wrote in message
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Hello,

I read that the roots of bananas need to be kept above 16C in winter.
Mine are in the greenhouse but although I have a fan heater, I use
that to keep it above freezing, not at a balmy 16C.

Is this figure of 16C correct? Perhaps a conservatory is better than a
greenhouse; I guess people keep the conservatory warmer. However, that
doesn't help me: I don't have a conservatory (yet)!

Has anyone thought of using soil warming cables to keep the soil that
warm? What temperatures do they reach and how expensive are they to
run? They must be cheaper than a fan heater.

Thanks.

Which Cavendish is it? I believe there are three , super dwarf, dwarf and
the large one. All three are fairly tender and will get cut back by even a
mild frost, however, they may resprout from the root.
I am not certain where the 16C for roots comes from. Certainly if you want
to keep the leaves on a banana during winter you will need to wrap it up
outside and try your luck. The roots (rhizome) will survive even hard
frosts.
In a frost free greenhouse you should stand a chance of the plant resuming
growth from the main stem in spring.
I grow several Musa from seed ( not Cavendish) just for the foliage and I
tend to treat them as an annual. If I can get them germinated about now then
I can end up with a 4/5 foot plant by the end of the season in West
Yorkshire.
See this link for a good read
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html