Gunnera - winter care?

I picked-up a gunnera rhizome(?) at a sale for 99 cents in late June. I planted it in 3 gallon pot. It tool a LONG time to sent up any growth. The plant produced the leaves, the largest was about 4 inches across. Since I am in zone 6, I know that it can't survive outside. My only windows for this plant are north or east facing. Can I keep this in the pot and let it go dormant in my basement or should I remove the rhizome from the pot and store it like I do my cannas and dahlias?

Reply to
Vox Humana
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I would leave it in the pot or probably better yet would be to put it into a bigger pot and store it in your unheated basement.

Reply to
Travis

I will leave it in the pot. The utility area of my basement stays about

60F, which hasn't proven a problems for storing my mandevilla, brugmansia, or bananas.

Any thoughts about why it didn't grow very large? The rhizome was about the size of my fist or a largish potato.

Reply to
Vox Humana

The message from "Vox Humana" contains these words:

It's a mere baby. They take a few years, rapidly expanding the root size, before they can start producing those giant leaves. Fully grown ones here have huge roots about the size of my desk, each individual leaf is at least 6ft across. A single mature plant takes up about as much space as a pickup truck..

I hope you have a big basement... :-)

Janet. (Scotland)

Reply to
Janet Baraclough

Oh no! Maybe I can find a sheltered place outside where I can baby it. I understand it is hardy to zone 7 and I am in zone 6b.

Reply to
Vox Humana

If your basement is 60F that may be too warm for it to go dormant. It probably stayed small because it was restricted by the size of the pot, not enough water and/or nutrients, and the short length of your summer.

This summer was only my second year growing Gunnera so I don't know all that much about them.

Reply to
Travis

Last week I built a hardware cloth cage lined with landscape fabric and filled with sawdust over mine to protect it from the cold.

Reply to
Travis

Any thoughts about why it didn't grow very large? The rhizome was about the size of my fist or a largish potato.

It's a mere baby. They take a few years, rapidly expanding the root size, before they can start producing those giant leaves. Fully grown ones here have huge roots about the size of my desk, each individual leaf is at least 6ft across. A single mature plant takes up about as much space as a pickup truck..

I hope you have a big basement... :-)

Oh no! Maybe I can find a sheltered place outside where I can baby it. I understand it is hardy to zone 7 and I am in zone 6b.

Last week I built a hardware cloth cage lined with landscape fabric and filled with sawdust over mine to protect it from the cold.

Reply to
sockiescat

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