the stems. The extensive root system has to be reduced drastically in order to containerise these giants (even a well-grown, three-year-old Banana plant may need a 70-litre pot). Remove some of the older leaves from the plant to compensate for the root downsizing. Water the compost and then allow to gradually become dryer. To overwinter Ensete or Musa the greenhouse needs to be kept at 16°C (61°F) by day and 12°C (53°F) at night – at any lower temperatures, the potted plants are inclined to rotting. The lower the overwintering temperature, the earlier the plants should be lifted so as to get established in their winter containers, and the drier the compost should be kept.
Subsequently, if only frost-free winter quarters are available, permanent container cultivation may be more sensible. Musa species and cultivars are more forgiving of this operation, and can even be stored in a shed or garage.
