stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

eyefi

stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by eyefi »

i was looking through my ensete pile in the garage yesterday and i was wondering what was the best way to bring these beauties back to life? i know it's a bit early yet :)
Jellybob

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by Jellybob »

I was thinking the same. I had mine in the shed, but it has been so cold and last week checked it and had fungus on it. Sprayed it and brought it into the conservatory. It's firm but no sign of life yet.
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Dave Brown
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Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by Dave Brown »

My 'Montbeliardii' has been dry in the consevatory and now is the time to think about getting it going again. My plan is to pot up in pot not much bigger than the trunk width in just moist MP compost with perlite. The aim is to encourage roots. Once it has done that then more water can be given. My actual Maurelii I left outside protected. We'll have to see if I still have it. I'll take some pics as I go along :wink:
Best regards
Dave
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musa_monkey

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by musa_monkey »

Glad this question was asked. Those i dry stored in the unheated garage have not done to well and rot started to set in. I have now cut it all out and put them in the greenhouse (kept at 3c).

I plan to pot up in early March in 50/30/20 perlite/compost/sharp sand to encourage rooting.

Incidentally i had a bit of a clear out in the greenhouse yesterday to make room for new seedlings etc and found several basjo pups had grown new roots and leaves were starting to show :shock:
weve

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by weve »

I thought i saw somewhere that chopping the top off the pseudostem aided a faster regrowth (thought it was here http://www.bananenhobby.de/Maurellii%20doku.htm but can't find that there now .......or the translated version) Edit See Below

Not really relevant to the topic heading but my small Ensete m. (still in the ground covered by my temporary plastic "greenhouse" along with echium candicans, a musella and 20+ gallons of water in 2 litre containers) appears to be still alive with some leaves retained, altho' looking very untidy! Lowest inside temp recorded so far was 2c and highest about 17c. How this small ensete fares in spring remains to be seen, so not counting my chickens yet.

For the sake of the experiment, don't plan to do anything with it other than remove the shelter when warmer.

best
weve

Edit: Found it, here it is.......worth a look, but still in German tho'
http://www.bananenhobby.de/m-abgeschnitten.htm
Chopped one:
chopped.jpg
Compared with Unchopped
Unchopped.jpg
Clive

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by Clive »

That German website is amazing! I dont speak German but the pictures are really clear and it has inspired me to try growing and overwintering them that way (also to perhaps try for some of my musas as Im fed up of the frosts cutting them down to the ground)

I dont know if I would be brave enough to cut them down as much as they do though! Its incredibly how much they cut out.

Clive
collins99

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by collins99 »

Here is the link translated into English , well sort of.. :lol:

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_ur ... =Translate

I have kept a few of my larger ensetes potted up dry indoors this year and in the last week they have all started to push out new rollers , mine seem to have kept great indoors this year . i think i will use this method every year and see how big i can get them . When they do get to big they can go to my mams as she has got much higher ceilings than me :lol: :lol:
sam140

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by sam140 »

Yeah keeping them inside is a good overwintering method.
Could not risk loosing a year growth :!:
Dave in Warrington

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by Dave in Warrington »

... Ummm , got to get the timing right. icon_scratch

Could do with it in the lean-to green house for at least a month to break the dormancy, potted as DaveB suggests.

Need some warm weather by Easter to bake the soil whilst I prepare the plot :roll:

Could be embarrassing to lose it to the weather after this long :oops:
sam140

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by sam140 »

Good post weve. I have noticed that bananas in general can seem to waste productive energy in growing out old growth. Obvoiusly the chopping off cleans that up, leaving the plant to rocket. icon_scratch
weve

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by weve »

Thanks for your thanks, Sam.(not sure, but I think there was a post somewhere (perhaps here?) some time ago with a link the chopping off (abgeschrittzen) page of the website. So I can't take all the credit! :) But nevertheless your thanks are well appreciated. icon_salut

One thing I did note this time tho' (after studying it agian) is that he made the chop much earlier than I originally thought! (16/11, shortly after taking in), i had in fact, wrongly thought it was done much nearer the replanting time. Neverthless hope it is some help or at least worth bearing in mind for the future

What an amazing chap :shock: !!!!!!
cheers
eyefi

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by eyefi »

i've stored mine in the dark with bare root. im going to struggle to give them all some light for a while, can i pot them in just moist compost and keep them dark to get them rooting them bring them in to the light later on as it warms up a bit?
Birmingham Chris

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by Birmingham Chris »

Clive wrote:That German website is amazing! I dont speak German but the pictures are really clear and it has inspired me to try growing and overwintering them that way (also to perhaps try for some of my musas as Im fed up of the frosts cutting them down to the ground)

I dont know if I would be brave enough to cut them down as much as they do though! Its incredibly how much they cut out.

Clive
somewhere on that first page, I seem to remember that there's a union flag to click and get the site in (broken) English.
derrick

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by derrick »

My to ensetes are pushing up rollers also so some life .Are have to feed them this year beer tonic stella cider mix.
vivi
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Location: Banbury Oxon

Re: stored dry & dark ensetes, how to bring them back?

Post by vivi »

Mine was looking great,even pushing out a new leaf..until today.Went to check the greenhouse and the whole plant was tilting,it came away in my hand and something has eaten clean through the base..I am gutted !! :ahhh!:
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