Musa Basjoo Cold Hardy Japanese Fiber Banana care, zone info, growth/size, propagation

[@boooooo97]

My plants are 25-30 feet tall here in Tennessee. After the first frost I cut them down to about a foot tall-cover them with around 6” of fine mulch-then cover them with shredded leaves and the leaves of the cut plants. So they get about 3’ to 4’ of coverage over them. They pop out in early Spring sometimes before the last frost but it doesn’t do any damage except maybe a little browning on the new growth. Love my Banana Plants ❤️

[@northeasthardytropicals541]

Huge!!! I’ve always had success with them here in the Philly area. Great hardy tropical.

[@vibonitatropics]

Thanks for the comment. Penn State grad here :) WE are

[@GeeCeeAte]

Haha. That’s where I’m growing mine at right now! Small world !

[@GeeCeeAte]

We hit -40 this winter (with windchill) and mine still came back strong! It’s funny because I was lazy in the fall as well. I usually chop them about 4” from the ground and super insulate them. Well this past fall, I chopped them down and just covered them with about 4” of wood chips and the banana leaves. They still came back! The key is to cut the trunk to the ground in really cold areas. That trunk will freeze and suck the rot down to the roots. But if you chop them to the ground your fine

[@GeeCeeAte]

Also, great video! When I started planting these there was no good information online!

[@vibonitatropics]

-40 is cold! The Musa basjoo seems to be a tank of a plant. I'm always amazed at how well they come back.

[@vibonitatropics]

Thanks!

[@steffiejoe]

Your banana plants look so lush and healthy. Can you make a video of the banana fruit , showing how the seeds look and the texture? Im just curious about how the fruit looks. I think I purchased an unlabeled musa Basjoo. I have it in a very large pot about 40 galloon size. I'm tempted to put it in the ground to add a statement tropical look in my back yard. I'm in zone 9A Texas semi tropical, we do get low temps and snow; but its typically not common. With the weird climate changes, its hard to predict.

[@vibonitatropics]

It will do well in 9a with minimal effort. That's a big pot. It should be able to produce pups in a pot that size so you could always leave it until a pup or two show up and then stick those outside just in case you don't have a musa basjoo :)

[@GeeCeeAte]

Oh they will thrive there! It got -10 (-40 with windchill) here this winter and mine are all 10’ tall already this summer. I chop mine down to the ground and cover them with wood chips. The key is to not let the water in the trunk/stem freeze. It’ll travel down and rot the roots. I’m not sure if you would have to chop them to the ground in zone 9, but it doesn’t hurt them. They still come back very strong

[@fearmedamnyou8895]

My two pups are on their way!!! Your videos have been quite helpful. I appreciate your knowledge and content 🙂

[@vibonitatropics]

Great to hear! Any questions, just shout.

[@geodezix]

i'm in hardiness zone 7a-7b. Try a 12-inch layer of peat moss covering the stump of the bananas. The peat moss 1. is an insulator 2. decays where it touches the wet ground, producing heat

[@vibonitatropics]

Good tip in cooler zones!

[@shwethakamath123]

How tall has yours grown in zone 7a-7b. We are planning to plant ours this spring. Asking because the summer here is very short in 7a/7b.

[@geodezix]

@@shwethakamath123 great! Everything -- 5 bananas, half dozen elephant ears. - / came back in early April 2024. I recommend the 6-8 inch peat moss, but they come back anyway without, it's just slower

[@CampingGuy]

Hi! This banana is called abaca in the Philippines and the fruit of this is very sweet. I love it

[@vibonitatropics]

Similar but I believe they are slightly different. Mine do not produce sweet bananas.

[@texastravelers210]

Wow after I watched your video I've order 2 plants in a 4 inch container. I live in San Antonio Texas 8b/9a zone. Our summers are very long and hot with plenty of sunshine. Im aware they need a lot of water since our weather is semi dry . Great video

[@vibonitatropics]

They should do well for you. Mine started as 6 inch plants ordered online as well. They got to 3-4 feet the first year, 8 feet the second, and 14 feet in year 3.

[@texastravelers210]

@@vibonitatropics just don't really know how it will cope with our hot summers .

[@vibonitatropics]

Mine have seen as high as 110F. It's not normally that hot here. Average days in July-August are 80 ish. We regularly get a week at a time in the low to mid 90s. Water is the most important. You don't want them in standing water, but if the soil is well draining, you should water them every day during the hot months.

