overwintering cannas

Greenback, TN

I have two cannas planted in pots. I am in zone 7, what should I do to keep them safe this winter?

Kilmarnock, VA(Zone 7a)

For a couple of years, I have successfully overwintered a canna in a pot by putting it in my unheated garage. I cut it back severely and only gave it some water once a month or so. Then when spring came I moved it outside and gave it some fresh potting mix, fertilizer and plenty of water and it came back beautifully. Hope this helps.

Betty

Lady's Island, SC(Zone 9a)

Hello, I live in zone 4b and I have just dug my cannas for storage. Per others' directions, I plan to wash them, allow them to dry or "cure", then store them in my basement. What is the best container/substrate to store them in? Some say an old cooler or plastic bag, but I would be afraid they would rot under those conditions. Thank you for any advice!

Bluffton, SC(Zone 9a)

cant they overwinter outside in zone 7?
you can put them in the refridgerator i think.... i always leav 'em in the ground

This message was edited Sep 29, 2007 7:28 PM

Kingston, OK(Zone 7a)

I going to plant mine and mulch real heavy for the winter.
I dug and stored last year and had a lot of rot. The ones left in the ground were great.

Yonkers, NY

I just grew canna for the first time this summer. I got them at a plant swap from a woman who received them from her grandmother. She advised me to dig them up and store them for winter here in zone 6, Yonkers, NY. What is the best way to store them?

Westford, MA(Zone 5b)

Peggy last year I stored them in peat moss in brown paper bags with holes punched in the bags to allow air to circulate. Then put in an unheated basement that stayed 40 to 50 degrees and they did fine with this treatment.

Noblesville, IN(Zone 5a)

Do Not Put In Plastic Bags because they will rot. I wash, dried, and put in a cardboard and stored in a cool area in the house. They were in great shape this spring.

Kansasville, WI(Zone 5a)

With the tubers all I did was let them air dry, then brushed all the soil off with a medium sized dry paint brush, sprinkled them with a fungicide and placed them in a shallow container uncovered and put them in a cool room 50-60 degrees and they did fine.

Fredericksburg, TX(Zone 8a)

Here in 8a you can leave them in the ground all winter, but I have some that have been in the pond all year. We took them out today, boy what a mess. They all escaped their pots.:) They are in the gh now, but I have to cut them all back and store them dry root or else put them back in the pond. I'm going to run out of room with all the other stuff that has to go in there. Is it safe to leave them in the pond? Last year it got cold enough to freeze only the top half inch of water. The pond is about 14 inches deep. If I can leave them in the pond I assume they have to be cut back til nothing shows above water, right? I also have La iris that I'm not sure about. Advice appreciated.

Dallas, GA(Zone 7b)

silverfluter - I left some of my cannas in the pond last winter and they all rotted. This year, I guess I'll try to dry-root them. But don't worry about the La iris. I have had some actually encrusted in ice (briefly) and they seem to survive.
jo

Fredericksburg, TX(Zone 8a)

Ok Jo. Thanks, I'm glad I can atleast leave the La iris to fend for themselves. Sorry about your rotted cannas though. Do I cut all the stalks down to the very bottom where the rhizome starts, then cut off the roots and let them dry out in the gh or leave them outside on the patio? Of course if it freezes before they dry, I'll bring them in, but I doubt that'll happen this early.

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

I have good results with minimal care. Dig, let soil dry some , then pack in cardboard box and store in cool basement. Never had rot. I can leave out in ground with some protection, but unprotected here, they freeze and die.

Fredericksburg, TX(Zone 8a)

Do you cut off the stems?

