Penny-Cut off the stalks let em dry a bit and just put them in a box covered with newspapers...it works for me..I dig them whenever no rhyme or reason and they survive, they are hardy tubers...in a perfect world with perfect weather we can follow the rules but not in Buffalo lol.

Thanks Husky,
I have them in a box now. Hopefully I can get them to survive and not rot over the winter this year. It is easy to restart them from seed but it would be a lot easier if I can just replant the tubers in the spring.

Penny

Penny-I've stored mine dry for the past 15 years just in boxes with newspaper and haven't ever had a problem with rot, the first year i tried them in moist peat moss was when i dealt with rot. If it doesn't work out for you I have lots you just have to get em at the plant swap before Brenda lol, just love seeing that woman carting em off!

ROFLOL, I will have to remember to make an early grab next swap also, just a couple of my Cannas survived this year - and not a flower in sight. So far I have been growing them in pots, I wonder if they would be better off in the ground, and then dug and stored as Husky advises.

-Rosalinda

Thanks husky. So far so good but I have the box in a dark corner of the kitchen by the back door. I may have to find a cooler place for them before too long or I may have them sprouting right in the box LOL!

Rosalinda, They will grow and bloom really well in pots but they need tons of water. When I gorw them in pots I either put the pot in another container that will hold water and add water as the soak it up (sometimes twice a day) or I make sure the pots have big drain holes where the roots can go down into the soil to get extra moisture. They will get bigger and bloom better in the ground as long as they get plenty of moisture. A friend told me that when he grows them in pots he uses at least 50% compost in the pot. All of my cannas were seed grown this year and bloomed very well this summer.

Penny

I put mine in the largest pots I can find with empty water bottles in the bottom to use less soil, Im a pro-mix fan so that works for me,also lots easier to move and dig out in the fall, I seem to have better luck in pots than in the ground, think they get that early warmth in the pots and bloom quicker...i've ignored them as far as watering and they seem to do fine, this year I added some milorganite and they along with the brugsmansia seemed to thrive on that along with regular feedings of epsom salts and miraclegro. Penny, mine are stored in the crawl space in the basement that doesn't really get cold but they seem to do ok.

I like the water bottle idea. I have used packing peanuts but they are a mess when you lift the plants out of the pot. They are definitely easier to dig up in pots than in the ground. In ground those tubers get monstrous! I haven't tried milorganite myself but I have heard really good things about it from others. This year I added a lot of compost to the planting area and they did really well. I think I only had to water them a couple of times with all the rain we had this year.

Penny

Hey, I think you're teasing me!

I do same as Kathy, just dig, cut back, throw in a bushel basket and store in the cellar.

My problem is that usually the hard freeze comes early and I haven't got them out of the ground and they are goners. They really have no tolerance for any chilly temps.

This year I was good, I got them out of the ground early. Therefore our weather has been mild so I could have waited . . .

GG mine usuallyt don't get dug up in time either and they because in grounbd compost for the next year's plants. But occasionally like this year I did get them dug early.
Penny

Hi Gals: I've never dug my cannas! They grow next to my foundation facing West and the heat from the brick keeps them toasty along with their own stems, which were cut and left to dry on top of them for a blanket...never lost any to cold. (Lazy gardener I am.) I bet the South side would be even better. I also put in last year (same Westerly side) some dwarf ones who seemed to thrive this summer and I just dumped their seeds in the same location for more along with blanketing them with their stems. I missed seeing you gals at the exchanges this summer but plan for next, if hubby can stay healthy that is.

Ginny B.

Ginny
That is good to know. I know of some humgardeners in Jersey that don't dig theirs and they come back but they also have sandy loam soil too. I may just have to experiment with a couple for next year. My glads are on the west side of the house and they have never been dug up and just keep on producing year after year. Yep I just may have to try one or two in a protected area. My front bed which faces due south doesn't even completely freeze over the winter but I do need to ammend it more.

Penny