What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Banana tree overwintering

I have several varieties of Bananas I am going to try to overwinter. This is my first effort. They are in a protected spot and I plan to mulch really heavy over them. The question is should I cut the trees down and then mulch or let them freeze and fall over and then mulch over them. These are one year old plants and the largest only have trunks about 7 inches across). Our first few freezes should not harm the roots, only the above ground leaves.
 
there are several little-known native trees with very very large leaves (3-foot at the most!) that give the tropical effects that bannana planst give without all the work.
 
So tell me more. What are these plants?
 
Im so glad you asked!

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Bigleaf magnolia boasts the largest simple leaf of
any species native to North America.  Its full fruits provide food
for towhees, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, and other birds.

Bigleafsm.jpg

Want to add a bold, tropical look to your Georgia garden? Well, instead of planting that banana tree, try a bigleaf magnolia. With its giant bright green floppy leaves and huge fragrant ivory flowers, this 20-to-40-foot Georgia native is guaranteed to put you in mind of steamy, sultry, faraway places—lush jungles and tropical rainforests. Come across a rare wild-growing grove in a rich wooded cove or ravine and chances are you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back into the days of the dinosaurs.

Bigleaf magnolia looks primitive because it is primitive. Fossil records show that magnolias have been around for over a hundred million years, and that makes them some of the oldest plants in evolutionary history. Their blooms, unlike those of more recently evolved angiosperms, are large, pale, open, and nectar-less, with little differentiation of parts. Magnolias are pollinated primarily by flower beetles, which pre-date bees and butterflies.
Read more
Pawpaw is the only Northern member of its famly [a close releteve of the bananna] and has huge1-foot leaves. Small tree and butterfly food, their unusual flowers are polinated by tricking carrion flies.

Parhaps the hardyest of all big-leaved plants Is the northern catalpa, with Huge single leaves and orchid-like folowers is native to a small area in the mississipi basin. Look it up i g2g at the moment but ill be back!
images
images


images
 
The northern catalpa is one of the hardyest trees, piriod. grows too zone 4. very drought tolerent...

Bigleaf maple boasts the largest leaves in its genus and is native to the west coast.

Corkwood is a rare, eisily propegated plant that forms thickets of single stemms caped by 7-inch leaves. Wood very light, compareable to basla wood. All but the northern catalpa require a reasonable amout of moisture.

Hardiness rating

1 Northern Catalpa
2 Corkwood
3 Pawpaw
(?) bigleaf maple
5 bigleaf magnolia
 
It would help a lot if we knew where you are located.
 
I am located in Lubbock, Texas, zone 7a. I see most of the hardy bananas are rated to zone 7a, except sikkamensis is rated to zone 5. That is why I am mulching and planting in a protected spot. I have not seen any planted bananas anywhere in town so no one seems to be having much luck.

I know Catalpas, they are common here. I have only seen big leaf Magnolia in Tennessee (at a friends house). We have a smaller variety in our yard. Maples in general do not do good here because of the aridity of the region. Even with watering the leaves dry on our hot days. Corkwood and Pawpaw sounds interesting. Where is a good place to get a start of these two?
 
U probably see southern catalpa

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Where is a good place to get a start of these two?

Um im not certain what you mean. The good news is both plants u r interested in grow in your stae

Pawpaw
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Origin: The pawpaw is native to the temperate woodlands of the eastern U.S. The American Indian is credited with spreading the pawpaw across the eastern U.S. to eastern Kansas and Texas, and from the Great Lakes almost to the Gulf. Fossils prove the pawpaw is indigenous to the U.S. <img src="http://www.fred.net/kathy/pawpawmap2.jpg
" border="0">
Adaptation: The pawpaw is adapted to the humid continental climate of its native habitat. It is seldom found near the Atlantic or Gulf coasts. It requires a minimum of 400 hours of winter chill and at least 160 frost-free days. Pawpaws appear to be sensitive to low humidities, dry winds and cool maritime summers. It has been successfully grown in parts of California and the Pacific Northwest that meet its growing requirements. It has grown well in the San Jose area (USDA Climate Zone 9 or Sunset Climate Zone 15). The climatic conditions of Southern California make growing the pawpaw there more difficult. The deep winter dormancy of the tree makes it highly frost tolerant, withstanding temperatures of -25° F or lower (hardy to USDA Climate Zone 5). Pawpaws can be grown as container specimens, although this is not often practiced. A deep pot is needed to accommodate the root system.

