Is it time to start cannas indoors?

16 years ago

Hi everyone,

Every Spring, in the garage where my cannas are stored over the winter, I think about the method to prestart the tubers. Last year I used gallon baggies with a little soil over them and it was ok. Can you give me your method to start them and what date is best to do so?

Vicki

Featured Answer

arctictropical

16 years ago

Vicki, I live in zone 4 and plant all of my cannas outside in May. They do well without starting them indoors if you grow them in raised beds with good organic soil. The raised beds give them warmer soil than level ground, which speeds their growth. Mine start blooming in July and continue until a hard frost which in my area is sometime in late September, most years.

Comments (7)

nightrider767
16 years ago
I don't have any inovative methods. I mean, on my end, I'd mix some nice soil up into pots and dump the canna in.

I just wanted to touch on something you may already know. From what I've seen, the canna rhyzome are looking for some warm temperature to sprout. I see that going on in my yard right now. We had a warm spell and they started to grow, but now it's cooled down and they've stopped.

I don't know what the magic number is for temperature. But if your garage is in the 50's they might not do much at all, and it might put a damper on your early start.

If I was in your shoes I'd find a nice cozy warm place for them.

EIther way good luck!
xerophyte NYC
16 years ago
I take cardboard boxes, open up one of the larger ends, line with a black plastic bag.

then i place a 2-3 inch thick layer of wood shavings/ mulch. you can use potting soil or anything else. the tubers lay on top, close to each other but not touching.

top the whole thing off with mulch or soil and place the box somewhere warm, indoors at room temp. is fine.

in 2-3 weeks, shoots have started. let them grow about another 3-4 weeks somewhere bright. water every few days, but not much - remember, there are no drainage holes (not as messy that way)

I then put them outside somewhere sheltered for 10-14 days to acclimate, and when ready to plant i take them out of the boxes and plant as usual.

here in zone 7, they flower by June with a head start and don't stop until the fall.
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greylady_gardener
16 years ago
I am in SW Ontario--Z-6--is it time to bring them up and start them now? I think we won't be able to have them outside until at least the end of May, so wondered how long they take to get a good size before they are too big for inside.
gg
glaswegian
16 years ago
Greylady...yes start them now. I started a couple of "cleopatra" at the end of last month, and they are already a ft tall in 10" pots.

End of May is when mine will go out also, so you might want to start now in order to get some height on them.
greylady_gardener
16 years ago
thanks....I only have three that I left in their pots over the winter, so will get them upstairs and start watering. One of them has insisted on growing anyway...it has sent up shoots a couple of times over the winter even though it has had no water and very little light.
gg
dlpasti
16 years ago
Got some of mine potted up last week---zone 4, of the 11 planted, 4 are about 2 inches tall already. Great idea xerophyte---most of what I have left have already started in the tubs I stored them in---just need to take the lids off and go with that.