QuestionHi,I bought my house(in the NW) just before winter,the owners recommendation was to cut the banana palms back to a stump(approx. 6")before the freeze arrives. Now spring is just around the corner and the trees are all but'mush'and kind of hollow.
Was it wrong to cut back? Are they dead/gone? What should we do with a palm in freezing temperatures(ICE n'SNOW)? We plan on buying more if in fact they are dead.
AnswerHi James, first of all, Bananas are tropical by nature, and freezing temps will definitely to them in from the soil level up, the only thing you could do to attempt to maintain them through the winter is indeed cut them back, but then the reduced pseudostem (stump) needs to be covered completely with an insulation of some sort, ie. Mulch, Straw etc. This will protect the soil from freezing and thereby save the Corm (root system), from freezing. I believe your existing Bananas are dead, because the Corm froze. If you do choose to buy another, then plan ahead for next winter and be innovative in protecting that Corm through the winter, so that it sprouts in the Spring..Nick
