Care for an outdoor banana tree in winter?

Plant delights nursery is located in NC; they suggest building a wire cage around it and filling the cage with leaves. This will protect the stem, which will speed leaf growth in spring and might make it possible to get fruit.

They do mention that the soil needs to stay a bit dry in winter; pine needles might be better than leaves for drainage.

If you have a brick house, the soil near the south side of house is one full USDA zone warmer than the rest of the yard.

I am also in NW Florida and grow banana plants. I build a mini greenhouse over mine using PVC pipe and plastic sheeting. These are easily constructed and can be filled with leaves if additional insulation is needed, but I have not had to so yet. In the spring I remove the plastic and leave the PVC in place for the next winter. The framework can be made to fit each plant or to cover an entire group and can be made as tall as needed.

Good luck and enjoy!

In zone 6 I recommend following the advice of herbarium; bring it inside if possible. If you cannot bring it inside you should build a mini-greenhouse around it. This can be accomplished using PVC pipes and 6 mil plastic sheeting, augmented by using a heavy mulching of leaves, hay, etc. inside the greenhouse. Build it at least 2 feet wider than the plant (after removing the lower leaves) and 1 foot taller than the plant. This requires a lot of leaves/hay to fill, but it will keep the roots from freezing. Another method that I use (in my larger greenhouse) is to house rabbits in there for the winter. They produce warmth that will keep the greenhouse fairly warm, at least in my area. You can use more rabbits if you need to, but 4 rabbits keep mine warm enough in N.W. Florida. The rabbits also produce an excellent fertilizer as a bonus, and you can butcher them for food if you like; I butcher some every year. Good luck and enjoy!

My parents are in Louisiana and have had bannanas for 40 years. They just let them freeze in the winter. They will turn brown, die, and in the spring, they cut the trunks back until the green core is exposed. After they flower, often the trunk that makes bannanas will not come back after the freeze. But new ones come up to take the place of the old ones. When you cut them back in the spring do not get the juice on yourself. Not only does it stain, but if you get it on your skin, it itches really bad.

bananas fall of after three rows come on keep bluming and fall off

I use to throw a sheet over them

everyone in the room im in daid that is going to be inpossible i say it is inpossible to sorry