Overwintering Ensete Ventricosum
Overwintering of
Ensete
Ventricosum is possible if you have a frost-free greenhouse at your
disposal.
The process involves removing the majority of leaves.
Digging the plants out of the ground and transferring them to
pots for the winter. Do not leave this process until the
night
before the first frost. It is beneficial if your Ensete has a
couple of weeks to establish itself in its new home before things turn
nasty.
Step 1. Select your plant.
An unsuspecting Ensete Ventricosum
Step 2.
Remove all but two
leaves. Do not pull the leaves off, cut them cleanly with a
sharp
knife, the leaf bases make up the stem of the plant.
Cut
the removed leaves up into smaller pieces before adding them to your
compost heap
Leaf removal from an Ensete Ventricosum
Leaf removal from an Ensete Ventricosum
Step 3. The
next thing to do
when overwintering Ensete Ventricosum is to dig it up. One
positive aspect of this task is that you do not have to worry
about damaging any roots. When transplanting a conventional
plant,
every effort is made to keep the root ball in tact. You need
not
concern yourself with such things. Because of this fact,
digging
up your
plant is relatively easy. Use a spade. I prefer
what is
known in Britain as a border spade. The small size of the
blade
transmits power more effectively than a big heavy spade.
Slice
down vertically through the soil all the way around the stem about 6
inches out from the base.
Step 4. Using your spade, lever the plants out of the ground, slicing through any deep roots under the plant (It is a good idea to get into the habit of keeping receipts when buying spades, I am forever snapping the handle or blade of the spade.) A word of caution. Where the leaves join the stem, there is a tendency for rain water to collect. When lifting the plant there is a good chance that you will get wet. Don't wear your best clothes for this job. Also if you feel that the job is too much for one person, get some help. The stems can be quite heavy, particularly if there has been a lot of rain recently.
A confused ensete
Step 4. Using your spade, lever the plants out of the ground, slicing through any deep roots under the plant (It is a good idea to get into the habit of keeping receipts when buying spades, I am forever snapping the handle or blade of the spade.) A word of caution. Where the leaves join the stem, there is a tendency for rain water to collect. When lifting the plant there is a good chance that you will get wet. Don't wear your best clothes for this job. Also if you feel that the job is too much for one person, get some help. The stems can be quite heavy, particularly if there has been a lot of rain recently.
A confused ensete
Step 5.
Whilst your plant is
lying, bewildered on the grass, you need to prepare it a pot to live
in. Prepare the pot in the greenhouse. There is no
sense in
carrying plant, pot and compost all together when it can be
done
separately. I use a peat free multi-purpose for this purpose.
Large plastic pots are the best option as in the spring you
will
need to manhandle the pots back in to the garden. The lighter
the
pots the better.
Large plastic pots are also quite expensive for what they are. As you go about your daily life, keep an eye out for anybody having their garden overhauled. Often they will be planting new trees or whatever and will be discarding the large pots. If they catch you rummaging about in their rubbish skip, claim you are trying to save the planet .
Ensete roots
Large plastic pots are also quite expensive for what they are. As you go about your daily life, keep an eye out for anybody having their garden overhauled. Often they will be planting new trees or whatever and will be discarding the large pots. If they catch you rummaging about in their rubbish skip, claim you are trying to save the planet .
Ensete roots
This image shows how
new roots
have begun to grow from the base. A wet autumn stimulated the
plant to put out new roots where they are needed. It is these
new
roots that will grow and sustain the plant during winter.
Step 6. Pop your plants into the greenhouse.
Winter storage of Ensete
Step 6. Pop your plants into the greenhouse.
Winter storage of Ensete
When potting up your
plants, do
not over fill the pots with compost. As the new roots form,
they
have the tendency to
push the plant up ,filling the pot from below. If
you over
fill the pots and the compost level rises over the rim of the pot,
watering becomes awkward.
Finally in the process of overwintering Ensete Ventricosum:
I keep the greenhouse at a minimum temperature of 3º Celsius during the winter. Keep the compost on the dry side but not totally dry. One gadget you will find useful is a moisture meter. This is an inexpensive, battery free way of taking the guess work out of watering during winter. You simply push the probe into the compost and a needle instantly indicates the level of moisture present.
Moisture meter and probe
As winter turns to spring, your overwintering Ensete Ventricosum will
begin
to stir. Depending on the height of your greenhouse, you will
need to trim the tops of the leaves as they emerge.
The plants featured above were germinated from seed. They spent their first season in pots and were then let loose into the garden for their second growing season.
To find out what happens next visit Planting Ensete Ventricosum
Finally in the process of overwintering Ensete Ventricosum:
I keep the greenhouse at a minimum temperature of 3º Celsius during the winter. Keep the compost on the dry side but not totally dry. One gadget you will find useful is a moisture meter. This is an inexpensive, battery free way of taking the guess work out of watering during winter. You simply push the probe into the compost and a needle instantly indicates the level of moisture present.
Moisture meter and probe
Your plants may be
subject to
minor infestation of aphids. This is never on the
scale that
canna and other plants may suffer. They can easily be
controlled
with a soft 2 inch paint brush.
The plants featured above were germinated from seed. They spent their first season in pots and were then let loose into the garden for their second growing season.
To find out what happens next visit Planting Ensete Ventricosum