Banana Tree in BC, Canada (Lower Mainland)

Discussion in 'Outdoor Tropicals' started by Tracy1, Mar 6, 2009.

  1. Tracy1

    Tracy1 Member

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    Location:
    Langley, BC, Canada
    I have a very large banana tree (at least 8' tall), which came with the house I recently purchased. I was not at all prepared when it came to fall/winter and did not have my banana tree wrapped.

    The leaves are brown and laying on the ground. I have read a few articles on google sites that say new leaves may appear once the weather warms up.

    Does anybody know if this is true or have I just lost my banana tree? Is there any hope?
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Depends on what kind of banana it is. If the hardy Japanese banana (Musa basjoo) that has been grown up there for decades it will probably come back in spring. All the other kinds are tender.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2009
  3. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    In all cases, you have nothing to lose by chopping the leaves off at the pseudostem and waiting for spring to see what happens.
     
  4. castawaykev

    castawaykev Active Member

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    Location:
    Norboro, PEI, Canada
    Does anyone know some places I can buy banana trees? Other than Bamboo world. Not the seeds. The Rhizomes.

    Thanks,
     
  5. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    You can usually find banana plants at Wal Mart, Home Depot, and Rona/Revy in the garden section. Equally, if you join the International Banana Society at www.bananas.org you can most likely find people in your area (or at least in Canada) who have rhizomes or pups to trade.
     
  6. LPN

    LPN Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    For the record, Banana plants are not considered "trees", and do not from woody parts, so would therefore be considered herbaceous. The leaf bases form a psuedostem to support the crown and eventual flower & fruit spike.

    Try Ray at Tropic to Tropic in Tsawwassen for Musa basjoo.

    Cheers, LPN.
     
  7. castawaykev

    castawaykev Active Member

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    Oh I know they are a plant....just a slip up. I have been to his site. He is cheaper. However all I want are 5 rhizomes and his are reasonable at $7.50 each.,...but I hate paying $44 or more for shipping. So I thought I'd look around. Plus I am interested in palm seeds too.


    Cheers,

    Castawaykev
     
  8. rosemary marsh

    rosemary marsh Member

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    Location:
    South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
    Hi Castawaykev
    I also have a huge banana tree in my back yard that I have grown for nine years and every year we chop the trunks down to about three feet and then wrap them in burlap and cover it with leaves from the yard and then the leaves from the banana tree and it has always come back and it huge and has had many babies as well. This spring there is no sign of life and I am also getting worried. I'm hoping we just need some really hot weather to bring it back to life. I sure would hate to lose it. We did have a very cold winter so yours just might be slow like mine but next year I would definitely cut it down and cover it with burlap and all the leaves. Good luck.
    Rosemary from South Surrey, British Columbia
     
  9. LPN

    LPN Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Rosemary,
    I'm surprised you haven't had any new growth yet, especially with all the mulching you provide. I never protect mine and even with the last harsh winter, it's now pushing new growth. Mulching is a good idea for smaller unestablished banana plants of say less than three years. I doubt you've lost yours, just allow for the soil to warm deep enough and it should be off to the races. Should you choose, you could jump start the process by watering with warm water.

    Cheers, LPN.
     
  10. castawaykev

    castawaykev Active Member

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    Mine are doing great and this year we plan on planting the banana trees outside to see how they will do in PEI. They should work. We are in zone 5b and the place that I plan on planting them is sheltered. Our summers are never hot, just 25c but the winters are never too cold...-15c max. I am already taking my banana plants outsidee to expose them for short period to uv....so that I can leave them out by end of june.
     
  11. rosemary marsh

    rosemary marsh Member

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    Hi LPN
    Thanks for your reply. I sure my banana trees start putting out new growth. I checked yesterday and nothing and I did water them with some warmish water with a little miracle grow in it so hopefully soon they will start to come back. The two stocks that are left are hard at the bottom so I know they haven't totally rotted so at least if I get two of them back, I'll be happy. Thanks for your help.
    Rosemary
     
  12. vicarious1

    vicarious1 Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Burnaby North on a slope facing south & a view :-)
    I cut down all leaves wrapped the short stemm of our two 6 foot tall and 4inch wide trunk hardy japanese banana tree in a Mexican jute bag 100% dry
    than with a plastic cheet and made sure the bag not touch the ground BUT it still seem to have died. Till now NOT ANITHING new is showing . It was along a rockery in a 100% south facing position but the winter this year in Vancouver ..leaves many painfull memories in the garden. Is it to early to expect leafes now ?
     
  13. rosemary marsh

    rosemary marsh Member

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    Hi Rob B
    I'm pretty sure mine is the hardy type as I've grown it for nine years with no problems at all and we just bought it at a little Chinese store but it was quite big then but last summer it was huge and had lots of babies around it. Like I said the stalks are hard but we've cut them down now to about a foot tall so I sure hope we do get some growth soon. I think it will just take time as we did have such a cold winter.We do mulch it well every winter and never had a problem but this winter in south surrey was very severe so we will just have to keep our fingers crossed. I will certainly let you know if I see any new growth. Thank you all for all your help.
    Love Rosemary
     
  14. rosemary marsh

    rosemary marsh Member

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    Banana tree

    Hello gardeners
    Well my banana tree did survive! Yahoo! I just noticed late yesterday after a hot day that a little one is just coming up. I am so happy as I was afraid because of the cold weather we might have lost it but we've had it for many years and we always cover them with burlap and leaves etc. We just planted one outside nine years ago but last summer there must have eight banana trees in that same spot now. We built a deck in the back yard and left an area in the middle to plant the banana tree and it sure did well. It gets huge every summer and by the end of the summer some of the banana trees have little bananas on them. Now I would like to take one of the babies from that original banana tree and put it in a different area but I don't know how to do this. I did try last summer to cut off one of the babies but the root system is so hard that even just digging down the baby just broke off without any root on it. I will try and take the seeds from one of the banana trees this summer but I'm not sure how to do that either. If anyone has any info on how to do this I would appreciate it. I'm just so happy that my banana trees, at least one has survived this long cold winter. I live in South Surrey, B.C. Thanks for any help in this regard.
    Rosemary (Foxglove Lady #2)
     
  15. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Re: Banana tree

    HI Rosemary. There's an excellent thread on how to separate pups from the mother plant at the International Banana Society. They say it far better than I ever could, and with pictures! Clicky-Linky!

    The seeds are a much easier thing to do. At the end of the season, open up some fruits and remove them from the flesh inside (and you can eat that flesh if the fruit is ripe; it's just that the seeds get in the way of doing that normally.) Wash them well, then you can either plant them directly (germination is not a fast game with bananas) or you can dry them and save them for later.

    Do you know which species of banana you're growing (I'd assume Musa basjoo from where you are, but hey! Other people are successfully growing the other ornamentals as far north as Edmonton)?
     

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