I have several Canna plants. I am new to them. Someone on here kindly sent a picture of what the seed pods look like and where to find them on my Canna. Well, I found them. They are still green. However, today, a seed fell into the container from the plant (its planted in a large pot). The seed that fell is 1/2 black - 1/2 green. Is it too soon to scar it for planting or do I hold onto it until it all black? It's rather soft and small. The seed pods still on the plant are much bigger - 4 times!
Thanks!
Another Canna seed question please
The seeds should be completely black or dark brown before you try to plant them. When the whole seed pod looks completely dried, then it's time to pick it and take the seeds out.
Karen
Thanks Karen. I thought I just had to nick the outer pod until I see white then soak for about 72 hours......then plant the whole pod. Did I get that wrong? Also, since this pod fell off, then it can't be planted even if it does turn completely blackk?
Thanks!
Cis
If it does turn completely dark, it might then be good. But if you have lots of seeds coming on the plants, I probably wouldn't bother with just that one.
You don't nick the pod itself. You need to open up the papery sort of covering (the pod) over the seeds. Inside will be the seeds. Do this over a bowl as they are round and have a tendency to "jump". After you nick them until just the white shows a tiny bit, I think soaking for 24 hours is enough.
Good luck,
Karen
That clarifies it, Karen. Dang! Nicking the pod only would have been easier ! LOL. Boy, I'm glad I asked. Now I know to nick the SEED within the pod. I thank you very much, Karen!
cissy
Yep, open up that papery part - the seeds are inside -- look a lot like dark B-Bs - and watch out or they'll jump out and be all over the floor, and you'll be looking for them. LOL. When I opened up some pods recently to send the seeds to someone, I was surprised to see that all the pods did not have the same number of seeds in them. I suppose it may be because I have several kinds of cannas. Otherwise, the seed pods and seeds looked very much like each other.
Karen
LOL Karen. I'll be real careful of that :) :) LOL
Cis
Do the seed pods have to stay on the plant until they're brown? I've been cutting mine off to encourage more flowers.
SCNewbie......I believe they do need to stay on the plant. One of the members here sent me this picture of the pods that have turned black and ready for picking.
Cissy
SCNewbie,
Cissy is correct. Any seed pod needs to completely ripen on the plant. There are some who are doing hybridizing and playing around with "green" seeds, but that's a specialized area. Leave it until it's brown/black like Cissy's photo, and you'll be fine.
Karen
Ok, thanks! :))
Good luck on your new canna babies. Maybe you will get some neat surprises.
Karen
Hello folks, this is great info above! I have a question though. If I deadhead my cannas, will it help promote more blooms? I have been doing this but I am not sure this is the case with cannas as with other plants.
Does anybody know?
Thanks!
Roberta
Help! I bought some canna seeds and planted them in a Jiffy greenhouse, in peat pellets with a dome over them. I think I might have overwatered them a bit? Anyways, one is already coming up, it has white roots, which have pushed itself through the little pellet and a pretty green stalk. Really tiny though, not like one from a Rhizome. I have not allowed them to get direct sunlight yet, just left them in the domed greenhouse with pellets for 10 days now. Should I be letting them get sunlight without the dome on? When? And how long does it take for them to grow. I planted about 53 of them, each in individual peat pellets. Any suggestions and advice is greatly appreciated, I am new to gardening so please help me out here?
Joy112854
Joy, I start mine in perlite. I slowly let them go from a shadier enviroment to full sun.
Dean: Thanks, I noticed that some one said it could take 6 weeks to see them growing? The pellets are still moist yet; so, thought about sticking them outside for just a bit on a warm day; but, not for too long, as it is hot here now. But shouldn't I wait until they start to come up? With my Rhizomes, I just put them in pots and then put them on the deck. I tried something different with the Rhizomes this time too, I started them in Miracle Grow Moisture Mix instead of what I usually use. I know Cannas love the sunshine.
Joy
I have several Canna plants. I am waiting for the seed pods to turn black so I can harvest them for replanting. However, several of them have fallen off while still greenish! this means they won't "ripen" to black so the seeds have a chance to be viable? :(
Joy, I had some pop up after two weeks. I usually put them in plastic food containers with perlite and put them in a south facing window. Once they start leafing out I pull them out of the container. I then plant them into one-gallon containers in the shade. Yes, wait tell they come up, I would say. Did you nick the seeds before planting them? I use a small file and a pair of vice grips to hold the seed. Just slightly file tell I see a bit of white. I find for tubers any good quality potting soil will do.
Cissy, some cannas are sterile. They are hybrids and don't produce seeds. I don't know if that's what you have or not.
Thanks Dean. But does this mean that the ones that fall won't turn black so I can at least see if they are sterile? I don't know if I have a hybrid or not. Not sure if I want to know LOL :D
Cissy, if they fall off they won't ripen. If and when yours produce seed pods they would dry out on the plant. Once the pods turn brown and dry out you'll be able to harvest the black seeds within. Good luck.
