How Do I Move My Banana Tree?

Q: My banana trees are really big. If I decide to try to bring them into the garage, would I need to dig the whole ball up with them or would it be possible to just pull them up without so many roots? 

A: Of course the best idea is to pot up some of the pups that are growing near your mother plant. But they are usually too small to have any chance of blooming the following year. I dug one similar to yours several years ago and was surprised how small the root system was. After shaking most of the dirt from the roots, I stuffed the bottom of the plant into a paper yard waste bag.. The stem and leaves stuck three or four feet out of the bag. Without all of the soil, I could carry it pretty easily to my basement. There, I dumped in a bag of moist potting soil, which covered most of the roots. Over winter, the leaves turned a yellowish green but were still on the stem in April. I kept it in a shady outdoor place for a week and then planted it in the sun. It was huge by the end of the summer but still did not bloom for me.