I've been reading this forum for about two weeks now and have seen some magnificent pictures of cannas that you folks have posted. Mine, however, are pitiful looking. They're too crowded, too small; they had the leafroller bug problem (although this forum gave me cure); and my seeds are duds.
So, before I can bring myself to point a camera at mine, could ya'll tell me what fertilizer I should use? I have no idea what kind of cannas they are except for the red ones called "The President" that I just bought today. Hurry before I kill it.
Thanks! Deborah
This message was edited Jul 16, 2006 3:36 AM
Fertilizing Cannas
i use peters vegtable fert and i use cow manure to paul
Chicken manure works too. I have a bed that is several inches thick with it and my cannas in that bed are REALLY happy.
I use alfalfa pellets
I'll try all three! But where do I get the chickens?lol
I got 2 canna's from the UMW Roundup, compliments of BigcityAl.... and I put them in 5 gallon pots with all MG soil. They are going gangbusters and loving the Illinois sun. If I forget to water them, they don't seem to care. They are both five feet tall, and sending up new shoots. I am patiently waiting for some flowers, but they seem intent on making more leaves. The stalks now look like corn stalks with huge leaves. One day I will have flowers, but for now I am content with the huge leaves that set my house apart from everyone in the neighborhood. MG soil seems to work wonders for the Cannas.
Now after 27 years of pushing a pencil, I'm finally getting a chance to use a shovel. I'm totally gardening illiterate! What's MG soil? I'm sitting here racking my brain.
Do you plan on planting them in the ground or are you leaving them in the pots? I see you are from IL. Don't know if cannas can over-winter in the ground in your neck of the woods though.
Deborah
Cord, MG stands for Mircale Grow.
Oh, duh, I'm a dummy! Thanks!
Texas Tea is good to paul
OK, "Tag ... I'm it" ... I am going to fall for this one. What is "Texas Tea" in regards to fertilizing canna plants? I just bought a bottle of compost tea at the nursery that you mix about 2 ounces per gallon.
Tammie in TX
Girl, you're goin'a wish you'd never asked! LOL I don't even want to begin thinking how it's made. What an odor no doubt!
texas tea is cow manure fill a 5 gallon bucket with water add 3 ponds of manure let set for a few days then start useing as the bucket goes down add more water QQ lol paul
I feel sorry for anyone who has to smell that!!
I have the Canna's in 5Gal containers above ground, and plan on taking them into basement to overwinter with my peppers. Here's a picture.. about a week old
Paul, you've got the Texas Tea just right and wonders it does work! I however let mine DRY out for several days prior to using it simply because I don't want to smell it! UGH!!! lololol
Belinda
OK, mikekilhoffer... your note says these plants are "about a week old". How big were they a week ago? They are bigger than my 3 week ones. I have some manure and compost mix I bought.. will this work to make "Texas Tea"? I can mix it in the alley and leave it out there.
Tammie
Well, I had to look back three times... but the "week old' comment pertains to the photo, not the age of the plant.
These plants are much older than that. My canna's are now beginning to bloom. But tonight, at 1AM upon coming home, My first canna bloom was out and upon lighter inspection.... there was a small green beetle eating the first blossom.. I moved the lighter closer to burn the offender, and upon killing the little beetle, I walked inside. Maybe they will be gone tomorrow, but I enjoyed killing the first bug to attack me. A week ago, the plant looked much the same. Canna's, as far as I have seen, being my first year in flowers, are not the first food of Jap beetles if there is a more promising food near. They have devastated my pretty Sweet potato planter that sits next to my cannas.
Everything I read about fertilizing Canna suggests a low nitrogen (e.g. 5-10-5), once the plants are established.