Hi all,

For the last two years I have cut my banana plants and wrapped them in a wire mesh packed with hay for the winter. However, they are now getting too tall for this and wonder if there is an alternative method.

Ive seen people cover palms with some sort of sacking/bag type thing. Do garden centres sell these? Do they have a name so I can see if ebay sells them?

If I cover the top with some sort of sacking do I have to protect the base of banana plants? In previous years I have cut off below the branches and packed it with hay from root to top.

What about bubble wrap, would that work. Would I need to just wrap from root to top after taking off the leaves. How many layers are enough to protect the plant?

Any help and advise appreciated.

Thanks

According to this site (http://jilesbrosnursery.com/_wsn/page16.html), you actually cut them right down, so height isn't an issue.

I wouldn't have thought bubble wrap would be a good idea, because water could get trapped in it and rot the plant. I think the stuff you're referring to is horticultural fleece. You can buy it in sheets or some places do it as a bag to put over the plant. I've even seen it in Poundland!

You can use it for several seasons, if you're careful with it, so it doesn't work out too expensive.

I'm sure Gardener's world surrounded theirs with lots of straw and then tied it securely ...I bet you'd be able to find it if you google it.

here you go: http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/protect-plants-for-winter/

Did anyone see this?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7713900.stm
What a cool pot plant!

B&Q sell rolls of horticultural fleece for about a fiver. I just did my Musa sikkimensis up and put it in a tub in the shed though. That way, it stays dry and relatively warm and actually grows through the wintwer, until planting out time in May.