Banana tree propagation in central Texas

[Brian F. Austin]

I’ve got this clump of bananas that I’ve had for about 15 years at this location. I’m wanting to separate and transplant to some other areas of the yard to get them established.

can somebody please hold my hand and tell when the best time to separate is? And what’s the method to overwinter? Should they be cut down and mulched before the first frost? Thanks in advance.

[JohnAndSancho]

Nanners! 

 

I'm just getting into the nanner world and most of what I've read says to let the foliage die off in the first frost, then cut the stem down to about 2 feet or so and then mulch the crap out of them to protect the corm. I think it'd be easiest and wisest to separate them in the spring after the last frost so they have time to adapt and recover from transplant. 

[Brian F. Austin]

Is there a way to cut them back, dig them up, separate, and overwinter in the basement/cellar?

[JohnAndSancho]

27 minutes ago, Brian F. Austin said:

Is there a way to cut them back, dig them up, separate, and overwinter in the basement/cellar?

Yeah. I mean, full disclosure I am not a reliable source of information at all, so I don't want to sound like a butthole when I say this, but I'd do some googling and some youtubing. 

 

Again, I am not trying to sound like a jerk but I've never done this before and my first banana ever just showed up in the mail on Saturday. 

 

But yeah, from what I've read and watched it's absolutely doable to cut them back and dig them up and throw them in pots and they'll go dormant. I just can't provide any specifics. 

[5am]

Are those Musa basjoo? If so, I don't think you need to worry about overwintering in Austin. They've been there 15 years already...  Best time to separate is while they're actively growing. If you're going to divide them now, the clock is ticking.  
 

6 hours ago, Brian F. Austin said:

Is there a way to cut them back, dig them up, separate

I have dug and moved many pups of probably 4 Musa varieties and they've all very forgiving. Don't know if Ensette or the other look-a-likes handle the same. You want to get part of the corm with the pup. If you just cut the pup off without roots or corm it's probably not going to make it. Bananas are very fast rooters and if you get even just a small amount of corm it will probably do fine. Here's an example of some Dwarf cavendish bananas I moved last weekend. Notice the shallow roots. (They were planted above a sprinkler line.) but they are still alive and well today, even after I chopped the far right pup of one to send in the mail. If you aren't going to plant it right away, set it in a flooded bucket for a day or two, which is what I did with one of these. The other I stuck right into a pot on my front porch. They're both already showing growth on their spears.

[5am]

If your goal is to keep the stem alive over winter, I have read or watched something about digging them up, chopping all but a couple feet of trunk, then have it hang upside down in the garage. Never tried that.  I did overwinter a few in an unheated DFW garage with a grow lamp or two. They got some mold but survived to spring. I want to say basjoo comes back from the corm around April or May if the ground doesn't freeze.