Cannas from seed 2011

If you are interested in last year's string:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1078075/

I'm ready to start again with seeds: four new varieties to try. I learned a few things from everyone last year, and will do some things differently. One big thing I learned was how to nick the seeds using nail clippers - I was holding them wrong before.

I have flats of Scotts seed starting mix ready and labeled, and plan to nick and soak the seeds later today.

Anyone else want to try this year?

Attached is a picture of three seedling plants (grown together as a clump) from last year's attempt. By the end of the season it was taller than I am. The hummingbird really liked it.


Grayson

This message was edited Feb 13, 2011 8:10 AM

Hello Grayson
I grew a Canna from seed once it was lovely...I left it out and lost it.
Do you know a good source for seed online?

My seeds were a gift from another Dave's garden member. I have seeds from the one in the picture I have posted that I could send you. The ones I'm trying this year are more exotic, taken from hybrids with larger blooms. I know Jungs has seed for sale.

Grayson

I am always looking for the exoctic lol...I will check Jungs and ebay too thanks!! Oh I forgot about the marketplace here : ) Maybe we can do a trade when I find some.

I still have all of my fingers left after nicking the canna seeds. It's not easy. They're soaking in water for a day, in medicine bottles wrapped in a towel on top of the radiator.

Temperature tonight is predicted to be 12 below zero.

They will do fine : )
Cold here too...bleh....

The seeds swelled after about 36 hours in water, and I planted them this morning. I planted them about 1/2 inche deep, covered them with a clear plastic lid and put them where they'll get some bottom heat in moderate light.

I ordered Canna seeds from Parks, and this will be my first year trying to grow Canna from seeds.
I will read last year's thread and look forward to learning from you people.

CLScott you'll be fine as long as you nick the seeds (with big nail clippers or a file till you see some white) and then soak over night.. (once the seed gets puffy in some spots and looks distorted its ready) Alot of people are under the impression canna seeds are hard to germinate, this is very far from the truth.. They are the easiest seeds i've grown...

Life is a little up in the air right now, hubby is working on a transfer to Alabama, paper work has been sent in... Were still a little unsure when we will for sure be moving.. We have to finish off the school year as my stepdaughter is in grade 9, and we dont want to pull her out till summer.. Getting my plants across the border might be a bit of an issue.. I have a friend over there that is willing to have me send them there and pick them up on the way.. But this means seriously downsizing.. I will only be able to bring a few roots of each canna I have.. Lucky I do have many seeds saved from last summer..

I will be planting canna seeds again this year.. I ordered some seeds from http://www.karcheskycanna.com/
Warseznickii, burgundy blush,Tuerckheimii, intigue, and robert kemp.. I am thinking of starting them in mid march in my overwintering room, then come spring planting they will be beautiful big plants.. With some luck the roots big enough to bring with me..

** Anyone have a guess on how long canna seeds can be saved?? could i save them till the following year or am i better to plant them and at least get some seeds off them and hopefully a big root to move??
jen

Wowie zowie! They've started to germinate! Three of the four varieties have already broken through the soil. I planted them on the morning of the 25th. I think more will be breaking ground soon, as the soil surface looks like something is pushing up from underneath. So...I nicked and soaked the seeds, planted in a commercial seed starting mix, covered the flat with glass and rested them on the fluorescent gro-light fixture to get some bottom heat.

I think I can find a few seeds collected from the plant shown in the picture that starts this thread. Is anyone interested in them?

Grayson

Jen,
Canna seeds will last a long time. You should get good germination starting them at either time.
If you wash your canna rhizomes clean and free from soil and no leaves, they should make it ok across the border.
Best wishes on your move.
Alice

Thanks Alice, I hopefully can get some planted this summer but if not its good to know i can wait till next.
jen

Hi canna fans! mind if we join you and link back too to our old thread too?!

I just brought my 2010 cans up from my crawl space l and some are sprouting already. I put them under my lights and started watering them.

Heres our link back to 2010 for you guys here already!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1131784/

Nice cannas you have here!

This message was edited Feb 12, 2011 2:31 PM

Have grown the "Tropical Series" Cannas from seed before. Trying the new addition to that series this year named "Tropical Bronze Scarlet". This one is different from the others. It has chocolate brown colored foliage, instead of green. Hope they do well.

Here's a progress photo of this year's planting.

Grayson

C. indica is the most vigorous one, with 100% germination already. Orange Punch is next with about 50%. One variety shows no signs of growth.

Nice. Always find it interesting when I spot Cannas in Upstate NY in the summer. Very used to seeing them down here, but up there is a bit of a rarity. Not many seem to grow them.

Hi everyone.

Grayson, Your seedlings look terrific. Can't wait to watch and see your progress this year.

NICE!!!!!






Finally......

This message was edited Feb 13, 2011 7:56 PM

This message was edited Feb 13, 2011 7:57 PM

grayson,

you mentioned a 'trick' to nicking the seeds. would you please share that?

Crit I use the big nail clipper usually ment for toenails. I just clip the with the corners in a few spots, pretty easy and saves my fingers. Some people use a file and a pair of pliers to hold the seed. Sand paper would also work again with he pliers. I've even heard of people drilling them with a small drill bit or tapping them with a hammer to slightly crack the shell. I however am not an expert on power tools and hitting the seed wiu a hammer just seems like a waste if you hit to hard. Hope this helps
Jen

Crit:

I use the large nail clipper as Jen does. It's not real easy, and I've sent seeds flying across the room. This year I tried soaking the seed for a while first. I grasp the seed at the edge of the clipper - that's the only way I can get a grip on the seed coat. This makes a scratch rather than a "bite".

