When to bring banana plants inside
Enter a German postcode. We show when banana plants should come inside: from the cold limit in expert sources and the night-time lows where you are.
Where are your pots?
Average for Germany
Bring in by
12 October
In 9 out of 10 years the first frost came later. On average it freezes from 27 October.
Based on past records, not a forecast · Data: Deutscher Wetterdienst (CC BY 4.0)
Data: Deutscher Wetterdienst, daily minimum temperatures 1991–2020, own calculation. Licence CC BY 4.0. Postcode coordinates: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).
How much cold can banana plants take?
Bring in before the first frost. (Bavarian Garden Academy)
German sources say “ornamental banana” without naming a species. For the hardier Musa basjoo the RHS gives H2.
Other sources say
- hardiness rating H2: 1 °C (34 °F) to 5 °C (41 °F), for plants in the ground in the UK (RHS)
- protect below 10 °C (50 °F), not explicitly bring in (North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture)
We use the most cautious figure from the expert sources.
Winter quarters
10–15 °C (50–59 °F) (Saxon Garden Academy)
Back outside
After the last frost. On average for Germany it is over by 19 April, in 9 out of 10 years by 6 May. (RHS)
Questions and answers
When should banana plants come inside?
Bavarian Garden Academy: bring in before the first frost. On average for Germany it gets that cold from 27 October, and not before 12 October in 9 out of 10 years.
How much cold can banana plants take?
Bavarian Garden Academy: bring in before the first frost. German sources say “ornamental banana” without naming a species. For the hardier Musa basjoo the RHS gives H2. Other sources say: North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture: protect below 10 °C (50 °F), not explicitly bring in.
How do you overwinter banana plants?
10–15 °C (50–59 °F) (Saxon Garden Academy).
When can banana plants go back outside?
After the last frost. On average for Germany it is over by 19 April, in 9 out of 10 years by 6 May.
More container plants
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Last frost date by postcodeAverage and safe date for German postcodesHardiness zone by postcodeHow cold it gets where you are, and what copesWinter vegetables and frost hardy plantsWhat stays in the bed over winter and copes with frostSources
Show 8 sources
- Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG), Gartencast: Wann müssen Kübelpflanzen ins Winterquartier?
- RHS Find a plant: Musa basjoo (H2)
- Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein-Westfalen, Gartentipp: Wie werden Kübelpflanzen am besten überwintert? (20.12.2003)
- Sächsische Gartenakademie (LfULG), Beate Kollatz: Gartentipp Kübelpflanzen richtig überwintern (Oktober 2020)
- RHS: Banana growing guide
- Deutscher Wetterdienst, Climate Data Center: Tageswerte (Klima) der Stationen, historisch
- Deutscher Wetterdienst: Vorgaben für die Gestaltung des DWD-Quellenvermerks
- GeoNames: Postal Code Dataset (DE.zip)
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