Here's some photos of the ones I've grown from seeds.
Here's another photo. The tall one's are Omega, Hawaiian, etc. the shorter ones are Musafolia.
Excellent, Dean! :)
Thanks, I need to pot them up to bigger size pots or make a bed for them.
Dean: Thank you for your input those are lovely pics. Here where i live we have lots of clay and sand, so I usually buy dirt to plant flowers in. LOL Then I have my brother bail out the clay and replace it with potting soil and then plant my cannas in the ground. I like to leave them in pots myself until they mature and then put them in the ground. The ones I have planted now, the seeds, I plan on transplanting to pots and keeping them indoors until this Spring. My daughter will complain, as I have about 50 of them planted; but, there is room for them in the family room where there is a huge bay window and a pool table, perfect for covering with plastic and then plywood and putting the plants on to receive sunlight until they are nice and strong and Spring is here, then I will have some mature Cannas to transplant to the flowerbeds.
joy112854
Wow, Joy, 50 cannas is alot. Do you know what kind they are?
Dean, how long does it usually take until sprouting with your technique? I am giving it a shot!
I'd say a week or two. Make sure they are near some warmth.
hummm. weird, i think it's been around 2 weeks...thanks!
Dean: Actually there are 56 canna seeds planted in the pellets, I started a new batch about 9 days ago, there are 11 salmon, 11 red, 12 rose, 11 white and 11 yellow ones. I'm seeing the starting of 8 stems already, can't quit peeking under the dome. LOL This new batch I let soak for 48 hours and then nicked them just til I saw the white rubbing the dark seed covering off first, then I soaked them again for 24 hours before planting them in the expanded peat pellets. I then placed the dome on them; but, of course, can't quit peeking under the dome. I sat them on a stool inside the bay window.
joy112854
joy112854,
Sounds like your on the right track. Just let those babies grow. LOL!!!
Dean: I was really surprised and feel like a hen with her baby chicks here; I peeked under the dome and lo and behold there are 12 little bitty stems sprouting already and two have itsy bitsy leafs already. It's only been a little under two weeks, so I'm really excited here.
joy112854
I know, they sprout so quickly once you knick them. My one-gallon containers of cannas that I sprouted from seed earlier this spring are growing into the ground. I guess I'll trade them for palm or cycad seeds.
Dean: Cannas are the only flower I am planting in the beds next year, I love them, you mentioned using pearlite? I notice that no matter what brand of potting mix or potting soil I use in pots they seem to want to turn to cement on the top and that is not good, why is that? Should I add pearlite to the potting mix or potting soil? I heard that coconut was good also, as it is light, and will not cement together, that bothers me, because then I fear that the roots are not going to get proper nourishment. Should I break up the soil or mix?
joy112854
Hi Joy! If you don't mind my asking...if you are in beautiful Florida, why wouldn't you plant them in the ground?
Rob
Hi Joy,
What type of potting soil are you using?
I am living in sunny Florida; but it is the NW part of Florida and come November we start to get pretty chilly, so, don't want to put the baby cannas out on their own, cause come December, January and February it can get pretty cold here, as I have a huge deck I can always put them outside on the not so bad days for just a bit and I have a south facing window and a bay front window where they can get direct sunlight, I will keep the heat indoors at the right temp and come March, they will be ready to hit the beds.
I use a variety: I used Miracle grow potting mix, then switched to the moisture grow potting mix and also have some seed starting mix. I have the ones that have grown big enough to get into pots in the moisture grow right now. I started all in peat pellets. Just before March, I'm going to use the Mantis to til in the left over jungle grow from my veggie grow boxes. As the dirt here is almost all clay and I think the jungle grow mixed in with it should be great for the beds. I gave the ones in the beds fertilizer last week, the kind that you attatch to the miracle grow water sprinkler attatchment and then this week hit them with the systemic. Now in March I will water them with water and Murphys soap and then treat with Sevin and Neem Oil. I've been collecting cut off leafs and letting them stay in a container that has holes in them and slowly rot, then will probably place these around my cannas come November. Only 12 of the 50+ have started sprouting so far, and 5 I transplanted to pots, the other 7 aren't quite big enough yet and the others are a bit slow.
joy112854
Dean: My cannas now have leafs on them, how long before they are able to tolerate the sun in Florida outside, I've been moving them out for a few hours on the deck each day; but, no longer than that. I put them in pots just about a week ago from the peat pellets I had them planted in. How do you judge when they are ready for the flower bed? I don't want to put them out to quickly to fight on their own the sun ya know?
joy112854
You should slowly acclimate them as your doing. They should be ready to plant soon. Just use your best judment. Mine have already out grown their one-gallon containers. :)
Dean: Got lots of rhizomes to trade for others if you're interested. I started a thread listing what I have to trade in the way of rhizomes for what I don't have
joy112854