hey y'all. my first time in the Canna forum. a fella plowed up his cannas (used bucket to pile em) about five days ago. Said come get 'em. My pickup is full. I need to know what to do to dry store these BEFORE the first frost.
we're about a week, maybe two, before frost. It's been a chillier than normal fall. Their foliage is shreaded, stalks broken. My cannas here have started to die back, probably take another week or two. But there's no saving this foliage, and I'm worried because everyone here says wait until after frost dieback.
can they be saved? (or did I just pick up a load of junk for the composter?) there's no room to replant them, must dry store them.
do I lay these outside to finish dying back with next week's frost?
If I cut it off, do I leave a little of the stalk on to die back naturally?
can they stay outside to dry?
will the frost harm the exposed roots and rhizomes?
They were treated so badly, piled like compost, am wondering should I treat the cut ends with sulfur or Comet, like I would irises.
recommendations anyone?
These didn't wait for the first frost. Still OK?
In your climate, you should be able to plant as many in ground now as you want.
For in ground, cut back the stalk to a few inches above the soil level.
With decreased light and cooler temps, they will not continue to grow vigorously above ground, but they will establish for spring.
If any of the rhizomes have frosted, that tissue will turn black and shrivel.
If they are firm, solid, and good sprouts intact, they are fine.
If you want to store some, also, you can trim the foliage from the rhizome and let dry a little.
If you say how/where/temps you will store them, I will help with that.
Abutilon, can you answer a few questions for me? you say put them back in the soil - is there any alternative?
any way to just drystore now?
can the rhizomes that have already been separated from any foliage (just the "bones") be stored?
how can I tell if the "bones" have a viable part, what is it, an eye?
sorry - I know irises, not canna!
I should have been more specific. Most have either been cut down 1-2" close to the rhizome, or have a broken stalk 1' above the soil level. I also gathered up loose rhizomes, as that was all I was expecting to overwinter. Some have growing tips showing, some don't. I didn't take any that didn't show some evidence of a "bone."
They spent a cold night last night exposed in the bed of my pickup truck. it didn't frost, but it got around 45 degrees, maybe lower with the windchill.
If I planted these butt to butt, I still won't have enough room. I'd planned to pot them all next spring when there was time, for a charity sale. NO TIME NOW. I'm stressing and working every spare minute to get valuable irises in the soil.
Hey bon ... just saw this thread and while the circumstances are a little different, there's good info in here on strorage that might help you out.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/909876/