Saving Your Cannas By Paula Szilard Canna rhizomes cannot tolerate ground temperatures below freezing for any length of time. That is why they are overwintered indoors, usually in a cool basement or garage. Dig up the rhizomes after the foliage is damaged by the first frost. Do this carefully to avoid damaging them because any cuts or bruises are potential points of entry for disease-producing organisms, which can cause rot. The University of Minnesota Extension recommends that you cut the stems back to 2-3 inches after waiting for a few days to allow the foliage to dry out. Then wash them gently with a garden hose to remove the soil. And allow them to cure for 1-3 days at nigh humidity to prevent desiccation, keeping them away from sunlight and drying winds. Store them in buckets or boxes of peat, vermiculite or sand in a cool dark place, at about 40--50 F. Do remember to label all stored plant material, unless you don’t mind being surprised the following summer! If your basement is too warm, sometimes a crawl space will work.. If you keep them in an unheated garage, then place them into an Styrofoam cooler close to an inside wall. You might want to inspect them once or twice during the winter. If they seem too dry, sprinkle a little water over them. The University of Minnesota Extension recommends dividing them in the spring, when the buds or “eyes” are more visible. When dividing them, separate them into sections, each with at least one good “eye” and a substantial piece of rhizome. Start them indoors in March and plant them out after the last frost. You can actually start them earlier, but who has the protected space to keep these large, rapidly growing plants until after the last Colorado frost? When planting them outside, a general rule of thumb is to start them four to six weeks before the last expected frost. Water them sparingly until the tops start to grow, then water more heavily. If you want to simplify this process, then you can leave the rhizomes in the pots and store them in a cool, dark, frost-free place for the winter. Stop watering them entirely. This method is not as hygienic as removing them from the pots in fall because disease causing fungi and bacteria are more likely to get a foothold. In March, remove the rhizomes from the pots, remove any soil clinging to them, wash them, separate the larger ones, and plant them into pots or into the garden about six inches deep.

Saving Your Cannas

Paula Szilard

Canna rhizomes cannot tolerate ground temperatures below freezing for any length of time. That is why they are overwintered indoors, usually in a cool basement or garage. Dig up the rhizomes after the foliage is damaged by the first frost. Do this carefully to avoid damaging them because any cuts or bruises are potential points of entry for disease-producing organisms, which can cause rot. The University of Minnesota Extension recommends that you cut the stems back to 2-3 inches after waiting for a few days to allow the foliage to dry out. Then wash them gently with a garden hose to remove the soil. And allow them to cure for 1-3 days at nigh humidity to prevent desiccation, keeping them away from sunlight and drying winds.

Store them in buckets or boxes of peat, vermiculite or sand in a cool dark place, at about 40--50 F. Do remember to label all stored plant material, unless you don’t mind being surprised the following summer! If your basement is too warm, sometimes a crawl space will work.. If you keep them in an unheated garage, then place them into an Styrofoam cooler close to an inside wall. You might want to inspect them once or twice during the winter. If they seem too dry, sprinkle a little water over them. The University of Minnesota Extension recommends dividing them in the spring, when the buds or “eyes” are more visible. When dividing them, separate them into sections, each with at least one good “eye” and a substantial piece of rhizome.

Start them indoors in March and plant them out after the last frost. You can actually start them earlier, but who has the protected space to keep these large, rapidly growing plants until after the last Colorado frost? When planting them outside, a general rule of thumb is to start them four to six weeks before the last expected frost. Water them sparingly until the tops start to grow, then water more heavily.

If you want to simplify this process, then you can leave the rhizomes in the pots and store them in a cool, dark, frost-free place for the winter. Stop watering them entirely. This method is not as hygienic as removing them from the pots in fall because disease causing fungi and bacteria are more likely to get a foothold. In March, remove the rhizomes from the pots, remove any soil clinging to them, wash them, separate the larger ones, and plant them into pots or into the garden about six inches deep.