There are really a few main types of banana plants that most people grow in the UK and they require slightly different approaches to over wintering them, but hopefully we have covered enough here to get you on the right path for winter success!
Overwintering banana plants in the UK – How to
Regardless of which type of banana you’re growing in the UK, cold winds, temperatures and frost will always damage your banana plants, which is why they need special care during the winter season. It’s not quite as much hassle as it looks to your neighbours, and it’s a small price to pay to keep them happy.
ROOT HARDY: banana plants like Musa Basjoo or Musa sikkenmensis. These are root hardy only. WRAP if you can. If you leave them unprotected through the winter and they will usually survive (most of the time through a normal winter) and grow from root again. No wrap = won’t grow as tall as the year before.
SEMI-TENDER: Ensete‘s and semi-tender banana plants: DIG UP – These MUST come out of the ground during winter, and stored +5c in the dry.
TENDER: tropical bananas: INDOORS – Must come inside / heated poly tunnel at 10c+
Why should I wrap banana plants like Musa Basjoo through the UK winter?
To keep them as tall as possible! Musa Basjoo is ‘root hardy’ only, which means that if you just let it do it’s own thing and not bother wrapping it, the winter cold and ice will explode soft psuedostem of the basjoo and turn it to mush. However, it will just melt down to the ground, but when established will quickly grow from the root again next year. It won’t retain the height it had before though, which is the number one reason why we wrap basjoo.
Wrapping Musa Basjoo to protect over winter in the UK
Image 1. Cut, make mesh frame, straw fill.
Having cut the leaves back to the top of the pseudostem, I have made a loop of old fencing mesh / chicken wire and backfilled with dry straw.
Image 2. Wrap in fleece, and cap with plastic
Once filled with straw, I’ve then wrapped in horticultural fleece, and then capped the top in whatever old plastic sheeting I could find in the garage from last year, which is why it looks scrappy!
Image 3. Unwrap in April again!
This was taken 1 week after unwrapping them the following year, I think some time in April.
When to unwrap banana plants UK
There is no advantage getting your Musa Basjoo unwrapped when there is still a chance of extended frost. A sporadic light frost is ok, but nothing more. Although I plant all tender tropical plants out in the third week of May, usually I unwrap banana plants some time in April. You’ll find many people will unwrap them earlier, but in my opinion it doesn’t result in having bigger plants by the end of the year, but it does increase the chances of a set back due to a cold snap.
Unwrapping Musa Basjoo in my UK garden
Image Gallery: Wrapping Musa Basjoo Banana Plants
Fundamentals of wrapping Musa basjoo
Wrapping the Musa Basjoo each year is something I can’t say I look forward to, but always happy I did come the spring time. It’s easy in the first few years when they are relatively small, but it gets progressively harder as they get taller. You have a few years to get the technique though, so it’s easy enough (especially if you have a second pair of hands later on)
I have about 4 or 5 clumps of Basjoo to wrap each year, and the rest I usually dig up the sub 1.5m plants) and stick in the poly tunnel where I know it will be frost free.
Just be aware that sometimes, no matter how hard you try, some stems may turn to mush or just won’t make it, but in my own experience this is pretty rare with well wrapped basjoos!
Basically you just need to make sure it’s all tucked up in straw, wrapped with fleece and capped at the top. Please don’t wrap in plastic all the way down as the most important thing here is allowing air flow. Without airflow your lovely stems will turn to mush.
1. Cutting the leaves back and preparing the stems
Cutting the leaves back. First of all I take my old trusty kitchen knife and lop off the leaves to just above where they split from the main stem. You can also just break them and fold them down, as this saves on needing quite so much straw. I usually hack most off and leave just couple hanging down. Makes no real difference to be honest.
2. Creating the wire frame around the stems.
I just use fencing mesh, or chicken wire / mesh, but any kind of mesh will work here. I just use the metal mesh as it holds it’s shape and I can just reuse it each year. I space the mesh about 15-30cm away from the stems and back fill with dry straw. You really don’t want to pack it in, the idea is that you can still have some airflow in there but still keep it warm. The enemy here is moisture and rot.
3. Backfill with straw
Once filled with straw, at some point you’ll need to address the issue of the top. Ideally your wireframe goes another 30cm or so over the top of the largest stem, so just make sure it’s fully covered and move on.
4. Wrap with horticultural fleece
I tie off the bottom directly to the chicken wire, and then start wrapping from the bottom up, usually a couple of layers if I have enough. Keep wrapping to the top and then loop over the top and around until everywhere is covered. I usually just use a bit of tape to secure it, or use some large crocodile clips to keep it together before the cap goes on.
5. Cap the top with plastic
I use an old bit of plastic sheeting, or a couple of bin bags or whatever you have. I usually cover about 1/4 or 1/3 of the height, which allows to protect from direct water ingress through the top, and also to protect it from standing snow later on in the winter. Ideally use something thicker than a bin bag, there’s loads of plastic on eBay or amazon if you’re struggling finding any locally. When you cap the top just think about how the plastic is fluted, as you don’t want the water to run straight inside the straw. Make sure all fluted plastic point away, or over each other. You’ll know what I mean when you start. It’s a bit of a puzzle sometimes, but if in any doubt tape it up.
6. Tape it all up together
I use a decent brand of fabric / duck tape and loop around to secure. Around the top, over the top and down the sides to also hold the plastic to the fleece itself. There are so many ways of doing it and I’ll sure you’ll work it I out. Once all taped up you’re done.
Want to know more about How To Care For Banana Plants? Have a look here
You might like these 5 Tropical winter hardy everygreen plants for UK gardens
Wrapping Banana Plants in my UK garden
How to over winter Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’, the Red Abyssinian banana
This is slightly different to the Musa basjoo, in that you need to actually store it somewhere warmer.
Image Gallery: Winterising Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii, the Red Abyssinian banana
You’ll need some fleece for the Musa Basjoo’s
FAQ – Over wintering banana plants in the UK
For banana plants such as Musa Basjoo, wrap them late in October just before the first frosts, and then unwrap April/May when Spring comes.
Yes, the banana plant Musa basjoo can survive the winter with proper care such as wrapping in straw, fleece and then a protective cap of plastic. If you don’t do this, they will just grow back from the ground, as the roots are hardy. If you want to keep the height each year you need to wrap them up nice and warm
READ MORE: 5 Tropical winter hardy everygreen plants for UK gardens
Types of banana plants grown in the UK
Other types of banana trees or banana plants to grow and buy in the UK are of course the Musa Basjoo, Ensete ventricosum ‘Maurelii’ – Red Abyssinian Ethiopian banana, Musa lasiocarpa, Musa Sikkimensis and Musa Acuminata Dwarf Cavendish.
