Q: I over wintered my banana tree with straw and plastic bags. I removed
them the other day and I am not sure it survived. The stalk is 4 ft
high. I removed all leaves before covering it this fall.
My question is do I cut the stalk back to at least 12 inches above ground because the top of the plant looks rotted to see if it rotted all the way
Will this harm the plant if it is alive? Where does the new
growth start from?
A: If the top is rotted, the plant is dead. Bananas only grow from the tip, but you may get some pups around the bottom of the stem after planting.