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Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:56 pm
by Panama Pete
Ive had a good success rate following Kris' direction for overwintering Ensette's and they are huge now. It wont be long before the big dig out in my garden as we had a hint of frost this morning. icon_bigsmurf What I am wanting to know is how many times people have stored Ensette's dry? Does this work every year on the same plant year after year. How many years have forum users reached on the same plant?

Its a good method but seems to take a lot of guts out of the plant. :ahhh!: Has anyone had any luck using the Musa method with straw protection? Ive got 16 of them, so I might experiment a bit this winter using three different methods of winter storage. icon_thumright

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 11:21 pm
by Tom2006
I've only tried it once and the plants have been great this year, would have been much better if we had had a summer! :roll:

I have got four new ones, and two are very small and have done very little so I will be trying to keep them growing in my dining room this winter. My other four will be in the loft as my other two were last winter. icon_thumleft

Unless you are in a very, very sheltered, mild spot, I don't think the musa protection would keep these alive.

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 6:42 am
by derrick
I think Dave tried some times outside it would have to be a larger Ensete to even have a chance outside with protection easy just to stick some in the loft and some in the house to be safe

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 7:49 am
by flounder
I honestly believe, if you've 16 of them and you try one protected outside....you'll have 15 next year

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 8:04 am
by Dave Brown
Pete, I think in your location you have two viable options.

1 - Store dry
2 - Grow almost dry in warmth and light.

Anything else will almost certainly result in Ensete Mushii. :ahhh!:

I have been storing dry for 5 years now after seeing how the Germans overwintered theirs dry in a cellar. My Montbeliardii has been sucessfully overwintered dry for 4 winters, and comes back just as strong every spring.

The only real debate is to whether you remove compost to dry them off (easiest) of leave in the pot/ compost (drying difficult) I tend to dry off in the compost on smaller ones, taking the soilball out of the pot and standing on newspaper to help suck moisture from it. Thye are left out of the pot overwinter. Larger ones, would be too heavy to lift, so the roots are roughly cleaned of soil to reduce weight. I don't clean off with a hose as I don't want water near them at digging out time, or they take longer to dry off properly.

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 9:30 am
by Adrian
I tried the dry no soil method last year but although they came through they did struggle and neither made great growth.
I'll do my Ensetes as I have before, in a pot in the greenhouse kept almost dry.

The dry method comes into its own if you have very limited space though.

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 9:46 am
by sherree
We did the grow almost dry method last winter in the greenhouse which was heated to between 5 to 10c and they came through ok.

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 9:51 am
by Steph
To store them in the cellar, would you say no leaves, no watering and wrapped in fleece would suffice?
I like the idea of keeping some in the cellar, making use of previously unused space.

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 5:47 pm
by kevineden
tried the loft method last year but growth was so slow i gave up this time i will try the dave brown method dry out and repot to a smaller one and keep in a cool conservatory fingers crossed icon_sunny

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 7:37 pm
by Clive60
Does the dry (loft/cellar) method apply to Maurelii?
I am not sure what to do with mine, it's in the ground and three times the size when planted. Would potting it and keeping in a heated greenhouse be preferable?

Re: Red Ensettes storing dry (how many times?)

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 7:50 pm
by Panama Pete
Cheers chaps, ill have a go dry again this year. Got three big ones to dry out, the rest only a season old. I could so with a dry windy spell, before a few days in the airing cupboard, (put in when the wife is out) :roll: of course! before i get them ready. its absolutley a wash out here in the midlands today.
Its a shame everything has reached its potential and im buying straw and other accesories this weekend for the winter again.