Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post Reply
ourarka

Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by ourarka »

My Musella lasciocarpa has got through the last couple of winters with minimal protection, but has rarely done much come summer. I love the plant and it seems wasted doing this every year. I think I might dig it up and bring it in .... I presume they do ok in containers? I presume it likes a free draining soil mix, but where is it happiest overwinter and then during next summer? Will it overwinter indoors with leaves, or should I cut to the base.

One bonus question (not banana related!). Just got a cheap 1' Dicksonia antarctica with no fronds and have potted it for the winter before planting out next Spring. Will this pot be ok sheltered outdoors .... or should I keep it in conservatory? And if inside, how wet should I keep the crown?
User avatar
Yorkshire Kris
Posts: 10163
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Rural South Wakefield, Yorkshire Lat 53.64 Long-1.54

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

Mine did well in a container then flowered and pupped well.


I would keep it in a pot all year round.
ourarka

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by ourarka »

Ok - I assume you keep outside in the summer. In the winter do you keep it going ..... or cut it down?
User avatar
Yorkshire Kris
Posts: 10163
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Rural South Wakefield, Yorkshire Lat 53.64 Long-1.54

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

ourarka wrote:Ok - I assume you keep outside in the summer. In the winter do you keep it going ..... or cut it down?

I kept it in the garage over winter which kept its leave ready to go again the following spring.
ourarka

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by ourarka »

Oh, ok - is the garage dark? Was it watered?
ourarka

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by ourarka »

So, I've potted it up (happily discovering there were two plants - not one!) in a good quality general compost with added vermiculite. Kris, you say you kept it in leaf in your garage? What kind of temps/water was it getting? I have a choice of frost free greenhouse, slightly warmer conservatory or indoors (greenhouse lightest, but coolest). Any ideas which would be best, and how much water?
User avatar
Yorkshire Kris
Posts: 10163
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Rural South Wakefield, Yorkshire Lat 53.64 Long-1.54

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

ourarka wrote:So, I've potted it up (happily discovering there were two plants - not one!) in a good quality general compost with added vermiculite. Kris, you say you kept it in leaf in your garage? What kind of temps/water was it getting? I have a choice of frost free greenhouse, slightly warmer conservatory or indoors (greenhouse lightest, but coolest). Any ideas which would be best, and how much water?
:bomb:

It was kept at around freezing on the coldest nights, certainly no lower than -5 but more like 0-5degrees when it was proper cold. It had light from a north facing window. (Hardly any light really) It kept a few leaves and grew away wellthe following year. I kept it dry but NOT bone dry. A 1kw heater kept the garage from completely freezing through.
ourarka

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by ourarka »

Thanks Kris - sounds like pretty dry in a frost free greenhouse should do the trick then :)
User avatar
Yorkshire Kris
Posts: 10163
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Rural South Wakefield, Yorkshire Lat 53.64 Long-1.54

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

ourarka wrote:Thanks Kris - sounds like pretty dry in a frost free greenhouse should do the trick then :)
Yes should be fine there. icon_thumright
nicebutdim
Posts: 249
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 9:25 am

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by nicebutdim »

ourarka wrote:My Musella lasciocarpa has got through the last couple of winters with minimal protection, but has rarely done much come summer. I love the plant and it seems wasted doing this every year. I think I might dig it up and bring it in .... I presume they do ok in containers? I presume it likes a free draining soil mix, but where is it happiest overwinter and then during next summer? Will it overwinter indoors with leaves, or should I cut to the base.

One bonus question (not banana related!). Just got a cheap 1' Dicksonia antarctica with no fronds and have potted it for the winter before planting out next Spring. Will this pot be ok sheltered outdoors .... or should I keep it in conservatory? And if inside, how wet should I keep the crown?

Mine did well in a pot ,flowered and pupped well but does not look much when kept inside,the foliage looked very drab,nothing like it does outside.Mine did survive outside though much reduced in size,the the pups also survived last year.I am going to try and keep it dry and in a cupboard as I don,t have the space for one more pot.Luckily the pups will hopefully survive outside again although very much reduced in size all year.There may some clue in my expeience to poimt you in some direction,no magic answer I,m afraid.
ourarka

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by ourarka »

So, I did dig it up in an attempt to overwinter inside and get an early start on it next year. It is in a frost free greenhouse (which has probably been quite warm over the past few weeks). I've actually split it and have kept it in dry, normal compost. The leaves have turned brown and shrivelled ...... is this normal? Will it work like the overwintered dry ensetes and spring back in to life with lots of water, couple with warm/light days in Spring?
User avatar
Yorkshire Kris
Posts: 10163
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Rural South Wakefield, Yorkshire Lat 53.64 Long-1.54

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

As long as it wasn't kept bone dry then I would have expected it to keep some leaves green as it's been mild.
ourarka

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by ourarka »

It has been pretty dry ...... should I water it?
User avatar
Yorkshire Kris
Posts: 10163
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Rural South Wakefield, Yorkshire Lat 53.64 Long-1.54

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

Hard to say.... It's always difficult in winter to make sure plants that need to be kept on the dry side are not overwatered and also not left to go completely bone dry. As it's been so mild I'm guessing (I can't be sure) that it has dried out too much and the leaves have withered because of this. If thats the case then watering it now will do no good because if there are no green leaves left then it won't be transpiring much so the water will just sit in the pot could rot the roots. It's your call as you can see the plant but if it's lost all it's leaves and dry I would leave it that way until spring then try an wake it up. I've found it harder to make them up than ensetes though.... (I too have left one to get too dry one winter and took for ever to restart growth again in spring.) Since that year I haven't let it go completely dry and it kept a couple of green leaves through winter then immediately started into growth in spring when the warm weather arrived.
ourarka

Re: Might dig up my lasciocarpa ...

Post by ourarka »

Cheers Kris - agreed, certainly not going to soak it. Might just keep it a touch moister than bone dry, then try to wake it up as per ensete in early Spring ...... and keep fingers crossed. It took forever to wake up in the ground anyway, so I won't have lost much!
Post Reply