chopping down and digging up Ensete ventricosum 'Maurellii'

[tropicman]

This is the 3rd summer,starting out with a 1 ft tall pup.
It reached close to 20ft to the top of it's leaves,the diameter of the trunk is 14inches,just measured a leaf,2 inches under 10ft,and it's laying on a 8x10 tarp,and is way to heavy for me to lift,full of water I might add,as I was chopping off the leaves water was running like a faucet!!!LOL
Now my question,I would love to see this bloom,but my greenhouse is not tall enough,but I could pot it up,if I can lift it somehow,or cut the corm in quarters and try for new plants,and has anybody done this?
[/img]<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LM ... JGCw"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/dbrya1/SPjCP90-zEI ... C-007S.JPG" /></a>

[Barrie]

That's a behemoth! Too heavy for me to dig & move around with my bad back. I leave mine in ground and box it in during the worst weather.
Don't atempt to cut it into quarters.

Cheers, Barrie.

[lucky1]

Don, that's huge! bet it's a 200 pounder!

Since your ceilings are like mine...too low, would you consider planting it again up against the house (under an eave) and boxing it in like Barrie suggested?

That way you could nail a tarp to the fascia to form a tent shape around it inside a constructed box?
You could keep it warm with Christmas lights?

Or could a friend/business with tall ceilings overwinter it for you in a pot?

Let us know what you decide on.
It's a beauty.
Barb

[hardyjim]

You can cut it as low as you need to fit it into wherever,even if you could save a few feet of trunk it wouldn't make that much difference once it gets going next spring-

[ronbruce]

What an amazing plant. Good luck.

I overwintered one in my cool basement but it was a wee small plant compared to yours.

[Knnn]

Don, It's time to break out the chain hoist
Incredible job you have done with those!

Steve