Musa Basjoo, what now?

[JLM]

I FINALLY got my hands on some banana pups, musa basjoo to be exact. I have absolutely 0 experience with bananas, and havent really gone into much research about them. What do i do now? I have both in a decent size pot, they were growing up in the shade of the parent plants, so they are sitting in shade on the patio. I watered them deeply once potted, as the soil i had to put them in was bone dry. Hopefully these can recover nicely over the winter, and ill have a nice double banana to plant in the yard at some point next Spring. Any specifics on acclimation to sun, or any other details i should know about? Once in ground, fertilizer specifications? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

[Merlyn]

Bananas prefer a fairly rich (but not mucky) soil, I generally add a bit of compost to the hole and mix it up when I plant them.  Bananas in really sandy soil just mope and don't grow well.  You could probably move them into full sun over a period of ~2 weeks, since they probably don't have roots and aren't use to the sun yet.  I use generic 10-10-10 fertilizer for my bananas.  I usually have 1 dripper at 2gph for 30 minutes per day, or about 1 gallon of water per day.  In the Orlando area there's usually enough rain to keep them happy, so the dripper is just to make sure the soil stays moist, and keeps it from drying out during droughts.

[BeyondTheGarden]

This is my second year growing Musa basjoo, Meikong (not so)giant, and Ensete ventricosum.  You can't over-water an actively growing banana, and it's even hard to over-fertilize (within the bounds of reason).  
I have mail ordered bananas, and transplanted bananas from under the shade of their mothers, and never had one experience leaf burn.  Bananas are pretty bulletproof.  Aside from losing a couple to the frost last winter, I've only ever killed one by spraying dishsoap down the meristem trying to kill the bugs that were in there - don't do that, they don't like it.  They also take well to transplanting.  If you divide the pups from the mothers, just make sure you carefully pull away some soil first to ensure that you're actually capturing some roots with the pup as that can sometimes be a little tricky.  It sucks digging out a pup only to find that there weren't any roots where you thought they would be. 

[greysrigging]

Bananas are are heavy and greedy feeders,  too much fertilizer of any description wont be enough....pour it on ! Locally ours get 70"to 80" rain over 7 months naturally, then we have to water them heavily for the 5 month dry period. Anecdotally, they love grey water from the household, washing machine and shower/kitchen.. I've only ever killed a banana plant through neglect, not kindness.

[Dartolution]

They are fairly easy to grow provided you give them the 3 things they must have to do well:

1) SUNLIGHT! - Full Sun, they do poorly in shady situations

2) FOOD - Feed the living crap out of them. I use a MG product called tree and shrub once a month during the growing season. Also enrich the surrounding soil with compost and mulch over it.

3) WATER - They want consistently moist soil but don't want to be grown in a bog.

 

Give them these 3 things and they will be huge in no time. 

Mine are in flower right now.

 

 

[JLM]

Ive never looked into composting before, how long does the process take? Would it be ready by spring? I guess there will be plenty of leaves to use when it comes to things of that nature. What would be the best method of doing this and getting the best outcome? Im not sure of the planting location yet, but i will have all winter to figure that out. Water will not be a problem if we have a year like we have had this year. 30" above average for the yearly total so far, average is about 54" for this time of year. Anyways, i will be looking into fertilizers for it, whatever has seemed to work best for yall will probably be what i use. Thanks for all the great information!

[Dartolution]

3 hours ago, JLM said:

Ive never looked into composting before, how long does the process take? Would it be ready by spring? I guess there will be plenty of leaves to use when it comes to things of that nature. What would be the best method of doing this and getting the best outcome? Im not sure of the planting location yet, but i will have all winter to figure that out. Water will not be a problem if we have a year like we have had this year. 30" above average for the yearly total so far, average is about 54" for this time of year. Anyways, i will be looking into fertilizers for it, whatever has seemed to work best for yall will probably be what i use. Thanks for all the great information!

Best you can do is read about ways to compost. 

For bananas:

1) Mix bagged compost and manure in the hole when planting with the native soil, and I also use Espomas Plant Tone to enrich the soil at planting.You can get bagged compost and manure at any big-box store typically for anywhere between $2-5 per cubic foot. Plant tone is around $14 for an 8lb bag. 

2) Throw your yard waste that isn't diseased on and around the banana clump (mat). Use grass clipping sparingly - maybe 2 times a year. Old banana leaves should go back down to the ground when you trim them off. I use used coffee grounds as well - though that is something of a hot topic. Basically any clippings from plants, grass, leaves, mulch, etc... 

3) Use a good quality mulch like pine bark nuggets, or cypress. Do not use dyed mulches like the "PREMIUM" brand red, black, or brown bagged mulches available at the garden center. Pick a natural hardwood, pine, or cypress instead. 