DESCRIPTIONGrowth Habit: The pawpaw is a deciduous, often narrowly conical tree growing from about 12 feet to around 20 feet. Pawpaw trees are prone to producing root suckers a few feet from the trunk. When these are permitted to grow, the single-clone pawpaw patch comes into being. The prevailing experiences of many individuals is that the pawpaw is a slow grower, particularly when it is young. However, under optimal greenhouse conditions, including photo-period extension light of approximately 16 hours, top growth of up to 5 feet can be attained in three months.
Foliage: The dark green, obovate-oblong, drooping leaves grow up to 12 inches long, giving the pawpaw an interesting tropical appearance. The leaves turn yellow and begin to fall in mid-autumn and leaf out again in late spring after the tree has bloomed.

Flowers: Dormant, velvety, dark brown flower buds develop in the axils of the previous years' leaves. They produce maroon, upside-down flowers up to 2 inches across.
astr1766.jpg
The normal bloom period consists of about 6 weeks during March to May depending on variety, latitude and climatic conditions. The blossom consists of 2 whorls of 3 petals each, and the calyx has 3 sepals. Each flower contains several ovaries which explains why a single flower can produce multiple fruits. Pawpaw flowers are perfect, in that they have both male and female reproduction parts, but they are not self-pollinating. The flowers are also protogynaus, i.e., the female stigma matures and is no longer receptive when the male pollen is shed. In addition pawpaws are self-incompatible, requiring cross pollination from another unrelated pawpaw tree.

Bees show no interest in pawpaw flowers. The task of pollenization is left to unenthusiastic species of flies and beetles

Fruit: The pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to America. Individual fruits weigh 5 to 16 ounces and are 3 to 6 inches in length. The larger sizes will appear plump, similar to the mango. The fruit usually has 10 to 14 seeds in two rows. The brownish to blackish seeds are shaped like lima beans, with a length of 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches. Pawpaw fruits often occur as clusters of up to nine individual fruits. The ripe fruit is soft and thin skinned. And tastes like bananna
Pollination: Poor pollination has always plagued the pawpaw in nature, and the problem has followed them into
domestication.

\

Corkwood is little knwon in cultivation. It needs less water than its natural habitat indicates, suggesting it is restricted to wetlands only because of special germination requierments. It needs only reasonable moisture.
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Florida Corkwood -Leitneria floridana Chapm.

This clonal shrub has the lightest wood of any North American plant. The leaves are dark and glossy green above, slightly hairy below, and the fruit is a one-seeded drupe. Alone in its family, there are no plants closely related to Florida corkwood. It is known from Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas. The only population currrently known in Georgia is in Glynn County near the Altamaha River.

Propagation Notes:
Seed - it germinates better if given 3 months cold stratification so is probably best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. The seed can also be sown in late winter in a greenhouse but the germination is variable[78]. small out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Young plants should be overwintered in a greenhouse for their first year and then be planted out in late spring after the last expected frosts[78]. Give some winter protection for their first year outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[113]. Division of suckers in the dormant season[113, 200].
 
  • #10
Now my previous posts were on leaves. let me talk about the growth forms. Pawpaw looks like avacodo and at a distance can be mistaken for one.

Crokwood is unusual in... well its hard to describe so ill use someone els's descriptian

"Corkwood leaves emerge leathery and wolly in spring, with rugose surfaces, and eventually reach almost 6 inches in leingh and almost half as wide. they are the primary asthetic attracion of the species and, atop its colonial single-stemmed clumps, looks like it must belong to some exotic, evergreen tropicle tree. But corkwood is fully at home in our temperate climate and fully, if tardily, deciduous"

But perhaps the best tropical-looking form (its leaves arnt anything unusual)
Is the Arazona Sycamore, adapted to grow along desert streamms in the southwest. It will grow in your area. This huge tree looks like it belongs in a tomb-raider film with its sparce crown and huge, thick and winding python-like limbs and light gray bark. The greatest tree is 114 feet tall and a 7-foot thick trunk below its first fork. Not commonly seen in cultivation it can be grown at least as far as USDA zone 7, and perhaps 6
 
  • #11
I guess I should have said "Where is a good place to purchase these plants." I see pawpaws on eBay. Is a google for sources of Leitneria floridana the best way? Based on leaf size, we have two Catalpa here, I think speciosa and bignonioides.
 