[@hittsville]

@@vibonitatropicswhere did you order from

[@hittsville]

Where did you buy from

[@Deusvult633]

Nice video

[@vibonitatropics]

Thanks!

[@cynthiastogden7000]

Thank you for this. I am in SW Uk and have 2 in my garden. 2 years old and this Summer they are about 6ft. With some pups. No where near as big as yours though.

[@vibonitatropics]

Mine got to about 8 feet in year 2. 3rd year they got to "full size".

[@mikek5788]

Sieht richtig gut aus 😮

[@vibonitatropics]

Danke!

[@bryanclarke1927]

Never reach anything like that in UK. Amazing sight to see!

[@vibonitatropics]

My climate is pretty similar to London. You could get them this big with the right combo of water and fertilizer.

[@simonaradu2717]

Hello.Can I use NPK 12 7 7 or 15 15 15. Which would be better? Thanks

[@bryanclarke1927]

@@vibonitatropics I live in the far cooler and wetter NW of England and they just don't really get above 2m

[@bryanclarke1927]

@@simonaradu2717 I use Chicken pellet manure. High in Nitrogen.

[@vibonitatropics]

@@simonaradu2717 the banana fuel I use is 15-5-30. I would probably go with the 15-15-15 between the two you mentioned. If you eat bananas, grind/chop the peels up and add them to the soil for some extra potassium.

[@toad4ever103]

Wow! I would go crazy if I could get one to grow like that in my backyard. I'm in the PNW zone 8.

[@vibonitatropics]

You can do it! I'm in zone 8 near Seattle. Good sun, lots of water, and good fertilizer and you can get them this big or bigger.

[@toad4ever103]

@@vibonitatropics I'm in Vancouver WA. If you can do that in Seattle I should be able to do it down here, huh? Think I'll give it a try. Thanks for responding back.

[@vibonitatropics]

You should be able to get similar, if not better results than me.

[@ftzuoo]

@@vibonitatropics I am in Washougal WA, my banana is having flower buds after transplant it to here 3 years ago.

[@vibonitatropics]

@@ftzuoo Nice! It's a great milestone for those into growing bananas in colder environments.

[@vistaprime]

very nice. but why do you keep your pindo in a pot? You're in a zone 8, it would require minimal winter protection in that zone.

[@vibonitatropics]

My back yard is running out of places to put palms :D. I've also considered moving to a bigger property so haven't wanted to commit it to the ground yet.

[@FluffyTheGryphon]

Do you amend the soil with anything? I've got a Basjoo thats about two foot tall right now and it seems to be growing very slow. It's a year old at this point and it was started indoors last year, moved outside this spring.

[@vibonitatropics]

I use amzn.to/3PUHb1K and water every day. You'll want to water for your soil, but they are thirsty plants. The first year I had them in the ground, they only got a few feet tall. Second year they got about 8 feet and it wasn't until the third year that they got to their current height.

[@moniquehagansOnly]

Your trees are beautiful, I have a question, Do your trees give fruit? Or no?

[@vibonitatropics]

These bananas do fruit for me but they are not good tasting bananas. You can cook with the flower pod which I have done and it's pretty good, but alot of effort

[@EverydayKindaGuy]

Ignoring the pup spread, how far away from things would you say to plant them? For instance, how far away from the pool edge did you plant the main tubers?

[@vibonitatropics]

They're about 5 feet from the pool. I wouldn't risk putting them any closer myself, although you could probably get away with them a bit closer. I might push as close as 3 feet to something cheaper, but refinishing a pool is expensive! 🤣

[@Briliam94]

Thanks for your video. How much water do they need?

[@vibonitatropics]

More is generally better as long as they aren't sitting in it. I water mine every day in the summer on an automated drip.

[@cbs2794]

can this plant be pruned during the Summer months without damaging it? I have it for purely decorative purposes in front of my house, it's grown too big and I want to clean it a little

[@vibonitatropics]

Yes, you can cut off any leaves you don't want without issue.

[@danielwalker3319]

Awesome! Real bananas, not the fake seedless petri dish things they call bananas at grocery stores.

[@vibonitatropics]

I have a few varieties that produce good tasting bananas although the big ones are more ornamental. The bananas are not worth eating due to their size and the seeds in them.