Grayson

Grayson do you soak them again after you've clipped them?? I know some seeds are much smaller then others, so I'm sure by far those are the hardest to grip. Red stripes and banana canna (2 I have ) they have fairly big seeds for cannas those I find really easy to clip.

Yes - I soaked them for 24 hours after exposing a portion of the white interior. They swell up before I plant them.

Grayson

I'm looking for something bold to grow instead of castor bean. Does banana canna grow fast and large?

Yep I plant mine next to my caster beans and they keep up until about July when the castors just take off. My banana cannas the first year I planted them got 9 feet the next year hey were only about 8. I has the more red castors next to them and the reddish leaves next to the green banana canna leaves look really good. I like the banana canna or red stripe best for leaves, they are both large the red stripes are more wide then a banana canna but both look very much like banana leaves. Also they are both large cannas up to if not higher then 8 feet. If grown from seeds they might not be quite that tall first year and won't multiply really until the second year. If it's something you want people to notice I for sure would recommend them, as most of my friends thought they were banana trees.

Why not just grow banana trees? I got several babies (2' tall) from a girl I work with. They were 7' tall and one had 2 babies on it when I went to dig them up for the winter. I just laid the in my garage as she does, then in the spring when I go to put them out again, I will trim back the dead leaves and wait for them to take off. I thought I had killed one of them she gave me.... ha ha ..... because she said to peel it back to the green. I peeled it back so far it wouldn't stand up by itself and had to stake it. When I dug it up, it was about 5" around and 2 babies!!! Didn't hurt it at all. tee hee

I'm interested in the banana canna and also the striped one you mentioned. If anyone has any extra seeds of these, I would love them!

smurf, arent they short seasond up by you? Whne do you pu them in the ground?

Blossom I plant them mid may and take them out in october.. I get flowers on all of my cannas and some seed too, so i guess its just long enough :)

Crit I only thins year found out that there is banana i can grow here (bajoo's) I have planted a bunch of false banana (ensete ventricosum) and i have 7 coming up.. I know these ones are very tropical but i was reading and they can go down for winter storage so I figure i would try.. They grow very fast and can get 12 feet the first year. I also plan to get some bajoos once we move.

Hubby is being relocated for work to Alabama, we will be there at the latest october. This is going to open so many more doors for gardening :).. I believe its zone 7b so its not much higher then where i am now but cannas can stay in the ground..

Living in Zone 7 sounds like a good place to be if you love to garden. You can, pretty much, grow everything you're used to growing further North. It also would add quite a few new plant possibilities for more tender stuff that has to be removed up North. I would think Zones 7, 8, and possibly even 9 give you the widest range of possibilities. Living down here in Zone 10 is great for year round gardening, but it mostly eliminates flowers that need a winter dormancy period to gather up energy for the next year.

oh wow i never thought of that.. I always wanted to be in a tropical area cause all the tropical plants are so nice but never though there must be a lot you cant grow.. For me I'm not big on plants that are hardy here (iris, tulips, hostas ect...) I like things more tropical cannas, elephant ears, banana, passionflora vines, castor beans and hibiscus (i actually prefer the hardy ones though) jsut to name a few. I would much rather have a palm tree then a evergreen tree. So i guess i could live down where you are lol...

We can't grow those types of flowers/flower bulbs, but there are quite a few bulb type flowers that will be new to you. There are surprisingly many hardy to only Zones 7 or 8 and higher. Some of my favorite more common bulbs/flowers you'll be able to have and just leave in the ground in Zone 7B would be: Cannas, Dahlias, Ranunculus, Gladiolas, Alstroemeria, Oxalis (Shamrocks), Rain Lilies.

I'm just so excited about leaving my cannas inthe ground mine took 30 hours to talk out of the found this year and get them ready for winter storage

I would imagine they are time consuming to remove. They spread out like crazy down here because they never go dormant and bloom all year. They really need lots of extra space here because they will quickly overtake other plants if they're planted closer than 24 inches.

Getting them in is nothing, but taking them out takes so much time. I have a few different kinds so I keep them sorted. I knock all the dirt off, and cut all the roots off. I break them up so each piece has at least 3 eyes. Then in the basement they go. Its really a sad day! I know when you leave them in the ground it's not as easy as that there's still he odd time you have to dig them to share or break them up to allow for new growth. His however isn't every single one every year.

Thats why I pot the ones that absolutely have to be lifted.. Im not much for digging big roots out of the ground and infact put all my bulbs in nursery cans in the ground. SOooo much eaiser to finr the bulbs and lift.

I put my elephant ears in pots and sink them but my canna with where I plant them would be more trouble I think to sink a pot

I leave the cannas above ground in the pots... huge cans!

Well it's official I'm heading to Alabama once the school year is up. I'm really excited for a new adventure.

Moving?

Oh, if you put them in cans, you can move them, but they are heavy since they are such a big plant. Dont expect the ones in cans though to be as big as ones inthe ground.

I filled the can 2/3 horsemanure, 1/3 potting soil.... the potting soil goes on top of the manure, not mixed. Thats what I did last year andit worked out ok.

If you are moving to another state.. you can dump them and just bag the bulbs for that kind of move...

Well, good luck on what you are doing.