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

sorry, yes usually after frost has killed them, a few inches above the ground. They're really juicy but will dry up.
I just bought a smal potted canna a few wks ago; I thin k I'll try to keep it growing over winter but if it gets too spindly I figure I will stop watering and let it go dormant right in the pot ( a tropicanna gold, my first one other than old tall redflowered ones)

Fredericksburg, TX(Zone 8a)

Well I don't know if I made a mistake or not. I had to cut most of mine down after I put them in the gh because of lack of space. I hope that doesn't encourage them to grow again. If I leave them in the gh will they still go dormant? The minimum temp in there is between 45 and 50. I can leave them outside until the first frost to kill the stalks, but I'm concerned the rhizomes will be damaged because they are in pots.

I hate to keep asking questions, but I really don't want to lose these plants. They are too pretty.

Dover, PA(Zone 6b)

Sally, You'll get bit by the canna bug. I didn't have any then someone gave me some 6ft red which I traded some for yellow then I found the canna co-op and now I have quite a few and hope to get more next year. I over wintered a few reds and yellows last year in a bucket of peat moss and lost them all. So I'm a little worried about storing both the cannas and my caladium bulbs. I was thinking them of trying to store them in individual small brown paper bags. Has anyone tried that?

Fredericksburg, TX(Zone 8a)

Well atleast that would keep them separated. Makes sense to me.:)

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

Unless somebody smarter chimes in, here's my 2 cents~~
Warmth and moisture will make them grow, cool and dry and less light will make them want to stop growing. I might leave the pots out to get the frost kill, but if worried about the pot temp, wrap the pot up in layers of newspaper or something.

My potted canna and caladiums pts will be coming in to a warmish, lightish place. Caladiums will go dry and canna wil be watered a little as long as it seems to be coping, then dry.
HollyAnn, sorry you lost yours. I have been fine with cardboard box, thats a very dry situation that allows a bit of airspace between the rhizomes. Were yours wet when you found them spoiled??

Clinton, MO

I have lots of flowers and love them all, - but hate to dig and replant anything. I have Tropicana and Phaison and have left them in the ground the last three years. They have came up, multiplied and performed beautifully. I may be playing Russian roulette, but if I lose them I will just start over. I live in zone 5b.

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

living in zone 5; I'm surprised. Appreciate your information.

Clinton, MO

Yes sallyg I always hold my breath each year waiting for them to come up. What lead me to be so brave (because these two hybrids are rather costly in our area) was that I have had some of my older cannas to come back. Through the years I have dug them and not always had the best of luck in overwintering. Some of the rhizomes evidently were left behind in the ground one year and they came up, so I decided I would just take the chance and leave them. So far, so good, BUT there may come a time......

(Pat) Kennewick, WA(Zone 5b)

WOW zone 5!!! You were successful leaving them in the ground. Can you give us STEP by step what you did? I mean ... did you cut it back after the frost? Did you mulch? or plain ole' nothing? Thanks!

Dover, PA(Zone 6b)

I have been playing with the idea of leaving my cannas in the ground, too. I have heard if your a gambler that you can mulch them heavy and leave them. I bought most of mine from the co-op last spring at very good prices and was thinking it wouldn't be much different than if I thought of them as annuals. If they come back I would be ahead of the game if not I could replace them. Only problem is the co-ops are early so I won't know if they overwintered well or not by the time I need to order more. Mine were still looking good and flowering until just the other day. We had a pretty hard frost the other night guess I'll have to make up my mind pretty soon.
Sally, Ric thinks that I may have dried out my tubers last year. He mentioned that the peat moss could have been too dry? Also I was wondering if the area I stored them in could have been a little too warm?

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

I don't know what to tell you- I have been so haphazard about it! I dig them and try to do it on a sunny day so the soil dries some but I leave dirt on them in the box. Over the winter they get all dry. My basement is not especially cool (65?) until the really cold days of winter, then maybe 60 some nights, and they are stored in a box on the concrete floor.. I can only speak for this one variety of really tall ones with smallish red flowers.

