Musa Basjoo indoors

[Dan L]

Hi

I’ve got musa basjoo with a 2ft trunk which I’ve brought indoors (into my bathroom) and it’s started growing again at about half the rate that it was during the summer. It’s in a bright room although the plant itself gets no direct sunlight and it’s not a particularly warm room either, so I’m not sure why it likes it there. The question I have is should I feed it? I was feeding it miracle-gro during the summer so was thinking of giving it a half-strength mix but wasn’t sure how often to do this if at all. I was also wondering if I should remove all the leaves to reduce the risk of red spider mite.

Would greatly appreciate any help and advice
Thanks
Dan

[Guy]

Shouldn't be a problem. It's warm for it compared to outside so it's growing. I'd keep it as dry as you can but spray the leaves every few days with tepid water to keep the Red Spider Mite at bay. Add a drop of washingup liquid if you see Red Spider Mite. You say the light levels are good but they never are indoors, so it's growth will be pale and lanky. So keep v dry and get it outside as soon as you can. Why is it inside in the first place, as its fully hardy?

[Dave in Warrington]

Good tips from Guy here Dan, I have one in a bright heated conservatory but don't feed it. Guy, I have one indoors as insurance to the possibility of loss of all out doors and keeps a tropical look indoors !

[Guy]

Yes, I've similarly got a couple of late pups in the greenhouse, growing on slowly through the winter. The light levels there are much better however so growth is healthy. I also overwinter some on a verandah hard against the house, where they stay very dry and the lows are moderated considerably.

The ensete ventr. in the greenhouse are still growing about an inch per day, slowly unfolding 5 foot leaves. Slightly alarming when you think how far May is away. Have to get the bread knife out and chop a few leaves off before then.

[Dave Brown]

I have grown them in a unheated conservatory before, but the light levels even outside are not brilliant for growing bananas at this time of year. I would not encourage too much growth until the end of January, and would definately not feed at this time. There is a chance that the weak growth now will be damaged by wind or cold once it goes back outside. I have had stems snap under the weight of leaves when grown too dark. You end up having to cut all the winter growth off anyway then.

I would say if you must keep it indoors, and as a result, in growth, then it must be slightly moist, as if in growth the roots are active and may suffer damage if too dry, but put it outside at every available opportunity (mild spells) and hose down regularly. or Red Spider Mite will strike

I regard these as totally hardy here and they stay out with no protection. Even if it goes down to -10C which we have not had for about 15 years. they come back from the ground. Like canna and Ginger.

[Dan L]

Thanks for the tips. I brought it inside really as an experiment to see if it grew any quicker, which it did. It was in an unheated greenhouse where it wasn’t growing that quickly, but reading what’s been said about weak growth I think it’s going straight back in there.

[mushtaq86]

dan i think it is a good idea that you put it back in the greenhouse,with my experience trying to grow them indoors in winter is a bad idea,as root rot and lanky growth come to mind

[DavidF]

Why is it inside in the first place, as its fully hardy?

Well for Dan (and most of you) I guess it is fully hardy, bit I do find that expression a bit relative. It isn't hardy for me... I have tried 3 (of various sizes, one was a 5 footer) in the past 3 years and they all get killed to the ground. Last years one, granted, did resprout, but it grew 3 miserable leaves all year and then died off again in late October with those frosts.

Hardly what I would call a "hardy" plant

[Dave Brown]

Why is it inside in the first place, as its fully hardy?

Well for Dan (and most of you) I guess it is fully hardy, bit I do find that expression a bit relative. It isn't hardy for me... I have tried 3 (of various sizes, one was a 5 footer) in the past 3 years and they all get killed to the ground. Last years one, granted, did resprout, but it grew 3 miserable leaves all year and then died off again in late October with those frosts.

Hardly what I would call a "hardy" plant

You did about as well as me then Fletch With two howlers to the leaf I only got one good looking leaf in the whole season from 5 clumps.

[simon]

Fletch, did you ever try the Wisley method of protection? Several bales of straw and a plastic bag on top. Way over the top for their location but should be adequate for you. I'm sure it takes a fair bit of effort but it depends how badly you want to grow the plant. I guess if you don't have enough heat in the summer to do it justice, it may not be worth the effort.

[bodster]

Have you tried moving further south David? I hear that makes growing tropicals easier

[DavidF]

Fletch, did you ever try the Wisley method of protection? Several bales of straw and a plastic bag on top. Way over the top for their location but should be adequate for you. I'm sure it takes a fair bit of effort but it depends how badly you want to grow the plant. I guess if you don't have enough heat in the summer to do it justice, it may not be worth the effort.

Hi Simon, I guess that's where I'm coming from with my questioning of the term "Uk's hardy banana", it isnt!. To me if you have to wrap something in straw in a chicken wire enclosure, well, that's not a hardy plant as far as I'm concerned. Also the "depends on how badly you want to grow it" is the big dilemma for me... I've sacrificed all my Maureliis this year... they're all still out there, ready to be dug up and binned in spring, but I would LOVE to have a decent Basjoo.... just not prepared to go to the levels of protection necessary up here.. I even have a 3 footer in my greenhouse which collapsed and died on me last week, of course I bet it will come back from the corm next year... but just not worth it for me, a couple of paltry leaves....

Have you tried moving further south David? I hear that makes growing tropicals easier

I've told you before Martin.... there's a few "logistical" issues in the way with regard to that one

[simon]

Of course "hardy" is always going to be a relative term. Something that is hardy even for you may not be for someone else. You have to remember we are talking about a banana here. You can't get a much more exotic image. We are quite lucky that there is one (or two) we can grow outside at all. You are pushing that boundary but I am sure you could get a stem through winter if you found a protection method that suited the amount of effort you are prepared to make.

[Mick C]

Here's my winter protection. The fleeced banana is a basjoo, protected with fleece tubes stuffed with leaves.

The smaller one in the chicken wire cage is a sikki - this is how I successfully protected the basjoo last winter.


Obviously you are further north than I am Fletch, and I am not even sure that these methods will definitely succeed here, but they were not too time consuming. Of course they are not to attractive either.

[Dave Brown]

the term "Uk's hardy banana", it isnt!. To me if you have to wrap something in straw in a chicken wire enclosure, well, that's not a hardy plant as far as I'm concerned. Also the "depends on how badly you want to grow it" is the big dilemma for me... ... but just not worth it for me, a couple of paltry leaves....

Fletch, seems to me that two bad summers have got to you. Basjoo is generally hardy in the UK, in Tresco you can keep the whole plant, over much of southern, western England and Wales you can keep the stems, over the rest of lowland England, Wales, NI and Scotland it is root hardy. However it does require some sort of summer to put on any real growth, in just the same way as most bedding plants do.