It's good to have info from someon nearby because googling gets results like this "The plant itself is fast growing, but the seeds require a long frost-free season in order to mature."

Crittergarden, If I get viable seeds I will send you some, I usually do get some. Not sure what variety mine are the new leaves are red and as they mature the leaves become green with red veins. Very striking plants, but they are "Highly Poisonous" so many people do not want them. Pics of them are at the bottom of this post.

Teresa, This past spring I tried to dig up one corner of my Grove. I had several people that had asked for pups and I wanted to spread them out a bit more as they were growing so very close together. Till it was all said and done I only got 2 small pups out of the clump and I'm not sure that I got enough root with either of them. The clump is so deep and so tight that it would be very difficult to get any of them loose even those on the outside edge. I may make another attempt next Spring if I can get one of the boys to come and dig for me. I guess if I hadn't been so worried about damaging the other plants and more ruthless, but I am hosting a Garden Club picnic this year and didn't want to damage any of the Bananas. Next year I won't be doing any tours, picnics or swaps so I won't be so worried about it.

The pad on my basjoo clump grew to about 4 feet around so I did some transplanting and gifting last year. Of the 3 pups I transplanted in May all did fine. I saw a video (will try to find it) of transplanting at a commercial plantation. They used a pry bar, the kind you break up concrete with, jammed it into the pad, pried the pups loose and pulled them out. Most had a few roots. I did the same with a narrow spade. Planted deep, at least a foot, they all survived their first winter, well mulched. Of the three I gave to friends, in July, only one survived the winter with mulch. We planted two more this Spring so hopefully they'll make it.

One thing I've noticed is the largest crowns often don't make it over-winter.

Here's a similar video. Transplanting starts at minute ~6:50.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

I have seen that before, I know they are pretty ruthless I just didn't want to do that in a year where my gardens were going to be on show.

Any thoughts of overwintering a basjoo in zone 7 that is growing in a container...
How big a container..wrapping ......Christmas lights underneath wrapping on a thermostat, pipe heat tape around a pipe next it it wrapped ? Tenting ?

You have a sort of "not exactly but sort of" greenhouse up on the roof, right?
I am NOT the one who knows if it will work, I'm just going to watch for the answer.
What IS Brooklyn's zone, anyway?

GordonHawk said:Any thoughts of overwintering a basjoo in zone 7 that is growing in a container...
How big a container..wrapping ......Christmas lights underneath wrapping on a thermostat, pipe heat tape around a pipe next it it wrapped ? Tenting ?

You could try any of those, they may work, and do work to help keep the pstem alive for plants in the ground.
If it were me, I'd cut it off and bring it in, keep it dry until it warms up.

Will it ever be planted in the ground?

He gardens on a rooftop in Brooklyn, BLESS HIM!

crittergarden said:He gardens on a rooftop in Brooklyn, BLESS HIM!

That's what I thought, just wasn't sure...
I'd just bring it in, but I'm sure it very possible to keep basjoo out all winter up there, just not sure it would be worth the trouble.

I'm just waiting for the day its mandatory for new construction to have green roofs!

Swayback said:I'm just waiting for the day its mandatory for new construction to have green roofs!

You and me both!!!

Yes...they say we are in 7 b here in Brooklyn...but that's the usda..who only look at low temperatures to come to that... We all know there are complicating conditions that trump low's...I always say I'm in zone 3 - 14. Everything freezes solid in a container...no relief from parts of the plant that are deep...below the freeze depth ...every part outside is solid cold... To the summer...when exposed roofing gets to be 165*F on a 90* F hot day... The winds blowing off the 165* roof...and hitting the plants...wind sucking the water from the plants and out of the soil...got to be like zone 14...Death Valley is only record at about 145* F..
I do build a cool room on the roof to overwinter my tropicals...I used to have a cavandish..and a few dwarfed Thai tissue cultured bananas... But they shrewd their leaves more than they or I enjoy on the roof top...the question was for a friend that recently was gifted this one..for her roof....I gave her all the answers I mentioned..yes I'd bring it in too... I do make a cool room...a 10 x 10 ft house...up on the roof out of 2" foam I keep them awake and a bit warm..so they wake up quickly...
Yes I'm all in favor of green roofs...green walls and decks...
Back in. 1969...I was the art director for Norman Mailerssrun for mayor...we wrote out all manner of green roof development for the city... Being an Ecco artist of the time then... ( moss clothing...verticle growing pieces...computer with plant art among others ) it was nice to get it some backing from Norman...and present it as the platform..

GordonHawk said:
Back in. 1969...I was the art director for Norman Mailerssrun for mayor...we wrote out all manner of green roof development for the city... Being an Ecco artist of the time then... ( moss clothing...verticle growing pieces...computer with plant art among others ) it was nice to get it some backing from Norman...and present it as the platform..

That's very cool, Gordon.
1969.
You were early in the Green thing.

I date my beginning to the Carter administration.

Yes..i had a green roof on my inside closet back then...the only enclosed area in the What was to become a SoHo loft was the closet...up on top of the closet the bed hung down from the joists on chains...just above the roof of the closet...which was fiberglassed and had grass planted.all around the bed....growing with fluorescents in between the joists.. That was my first green roof.. Cia 1969...
My next banana will be AE AE, As soon as I get further south and study the cultivation a bit more... Maybe the Monrovia nursery dwarf variegated would help ease that desire..

GordonHawk said:Yes..i had a green roof on my inside closet back then...the only enclosed area in the What was to become a SoHo loft was the closet...up on top of the closet the bed hung down from the joists on chains...just above the roof of the closet...which was fiberglassed and had grass planted.all around the bed....growing with fluorescents in between the joists.. That was my first green roof..

BRAVO!

Nice!

I'd definitely put off shelling out the big bucks for any variegated banana until you have a hospitable environment for them... They're all touchy little devils...some of them look killer though!
I really have an eye for some of the less common ones that are coming out of tropical Asia... $400 plus shipping, plus that long trip, plus the risk at customs... No way!

Anyone have a pup from the hardy banana to trade? I have also posted on the Plant trading forum for Tropicana canna and no hits yet If so plz send me a Tmail.

Apparently they are terrible to dig.

I don't think I am going to try digging any up this year.

It's too late to plant basjoo around here Teresa, so if you do find one this year, you'll have to deal with it until April or risk it free in if you get one now... And... Yes, until you tackle one, you can't imagine how much work digging them is, on top of that, they don't always survive the dig when you baby them...