Dallas, GA(Zone 7b)

HollyAnn - here in 7b they almost always do fine in the ground (with some mulch). Most of the ones that I have in larger pots/tubs do ok too, altho some die. Maybe you should guestimate that 50% of yours will make it - so order half what you would have ordered. Best case, you'll have too much and will have to share with friends - worst case, you'll still have a 50% glorious display..
jo

Clinton, MO

psychw2 - Yes, I do wait until after they have had a frost on them and they are pretty much gone. I cut them down to the ground. I just left the tops I had cut down spread over them and the just cleaned out in early spring. I have to wait quite a while to see if they are going to come up, seems like they are always slow.

This year I am going to try something I have NEVER did before. I have not worked the last year and I have really gotten caught up in my yard. Seems like Spring is always such a big clean up job, so I am cleaning up really well this fall. I am going to cut down/back a lot of my stuff and rake it up CLEAN. I am going to see what comes up and what doesn't. I am hoping this will make Spring clean up a lot easier! -- but then I may not have anything to clean up. I am sure the out come will depend on our winter, but I have reset a 98 ft. row of daylilies and they are clean as a pin - am going to leave them that way. I may be sorry come Spring, but I am hoping for a BIG headstart on getting the yard in order next year. - We will see.......I may be taking out a loan to replant everything!!

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

bet your DLs will be fabulous.

(Pat) Kennewick, WA(Zone 5b)

I'm prone to clean up a little too much maybe, and of course that limits my self-seeding! I really would like to get most of my stuff to self-seed and be a little more self-sufficent! The Canna I have is the first one I have EVER had, it was a gift from another DGer, it was so pretty, I hope I don't lose it!

Clinton, MO

I know what you mean, there are things I would hate to lose also, some more than others. When someone special gives you something it becomes a setimental thing and then it really makes you sick when you lose it.

I tell my DH if we ever decided to move, I could maybe give up the house, but I would HATE to leave all my flowers, yard and landscaping that we have done over the years! I tell him the yard would look pretty funny all dug up!!! :) :)....and may not sell near as well!!!

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

I would seriously consider a clause for one year's access to dig and cut, LOL.

Clinton, MO

I know...but I have heard horror stories about that. People say yeah sure you can and then when the time comes it's a different story.

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

I'm sure.
Yeah, I'd be in the yard digging while the movers are in the house.

(Pat) Kennewick, WA(Zone 5b)

When I sold my house in 2004, giving up the flower beds was very hard. I used to walk in the yard and think of all the people who gave me the starts: There's the iris from Cleo, the lamb's ear from Derrick, the Sweet William from Judy, the clematis that was my birthday gift, the arbor my Dad welded for me, the birdhouse my FIL made, yatta yatta!!!

Now, I live in a different house and the flowers are almost exclusively from DG. I am trying to get labels on all the flowers that include the DG that I got them from!

Clinton, MO

psychw2 - Wow! you were tough! I was thinking as I was reading about all your stuff how neat and what sentimental treasures! I could not have left them. I am afraid I would have been like sallyg.

(Pat) Kennewick, WA(Zone 5b)

EVERYTHING has a price! Giving up my house and gardens were the price of freedom. The equity in my house paid for my education. I am happily remarried to the world's sweetest man. If keeping my gardens meant keeping my EX, then I was sorry but the house and flowers I loved had to go!

I told my youngest, since he can weld, it will be up to him to create a new arbor for me someday.

West Norriton, PA(Zone 6b)

Hello all newbie hear -- I live in zone 6b and have never diug up my cannas. They come back every year and even multiply. I'm new to gardening and didn't even know I was suppose to dig them up. Now that all of the blooms are gone and the foliage is a bit worn looking, is it ok to cut them down?

Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b)

Yeah, looks like cold weather is here soon and the frost would kill the tops anyway. Unless yours stay green all winter too. Sure you're not on top of an underground coal fire?

Clinton, MO

Aaaah! Sounds good to me - new sweet husband, new flowers, new education, new arbor made by son - puts a new light on it - you go girl!!!!!!

West Norriton, PA(Zone 6b)

Thanks sallyg! I wish they stayed green all winter. I guess they're in a nice warm location -- south-east corner of my house, very close to the foundation.

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