4) Begin feeding 1 month after planting with a light application of a good fertilizer similar to what you would use for palms. I typically use MG Tree and Shrub fertilizer (HERE IS THE PRODUCT I AM TALKING ABOUT) once a month or every other month from March - Mid September. Sometimes I use PalmGain instead. They just like food and as much and varied as you can give them. 

5) I also feed every 2 weeks with a water soluble organic fertilizer concoction that is a mixture of the MG Performance organics (11-3-8 The Yellow One), Blackstrap UNSULFURED molasses (I use the gallon of Golden Barrel), and Liquid seaweed extract. This helps build the surrounding soil, increase microfauna populations, draw earthworms in, and feed beneficial fungi. 

 

 

[JLM]

1 hour ago, Dartolution said:

Best you can do is read about ways to compost. 

For bananas:

1) Mix bagged compost and manure in the hole when planting with the native soil, and I also use Espomas Plant Tone to enrich the soil at planting.You can get bagged compost and manure at any big-box store typically for anywhere between $2-5 per cubic foot. Plant tone is around $14 for an 8lb bag. 

2) Throw your yard waste that isn't diseased on and around the banana clump (mat). Use grass clipping sparingly - maybe 2 times a year. Old banana leaves should go back down to the ground when you trim them off. I use used coffee grounds as well - though that is something of a hot topic. Basically any clippings from plants, grass, leaves, mulch, etc... 

3) Use a good quality mulch like pine bark nuggets, or cypress. Do not use dyed mulches like the "PREMIUM" brand red, black, or brown bagged mulches available at the garden center. Pick a natural hardwood, pine, or cypress instead. 

4) Begin feeding 1 month after planting with a light application of a good fertilizer similar to what you would use for palms. I typically use MG Tree and Shrub fertilizer (HERE IS THE PRODUCT I AM TALKING ABOUT) once a month or every other month from March - Mid September. Sometimes I use PalmGain instead. They just like food and as much and varied as you can give them. 

5) I also feed every 2 weeks with a water soluble organic fertilizer concoction that is a mixture of the MG Performance organics (11-3-8 The Yellow One), Blackstrap UNSULFURED molasses (I use the gallon of Golden Barrel), and Liquid seaweed extract. This helps build the surrounding soil, increase microfauna populations, draw earthworms in, and feed beneficial fungi. 

 

 

This is a lot of amazing info, thanks! Wrote a lot of this down so i dont forget it over the winter lol

[Funkthulhu]

I'm curious what everybody has had for survivability at low temps?  I overwintered once here in Nebraska, freeze line down 32 inches, lows in the -20s and it still sprouted back in the spring.  (though, quite stunted to be honest)  

Does anybody have any best practices for overwintering Basjoo in the ground?

[Dartolution]

negative 20's? I am so glad I have NEVER experienced anything near that, nor would I want to! YIKES!

Here, they don't require protection. Below about 30F and the leaves get fried but the psedostems are fine through teens. I am in the southeast/deep south zone 8a so its  not common for us to get temps below around 15-20. It happens, but only once every 5-10 years, and when it does it is typically short lived. We do not have soil freezes. 

I have heard of people using chicken wire, leaves from the yard and pine straw, and creating a cage around the clump while covering it with a black tarp. 

Honestly, if they came back from negative 20F... I don't see the point in going through all that work unless you just want to see if you can get one to flower for the fun of it. 

[JLM]

Its March now, which means Spring is nearing and planting season will begin soon. When should i plant these? Last year we had frost as late as April 2nd, but i have never really seen them be affected by frost too bad. I thought about planting today, however im watching for a freeze potential next weekend. I could always protect it if needed. Thoughts? They are pups, so they are pretty small right now.

[Allen]

You better wait till after the frost date of about April 5th.  You can take the pots outside and acclimate them. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Allen

[JLM]

56 minutes ago, Allen said:

You better wait till after the frost date of about April 5th.  You can take the pots outside and acclimate them. 

They have been outside for probably a week or two now. They have been getting a taste of 80F temps for the past couple of days, they are really responding to it. Been keeping them watered too, so they should begin to really speed up soon.

[Chester B]

Keep them in pots until the risk of frost is over.  If it's a hard frost it will zap the leaves and then they'll take extra time to recover, so a little patience will go a long way.

Mine grow throughout the winter, but whenever we get a hard frost the new tender growth gets zapped.  Another 3 weeks and they'll be actively growing for me.  These are such easy plants, the only issue with them is the root ball gets massive within a few years.  I can't get a shovel through it to break off the dead stems that have flowered.  Be careful where you plant them because they are hard to get rid of.

[JLM]

On 3/7/2022 at 3:14 PM, Chester B said:

Keep them in pots until the risk of frost is over.  If it's a hard frost it will zap the leaves and then they'll take extra time to recover, so a little patience will go a long way.

