Overwintering Ensete Maurellii: Questions

[GoggleboxUK]

Right well I managed to keep my 2 Ensete alive last year by overwintering them dry but this year I have decided to pot them up and keep them going.

What temperature do they go dormant? I am wondering whether to keep the greenhouse at 5c or higher for best results?

Also, they are currently looking fine but I have noticed the leaves are wet. Is this normal transpiraion or is it because of the high humidity and condensation forming in the greenhouse? Is this anything to be concerned about?

If I water, what quantities would you recommend and at what frequency?

I'm doing it this way so I can see which is easiest and which gives me the best starting point for the following Spring.

Thanks for any pointers you can share.

[Dave Brown]

If you are trying to keep them growing they will need to be indoors, or with temps rising above 10C at least, daily. They do not go dormant due to temperature, but in response to drought.

Wet and cold = rot

High humidity at 5C = rot

There really is not enough light to keep them growing properly over mid winter, so additional, bright as possible, light will be beneficial, and any winter growth will be weak and need cutting off before being put outside.

[GoggleboxUK]

Thanks Dave, I've got a couple of 64k 4ft striplights that I'm intending to have on for 12hrs a day from 1st Dec to 1st March, does that sound adequate? I'm currently getting above 10c daily in there but I will set the heater to 13c once temps drop and try to keep them on the dryer side.

[cheshirepalms]

I'm trialling mine in the greenhouse, keeping it on the dry side with the heater set to 6 degrees, Humidity is a problem at the moment, but I hope the heater when its on will moderate this. I'll keep you posted, I'm also overwintering a Basjoo to plant out next april/may.

[Tom2006]

I have potted one of my smaller ones and its in my south facing warm dining room and its put out four leaves in the last couple of weeks. They are like Dave says though, much weaker looking than normal, but its doing well.

[pdid]

Your problem is that any new growth will be soft and stretched and you will almost defiantly loose it when they go back outside.

IMO your best option would be to take as much of the rootball as possible and start it growing again in the green house. Once you have a bit of growth stop watering and let it dry out and die back, then start watering again when preparing for spring and the light is better. This is what I'm doing with the 2 smaller ones I picked up from morrisons.

They grow superfast indoors too which is another consideration space wise.

[Tom2006]

I'm just going to cut any winter growth off come spring and get it going outside. Only 6 weeks until the light levels slowly start to increase again.

[ourarka]

I was going to keep pushing my Ensetes, but judging by the forecast day/night temperatures, it's about time they came in. I successfully overwintered dry last year so will do that again. It seems the quicker you can dry the better, so was wondering if hanging the prepared rhizomes in bulb nets over a radiator for a couple of days would work?

[Tom2006]

I just knocked off as much soil as possible, trimmed the roots right back sprinkled the roots and base in green sulphur and then placed in a cardboard box next to a radiator. All dry in a few days.

[Yorkshire Kris]

I just knocked off as much soil as possible, trimmed the roots right back sprinkled the roots and base in green sulphur and then placed in a cardboard box next to a radiator. All dry in a few days.

That's what I did this year because I left them out until later in the season.

[Dave Brown]

I brought my big Maurelii and 'Montbeliardii' in yesterday.
Basically
dug out
most compost removed
roots trimmed back to 2in (5cm)
newspaper stuffed in the bottom of the tub
into conservatory
rootball in tub
around sides of rootball stuffed with newspaper ( absorbs moisture)

They were soaked in condensation yesterday, but the surface was dry today as they had warmed up, and the soaked newspaper was replaced with dry.

Will replace the newspaper a few more times to help the drying out process.

Topic coming with pics