Storing bare canna roots

I've been asked to post pictures of how i stored canna roots, so I took a few pics and this is how i did it..

-First i start with a rubbermaid bin (any size will work depending on how big or small your collection is)

-then i get plastic storage baskets from the dollar store enough so every type i have has its own basket, sometimes i have more
then one basket if the roots really multiplied that year..

-then i write on the side of the basket what is in there so i will always know and they dont get mixed up..

-After all my roots are in the plastic basket, i place them stacked in the rubbermaid bin first placing two empty baskets upside down just incase theres water built up in the bottom.. Wouldn't want the roots to rot from sitting in water..

-i then just stick the whole rubbermaid bin with the lid on in my basement, i do check them once a month just to make sure they are not drying out.

Thats all till spring when its time to take them out and plant again...

jen :)

Picture is of the rubbermaid bins (theres 4 here)

this pic is of the plastic baskets i use, there are many sizes i have depending on again how the roots have multiplied..

this is the baskets all stacked in the bin

hope this helps

Thanks smurf. That helps. I've grown canna's for the first time this year. I was trying to decide the best way to over winter them. This is a great way to do it. I don't keep my canna's seperated by color, because I like the colors mixed together. I just have some of the regular canna's, nothing too exotic. I think the most non-traditional color I have is called tequila sunrise. It is a dark orange with black specks on it. Is lovely.

Do you do trades?

Thx,
Crit

Another way to store especially if a lot of cannas to dig is after frost takes the foliage (and before the ground freezes), dig the plant whole clump leaving some soil attached. Place the clump in a heavy duty stretch plastic drawstring trash bag. Store in a cool (not freezing) place. Tighten the string a little, but leave the bag open flopped over to allow the clump to 'breathe'. Sometimes the clump will continue to grow a bit if too warm or too much light. Cut back if needed. It should settle in the next weeks as we get into winter. Check periodically over winter for too dry and spray with a little water if it is. Towards spring the clump will start sprouting again and can be divided then.

Crit i do trade but not till spring, since the chance of frost is coming

Sounds like a plan smurf. I'll try to remember.

Have another question I think I know the answer to, but wanted to double check. Do I cut the roots off the rhyzomes I dug?

Patti

Ya can i usually just make them short about 6 " or so.. either way they dry up over the winter and come spring new ones start..

OK, thanks. Have them all dug ready to put in a tote or plastic bag with shredded paper in it. I have my colors all mixed together, so don't have to worry about keeping them separate.

Smurf that is a great idea.. I was just going to put all mine in a box lined with a big plastic garbage bag and put them in there with some sawdust... would that do? Mine are all mixed together too.. but plan to seperate them this season and mark the varieties whenthey bloom again since my collection is growing.

Anyone have a white and green varigated leaf one?

Well, we have had a hard freeze and the vegetation has wilted, so time to go get the rest of them out of the pots and put to bed for the winter.

Still in the 50-60's here but colder at nite. we have had our frosts

We have had nice days too, but the nights are dipping to the freezing mark. I try to wait until the nights are consistantly down near freezing to bring my plants in. When they start being covered more than uncovered due to temps. I need to go give them a good watering today so we can start bringing in. Now just to find the room! Had to move the 2 saddle trees to the game room due to the barn/feed shed being filled to the brim with hay for the winter. They are setting where I usually put a lot of my plants, so need to re-arrange in there!

yeah I hear ya.. im still re-arranging and have dianthus onthe porch to come indoors...

this thread makes me want to cry.. I moved to alabama in july and had to leave all my cannas back in canada.. I did bring my seeds so i have a few started, but my collection is gone ;(...

If you do the plastic bag just watch it cause my bins would sweat and the water would collect on the bottom, but i had the baskets up about 2" so the root never got wet.. Just keep an eye on the filling you use make sure it stays dry.. Also a plastic bag isnt totally air tight so you have to keep an eye out for bugs.. Some people swear it works fine, just tossing the whole root ball dirt and all in a plastic bag leave it till spring. however i've never tried that, just a fear of what could be in the dirt..

We had 3 days this week in the 70's then today a light snow... No wonder i feel a cold coming on :)
jen

Jen, my heart goes ot to you! We have had weather in the 50-60's daytime, then cold at nite.. so far only a mist of winter brushing our long fall. Rain the last few days with big winds. So far my canna are still sitting on the rack in the shed drying. I have one canna in a pot that is in a sad little bloom! The dirt has pretty much dried off them....right now no need to bring them in... I think I am gonna dust them with some diamaceus earth....hope that will work to kill any critters that might be on them in the dirt. I will shake what I can off before dusting. I wish my crawl was deeper.. It is so hard to do anything down there.. otherwise I would have left them in their pots and put them down there...

Get well soon.

ya were renting a place right now and theres a crawlspace but after some of the bugs i've seen here i wouldnt go down there.. It was a heart break but over all its nice that once i do get our own place cannas stay in the ground all year :) so no more digging for me... Now basjoo bananas can stay but i think i will grow a banana collection and add those to the bring in list, now that its only ears... Havent gone crazy collecting cause i dont really have the space only a potted garden right now... Hubby did make me a greenhouse so most stuff is still green, not growing to quick but green :)