Mine grow throughout the winter, but whenever we get a hard frost the new tender growth gets zapped.  Another 3 weeks and they'll be actively growing for me.  These are such easy plants, the only issue with them is the root ball gets massive within a few years.  I can't get a shovel through it to break off the dead stems that have flowered.  Be careful where you plant them because they are hard to get rid of.

Good to know about the roots, will consider that when looking for a place to plant. I have decided against planting for now. Our average last freeze is around late Feb, but here we are headed into the mid to low 20's tonight. Insanity. Mobile, AL is looking to possibly break a record low temperature tonight.

[UK_Palms]

On 3/7/2022 at 9:14 PM, Chester B said:

Keep them in pots until the risk of frost is over.  If it's a hard frost it will zap the leaves and then they'll take extra time to recover, so a little patience will go a long way.

Mine grow throughout the winter, but whenever we get a hard frost the new tender growth gets zapped.  Another 3 weeks and they'll be actively growing for me.  These are such easy plants, the only issue with them is the root ball gets massive within a few years.  I can't get a shovel through it to break off the dead stems that have flowered.  Be careful where you plant them because they are hard to get rid of.

Haven't you experienced a low of like 18F this winter though? I know you've also had quite a bit of snow and sub-freezing days too. I thought Musa Basjoo stems get burnt back to ground level by anything below about 22F, or at even higher temperatures during prolonged freezes and wet-cold events?

I've lost smallish ones before from a low of 25F combined with some prolonged wet-cold. Smallish ones definitely won't stand a chance in my location unprotected. I have also lost medium sized ones with decent trunks after a low of 20F and back to back radiation frosts, despite each day recovering above freezing. 

I'm assuming you must have the stems of your Musa Basjoo protected over winter, or at least this winter just gone, since it was quite a bad one for you guys? Otherwise the trunks would surely be toast and they would have to re-sprout from ground level again after the winter you have just had.

The rhizome of Musa Basjoo is hardy down to 10F but the trunks aren't going to take anything colder than 20F or any prolonged freezes with sub-freezing days.

[Chester B]

2 minutes ago, UK_Palms said:

Haven't you experienced a low of like 18F this winter though? I know you've also had quite a bit of snow and sub-freezing days too. I thought Musa Basjoo stems get burnt back to ground level by anything below about 22F, or at even higher temperatures during prolonged freezes and wet-cold events?

I've lost smallish ones before from a low of 25F combined with some prolonged wet-cold. Smallish ones definitely won't stand a chance in my location unprotected. I have also lost medium sized ones with decent trunks after a low of 20F and back to back radiation frosts, despite each day recovering above freezing. 

I'm assuming you must have the stems of your Musa Basjoo protected over winter, or at least this winter just gone, since it was quite a bad one for you guys? Otherwise the trunks would surely be toast and they would have to re-sprout from ground level again after the winter you have just had.

The rhizome of Musa Basjoo is hardy down to 10F but the trunks aren't going to take anything colder than 20F or any prolonged freezes with sub-freezing days.

I never protect my basjoos, too many and not worth my time.  Plus they're pretty huge some have 10'+ of pseudostem and thicker than my thighs.

Yes I did have a bad winter for my location.  One day below freezing (max 36 hours consecutively) I think we topped out at 30F/-1C that day.  One night we were at 24F/ -4.5C for at least 10 hours.  Further north of me up into Washington and BC were the areas that got hit bad, I'm south enough that we seem to get the real arctic air.  I've seen 20F only once, one night back in Jan 2017.

Smaller stems died back which normally happens, but anything 5 or 6 foot (or taller)  did fine which is pretty typical for me.  

[JLM]

These things will be huge by the end of July...

Growth rate is about 2+ leaves per week.

[ZPalms]

I don't have a musa basjoo but I swear I don't know how deep orinoco roots go and how deep to dig and how I'm gonna fill a banana bed with so much organic material and soil to make sure the sand contents are low because I got nothing but sand all over the place 

[JLM]

These plants are about 3 ft tall now, its almost fertilizer time.

[D Palm]

I have the blue Java bananas. They receive 1-2 hours morning shade. Full soon after. I put down 6-6-6 Sunni Land granulars. I have also grown the dwarf mahoi before but stopped due to it dying to the ground in 20’s F.
 

A huge factor that I’ve noticed is to remove competing weeds/grass. These roots do not like competition and lose more often than win. I’ve noticed this over the years when splitting pups. Keeping the surrounding soil free has greatly expedited growth.

[JLM]

My banana inventory has expanded since this post was made. My basjoos are recovering from their first winter in ground. One has already started growing again, the other is being stubborn. 

I have added a "Super" Dwarf Cavendish as of last summer. It survived the winter in ground with protection. 

Last week i bought a Dwarf Cavendish, which will probably find a home in the backyard.

Today i managed to get my hands on a Blue Java, which will also probably go in the backyard. I am excited about this growing season as i have several palms to go in the ground as well!