[@danielwalker3319]

@@vibonitatropics I agree, not as meaty for sure, but wild bananas are a powerhouse of nutrition compared to the cross bred fake ones with no seeds. Bet my bottom dollar 1 of your tiny real bananas has more potassium than a whole bundle of the fake stuff from Walmart!

[@kellyzameroski712]

Hey I have babies I got online Im trying to keep inside until the frost ends, they arent doing well though. Do you have any inside growing tips?

[@vibonitatropics]

Try 4 to reply... seems to be bugged. I don't have good success keeping baby bananas alive indoors over winter. About 80% of them die on me. With mature plants indoors, I have no issues. Things I have done that anecdotally improve the success rates - provide less water, keep them very trimmed, and put them in a sunny window if you have one.

[@michaelabbott8431]

I'd like too see a video of the bananas that you grow.

[@vibonitatropics]

I expect a few of the musa basjoos to fruit later this year and will do a video on them then.

[@michaelabbott8431]

@@vibonitatropics looking forward too the content .

[@user-nji4d2k28a]

I have a the same banana plant you have. The new leaves randomly started becoming white to a very light green. Is it something I should be worried about? I’m in zone 6a.

[@vibonitatropics]

Are they getting sun? The only time I've seen them grow light green is over winter when they are in the dark.

[@user-nji4d2k28a]

@@vibonitatropics They get at least 6 hours of sun a day.

[@vibonitatropics]

Fertilizer and water schedule?

[@user-nji4d2k28a]

@@vibonitatropics I give them fertilizer from Miracle-Gro all purpose plant food once every week on saturday and I water them every once every 2 days for about an hour or two.

[@chfin7251]

Can we mulch the banana plant? Will mulch prevent the pups of the musa basjoo?

[@vibonitatropics]

You can mulch them, yes. Pups will push through any mulch in my experience.

[@PLNTGMING]

Grow edible bananas, Millennial Gardener has some videos on growing edible bananas in cold climate

[@vibonitatropics]

I have a few that I bought in the fall including a dwarf cavendish and a blue java, still small and in pots inside the house.

[@PLNTGMING]

@@vibonitatropics nice, the spring plant them in the ground, Great edibles

[@michaelabbott8431]

Did you eat the bananas from last year ?

[@vibonitatropics]

I opened some up but they were hollow. I have the video but never turned it into anything because I thought it would be lame... kinda like Geraldo Rivera opening AL Capone's vault.

[@gools7577]

what do you use for fertilizer on your bananas? Sorry if I missed it in the video

[@vibonitatropics]

I use banana fuel which can be bought from Amazon in the US - not sure of availability outside the US. vibonitatropics.com/banana-fertilizer

[@remi2649]

urine is great as well. pee on them. im not joking.

[@quitaulla1569]

Hello. Can I grow this plant in Michigan?

[@vibonitatropics]

You can, although you might need to take some extra precautions to keep them alive over winter. They might not get the same size either. Ultimately, you just have to keep the roots from freezing and they will grow back each year.

[@quitaulla1569]

@@vibonitatropics Thank you for writing back. ✌️

[@Deusvult633]

How old are they

[@vibonitatropics]

3 years old when this video was taken.

[@Deusvult633]

@@vibonitatropics thx and greetings from Germany

[@elainegrant2091]

WHERE CAN I BUY THE MUSA BASJOO COLD HARDY TREE

[@vibonitatropics]

Depends on your location. Amazon often has them. Local nurseries might carry them. Facebook marketplace. Some online nurseries also.

[@erlendsorli3235]

Where are you located?

[@vibonitatropics]

I am in Western Washington in the US, zone 8.

[@PureSwank]

I can tell you just by looking at them. You guys GET ZERO WIND.

[@vibonitatropics]

We get plenty of wind but I have bamboo, cedars, and large rhododendrons that mostly protect the spot the bananas are in.

[@TTPSURVIVOR]

I have 2 in the pot.....

[@vibonitatropics]

Nice!

[@zonzillamagnus5902]

I love mine but wind just wrecks them

[@vibonitatropics]

I get wind in spring and fall but summers are mostly wind free for me.

[@zonzillamagnus5902]

@@vibonitatropics Speaking of which, we just had a storm and all the leaves are broken lol

[@vibonitatropics]

At least they grow new leaves quickly. Mine are currently thrashed with their sad, shredded one leaf each.