Hi :-)
I purchased (picture below) these Canna Picasso rhizomes on Ebay. When you purchase them like that, is this what they are supposed to look like, all dried up?? I've only ever bought them in pots previously. If they look viable to you experts, do I just stick them in the ground like that, or soak them in water and Superthrive, or??
Any help will be most appreciated!!
amarantha00,
Hi I am not an expert but have raised cannas for several years. In colder zones we have to dig up cannas and store over winter months and they dry out and look just like that. As long as the rhizomes are firm and not mushy , or just dried out husks, they should be fine.
As for soaking them in water I would not do that , superthrive I have no experince with, I do how ever when recieving roots,rhizomes through the mail I soak for a few minutes in a 1 part bleach solution for a few minutes them rinse with clean water, and allow to air dry. Before planting, just kills off alot of things that might be traveling along on them that you would not want in your garden.
Hopes this helps
Tim J
Thanks for your reply, Tim! Great, that's exactly what I will do :-)
I bought Canna Picasso too.. Good to know what to do.
Ginger
As long as they're not rotten, they're probably viable, though I find that dried rhizomes don't produce as well as fresh ones.
I let them sit in Superthrive for a while, to wake them up, and give them a bit of a head start. It probably doesn't really matter, although my Florida gardening friends rave about Superthrive.
Steve
Super Thrive is great stuff but I mix it in the water I use to water new plants with at planting time. It's not a fertilizer--it's a mix of vitamins and hormones that helps the plant grow and thrive. I use it all the time and it makes a big difference in the overall health of my plants. Be sure to read the instructions on the back as it doesn't take very much.
Good idea - I'm going to use it when I plant.
and if you can't find superthrive...vita-grow works well.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/970279/
Ginger
Well, mine were planted and watered well with SuperThrive the first time, then just regular water. So far, nothing. How long do you think it will take to find out of they're going to turn into "plants"?
Since they went through the shock of being shipped and were somewhat dry when you got them, I'd give them plenty of time to settle in. They will work on putting down roots before they start putting out any leaves. You'll probably have little green sprouts popping up before you know it.
I just bought potted cannas. Can I plant them in the pot? I put two Tropicannas in the ground last year and when I dug them up, they all fell apart and I had lots of little pieces. Will these grow into a big plant again? So far nothing has come up. Some had little tiny nubs to start growing. I'm thinking if I plant the pot this won't happen.
Zone 6a
thanks,
Judy
SuperThrive??
(. . .sounds like something I NEED to take a gulf of)
where do you Find this SuperThrive
and are there any other plants it is good for??
I leave them in the ground year round here in 9b....but also grow them in pots. The ones you have pictured in the top post will grow just fine if you start them in a good potting soil mix in a pot, just to get the new roots and leaves going. Quite a few with growth on them look bad upon their arrival, but the fact that you have active growth (even though withered) is a good sign. They will take off immediately once planted.
My sister is in zone 5, which usually is a "left them" area, but her neighbor has an immense wall of them that he doesn't touch at all, and they flourish every year. I think the heavy mulch, combined with the fact that he DOESN'T touch them at all, is the key. They are probably so squashed in the root/rhizome balls, that the outside layers mayfreeze, but in insulates those on the inside.
Once established, cannas are pretty indestuctable.
SuperThrive is great for all plants, in my opinion. Walmart carries it here, so does Lowe's (Lowe's is a bit more expensive). It's also great to soak seeds in prior to planting. I use a combination of SuperThrive and liquid kelp solution. It seems to work wonders!