  • #12
I suggest u get ur plant sorces from local native plant societys, because they usually propigate specimens regionally adapted to your climate. U wont suceed likely with a pawpaw from tenesee or a corkwood from florida. the ones found in ur area are reagionally adapted to it
 
  • #13
I just had a conversation with a grower who sells hardy bananas in Illinois. He cuts his down to a three foot stump, mulches with straw and wraps it in foam sheeting then plastic. It comes back every year in zone 5!

Glenn
 
  • #14
I grow banana outside here in NE (zone 5b) and Glenn hit it right on the head. I cut mine back to a 3' stump and then wrap in burlap, then dead leaves, then burlap again.

Joe
 
  • #15
Hey Joe,
Does it grow from the stump the next year? If not, why cut it so high off the ground? Or, does the stump just act as the anchor to tie the insulation to and the new growth comes from the ground?
 
  • #16
Yes it does. However 1 of mine has thrown basal shoots and the other (Mother) When I cut it back to bring in, it adjusted for about 2 weeks then shot a leaf roll up from the center and continued as normal. It is a 3' stump with 2 - 6' leaves out the top.
Originally I received a 12" stump and when I planted in Spring it died and then suddenly shoot appeared from under ground and became what is my mother plant. After 4-6 weeks it sent another shoot from under ground and this is my smaller plant. The mother was cut back, brought in and is now growing in a South window. The smaller however is still planted outside in the ground. It has survived several light frosts with no protection but this will not last long. I will wrap it this weekend for the winter. I suspect it will come from the ground next Spring since the mulching actually keeps the roots alive and the trunk will eventually mush by Spring.
I have found a banana plant that is hardy to zone 5. It is Musa basjoo and its hybrids. This is a nana from the cloudforests of China which get extremely cold. It does not need wrapping. It does better with a north wind block though. This nana will peel itself back and layer the ground with its leaves thus insulating the roots. It is a listed zone 5 nana. I will be picking up one or 2 of these this Spring. BTW it produces edible fruit also.

Joe
 
  • #17
Banana trees in Texas, YES! Fond memories of growing up in Houston with banana trees. In Houston the weather didn't get cold enough most years to really kill the trees, but it did at least dip to freezing a couple of times that the trees did not fruit the following year. My mother the arborist/homemaker/chemist, etc. decided that we could wrap the trees in blankets for the winter nap and this would solve the problem. It became a tradition growing up, the "wrapping of the banana trees festival." Actually worked and every year we would be the only trees in the neighbor hood with little bitty, 4" long bananas, COOL!

Lubbock, being a little further north than Houston, probably is closer to my climate here in Tulsa. I haven't attempted my mothers banana wrapping here yet, but I have noticed a increase in the number of banana "like" plants popping up in the city.

I see some that cut the trees down and mulch and others that just mulch deep and then cut after our first week of freezing weather. I haven't seen any banana plantations pop here either. Maybe I am just not looking the right spot.

Good luck.
rick
 
  • #18
[b said:
Quote[/b] (neprick @ Nov. 10 2004,12:59)]Lubbock, being a little further north than Houston, probably is closer to my climate here in Tulsa. I haven't attempted my mothers banana wrapping here yet, but I have noticed a increase in the number of banana "like" plants popping up in the city.
I think you get more ice there, but we are certainly closer in temps to you than Houston. At 3200 feet, I think our elevation is higher. I cut the trees down and mulched heavily. We have already had two partial days of snow and hard freezing temperatures for the next several nights. We shall see next spring what survived.

I have noticed on the web that there are some growers in your area (Tulsa) with hardy palm trees. I will have to try that someday.
 
  • #19
I will send a pic of a "tropical summer paradise" winterized. It is just a hoot. Brought back memories of my banana tree, blanket wrapping days. The kids can't figure out, "why do they do this every year?"

One of those child questions that you really can't answer. Like, "dad, why do you grow insect eating plants and laugh and giggle when you feed them?" Can't let them know all the secretes till they grow up. HeHeHeHe.
 
  • #20
i do the same except i actually wrap the whole tree which usually would be about 6 feet tall. because usually the main stem will die but the root /bulb will send up new shoots in spring. I dont know if i should cut it down. maybe its a good idea but i usually leave mine as tall as it is then wrap it.
 
Back
Top