Canna germinate in the wild the same way they do in the garden.

Seeds, I have become amazed to realize, sense their environment and will remain dormant if things are not conducive to the young seedling's survival after germination. But then, the seed is alive, just sleeping; so why shouldn't it be responsive to stimuli?

It's more than just a matter of soaking the seed coat and getting water to the seed so that it germinates.

Different plant seeds require different stimuli, the holy grail of which is 'temperature'. Most often, the target temp is about 75F/24C degrees. Very high temperatures are not conducive to germination and in some cases will kill the seed embryo. Very low temperatures will keep the seeds dormant. But there are exceptions. Some plants won't germinate, except at temps as low as 40F/5C to 50F/10C. And then there are seeds that need to experience more complicated stimuli, temperature phases, a period of cold followed by warmer temps. The depth that a seed is planted in the soil, the acidity of the soil and type of soil often won't stop germination, but may cause the young seedling to die soon after sprouting. Next to last, there are seeds that won't germinate with direct sunlight on the soil and others that absolutely must have sunlight. And last, we wait on TIME. Seeds require time to germinate. The embryo's response to stimuli is often not an overnight affair. Some seeds may lie dormant for years, stubbornly refusing to sprout, even though conditions are favorable. Alternatively, some seeds must be planted right away or the embryos will die. Packaged seeds do have a shelf life and yes, you can spend money on seed that are already dead.

Canna are extremely hardy and Canna seed will germinate even after being exposed to high temperatures once the temperature falls again to a more favorable range. The biggest factor you have with Canna seed is time. They do take a while to germinate, but will germinate easily. The success rate with Canna is comparable to Date Palm seed which has an extremely high success rate and seem to have a good shelf life. There is one recent historical case of a Date Palm seed germinating in the Middle East that having been found with archeological artifacts, was planted and actually brought back to existance the Judean Date Palm, a previously extinct variety of Date Palm ( Phoenix Dactylifera ). You can find that story on the web. The Wickipedia link is below ...

I don't think you will have any problems germinating Canna. You've just got to keep the soil moist and wait for the Canna to do the rest. It's a good seed for the newbie to try.

Here is a link that might be useful: Judean Date Palm.

Thank you soo much for the information this is very helpful. I like it!

pomme8916

I don't know how, but I get new canna growing in the grass every year. The new plants will be anywhere from 3-6 feet from the original bed. It has to be from seed.