Ok, everyone here is going to shake their heads and say, yep, she is definately a beginner here. I planted some canna seeds in peat pellets and put them in a tray with a dome called a Jiffy greenhouse. I then thought maybe since I live in Florida, if I put the tray on the deck for just a bit, it'd heat them up and speed up germination of the seeds, since one was already poking it's head up. Next thing I know, my grandson was saying taking the dome off granny, of which I did and steam was pouring out of the thing. My little one that has it's head poking up was fried brown, so, I suppose I ruined all of them?
I'm going to try this again now. I have more canna lily seeds, I'm going to soak them for 48 hours and then pick just a bit of the dark covering off to expose a little white, now, does the white part face upwards or downwards when I plant it, it will be in a peat pellet again, and this time it will stay in the window sill for indirect sunlight; but, anyone have a clue how long? I will then transfer it to a pot and keep it indoors until March. Does that sound like a workable plan?
joy112854
For the Canna Tyros - How to Grow Canna From Seeds
What you did was ok up to the point of putting the dome on. Doesn't make any difference which way the white is pointing. Don't toss out the ones that haven't germinated yet. Though they are probably cooked, you never know.
Xeramtheum: I haven't tossed them yet; but, have ordered more canna seeds as I want to start them inside the house and baby them through the winter and have some nice cannas when Spring gets here. Now, where to get an inexpensive grow light?? Not sure if I really need one though? I live in NW Florida; it gets cold outside in the winter, but had plans of putting plastic over the pool table and then putting on plywood to sit the plants on close to a huge bay type window; but, wonder if I should be looking for an adustable grow light instead, one that I can put lots of plants under at once? All the places on line that I have looked at want a fortune for one.
joy112854
For a grow light all you need is any old fluorescent fixture. Just buy the full spectrum bulbs for it.
X
I kill my houseplants so I don`t have a single houseplant lol! I managed to keep some marbled ivy alive last winter so I gave myself a gold star for that accomplishment.
Now about raising baby cannas this has worked for me. I start the seeds in spring and let the plants grow and gain size. Then after they bloom sometime in early to mid summer I cull any that don`t make the cut while they are still small so I won`t need a back hoe to remove them if I wait. Then cannas are winter hardy here so I let them go to natures care over winter and my care free survivors the next year get the added credit of being pretty enough to keep as well as being winter hardy in my garden. I then take many pictures...and then more pictures. If I feel like one plant is neglected I go take its picture again. :)
Karen
Edited: because I can`t spell correctly.
This message was edited Aug 11, 2008 9:50 AM
I started some in spring and there over 4' tall.
Has anyone in northern gardens started plants from seed and overwintered them? If so, how? Do they have rhizomes by the end of the season to overwinter or do you have to plant them in containers and bring in for the winter?
I'd really love to know how the northern gardeners handle overwintering cannas grown from seed that season.
thanks,
Onalee
I plant them in cups and grow them in my west window and in the spring plant them in the garden. I planted 14 and 8 made it. I have had 3 that bloomed and the rest just put on leaves. Hope the have big enough rizomes. I will find out when I dig for winter storage. If the others don't have rizomes then I will just lose them for they would be too big to put in pots and try to keep. No room. Her is anotherone that made it. BEV
Last year I grew some from seed and by the end of the growing season they had formed nice sized rhizomes and I couldn't even tell that I grew them by seed.