Canna Seeds

When is the proper time to harvest canna seeds ?

I want to tag the plants and would like to keep the seeds separated for trading.

TIA,
>^,,^< SB

Hi scooter!

Wait until the pod is brown and fully dry. They won't drop on the floor if you wait a little too long. The seeds inside should be black. Hope this helps.

Ursula

Oh Thanks Ursula,

You read my mind for that was exactly what I was worried about .I didn't plant them in like groups, just mixed 'em up for effect. This is a great plant to grow from seed, so satisfying to get these huge plants from a little seed.

We'll see how happy I am this fall when I have to dig and store all of them for the winter ................ haha !

How do you store cannas? I tried storing last year's dahlias in a paper bag but they were no good this year. Now I'm in the canna co-op, and I'm going to have to know what to do with them!

scooterbug, you must love Cannas to take all that hard work in Fall ...

Ursula , We will see . This is my first crop. If it turns out to be too much .... I'll only plant seeds every year ;-P

sylvi,
This covers about all the basics.
Good Luck !

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/hortline/messages/3408.shtml

Thank you! That is exactly what I needed to know.

Thanks for posting this thread! I have been wondering the same thing. I have had green pods (that are getting bigger) for 2 weeks now, and wasn't sure when to do them. Do they end up popping open on their own, like lupins or will I have to break them open? Funny looking little buggers!

Karrie,
Some of my Canna seed pods are starting to ripen. They get all brown and kinda split so you can see a LOT of seeds inside. Seeds are dark brown and shiny. About 1/2 the size of a garden pea I would guess ('-'?)

I'll try to get a picture if it ever stops raining ;'(

scooterbug,
After they get that big; do they then 'deflate' as they ripen when turning brown?

I'm just trying to figure this out after a wonderful neighbor gave me two cannas the other day.
They are each 6 inches high; quite more than a bulb and a good start.
Hers are red about 2 foot high right now and they overwinter outside in her garden bed.

This area is Zoned for 5a to 4b, sometimes it feels like 3a (down to minus 30 degrees, for at least 2 weeks in the winter months) and they have survived those low temps with no mulching at all.

She really didn't know what they were, they were pretty so she bought them about 7 years ago.
She thought they were some kind of a 'bananna' plant, is what she said to me at first.
I'm going to wait for the next bloom to open so I can get some pictures of it.
I saw some seed pods on them as well, she said she just plucks them off and throws them away.
I want to see if she will give me some of the seed pods too.

Your neighbor has cannas survive outside in zone 5?

Yes, I've seen them myself. She has them in the ground and always covered at the base with small limestone pebbles, so she has a minimum of weeds to pull out.
They have grown to such a point that she was dividing them, so she gave me some of them.

Edited to say that our ground is mostly clay and very rocky to boot! She never does anything to amend the soil. She says she doesn't have the time to, if it grows then it does, if not then she gets something else.

This message was edited Aug 29, 2004 12:53 PM

Nature,
The seeds need to ripen on the plant and no they do not deflate , the rough pod-skin just turns brown. If they deflate they were prob empty to start with. As the seeds mature they grow in size , the pod looks like it's preggers ... LOL
I just harvested 30 mature seeds from 2 smallish pods today.

pic

Ah! Black BB's, ok, I have to get a look at the plant again tomorrow. Couldn't today, she was out of town for the day.

Thanx, scooterbug

Robin

Remember, I said my neighbor has Cannas survive outside in zone 5a, over-winter?
These are some pics I took today, notice the yellow glowing iridescence on the outside of the petals and of the center.

View from the opposite side:

Full view:

Frontal view (from Street)

I didn't realize she had put red cedar chips down in anticipation of me taking the pictures. She even said if I hadn't come over today; that she was going to come over and drag me out.
I think they are so beautiful.

I LIKE !!! it . Hope someone can ID it for you . If you get enough seeds , maybe we can trade ?

scooterbug, we will see if they set some seeds this year too. I check every other day for pods, they're a few there. Have to wait for them to mature.

Wow, that's just amazing. I wonder if that is a microclimate spot or just a super-hardy variety?

I strongly believe microclimate also.

scooterbug, It has been ID'ed as 'Mr. President'

~ Canna Lily 'President' (Canna x generalis)
http://davesgarden.com/pdb/go/37506/index.html

As for 'microclimate' I just don't know. They've been in the ground for a long time.