"Druss" wrote in message
...
"Phil Long" wrote in message
...
My daughter sowed some banana seeds about 12 months ago. One seed
germinated and is now 6ft tall and visibly growing in our conservatory
by
the day! The conservatory roof is 12ft max.
How high do they grow (gulp)

Do they survive outside? - We live in Leicestershire

If they have to stay indoors can they be "pruned " and if so will they
grow
again (as was claimed at the NEC Gardeners World Exhibition)?


Well I have a Musa Basjoo, in a pot about 18" across, and it's currently
standing about 12-14 foot tall, churning out one leaf a week, at about 6-7
foot long each. However, if well fed and watered you can cut the plant
right
across the main trunk and it should re-sprout with little difficulty. This
is the recommended treatment if the plant should get hit by frost early in
the year. It should start sending up new leaves from the middle of the
trunk
within hours of it being cut so you'll soon know if all went well.
Duncan


I left mine totally unprotected last winter (London SW19), intending to let
it regrow from the roots. We were hit by some very hard and sustained
frosts, but it grew away as normal from the top as soon as the warm weather
started again. The outer old leaves were clearly badly damaged and I now
have an outer dry husky plant rather than smooth and shiny so I don't know
how well it would survive another winter without protection.

pk