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Canna lily can convey a tidy sum of semblance and personality to your garden , thanks to a long blooming period and attractive but straight leaf .
However , while these plants are technically perennials , you will usually have to dig up them up each twelvemonth .
This is because the rhizomes need to be overwintered like bulbs ( which is why they ’re often called medulla oblongata erroneously ) .
Here ’s everything you require to know about when and how to dig up those rhizomes so your cannas can be at their safe each year .
How And When To Dig Up Canna Bulbs?
canna want to be dug in the fall up for rootstock variance and overwintering .
The process is elementary but may not need to be done every year , count on your zona , and the cannas are pot .
When To Divide
Canna rhizome need to be separate every 2 to 3 years to reduce overcrowding and murder the honest-to-god cardinal portion of the clump .
Most growers will divide when they deracinate the plant for wintertime memory .
However , in caseful where the plant does n’t need to be uprooted ( such as in warmer zone or when they ’re kept in container that can be bring indoors ) , the division is still best performed in the fall once the foliage dies back .
Do I Need To Dig Up Cannas In My Zone?
Cannas can handle a bit of frigidity but are n’t frost tolerant .
In USDA hardiness zone 10 to 12 ( as well as parts of geographical zone 9b ) , the ground never get cold enough to damage or shoot down the rhizome so that you may will them in the ground .
Depending on the coinage or cultivar , your plant may be a little more cold - hardy , in which vitrine they can be left in the ground with a thick layer of protective mulch in zones 8 to 9 .
Suppose you have a less tolerant industrial plant or live in zone 7b or cooler . In that typeface , you ’ll demand to extirpate the rhizome every year and winter it indoors .
homework : What You ’ll ask
Only a few tools are ask , and most can be fill in for something similar :
Step 1: Cut Back The Cannas
Regardless of where you live or where the canna is imbed , you will require to cut it back once the farewell get to die off .
Taller canna should be abbreviate to around 3 ” inches above the ground , whiledwarf canna works can be cut backto about 2 ” inches .
Container plant life that can be go indoors are generally geld back to the ground level .
If you live in a warm enough zone , this is where you may stop unless it ’s clip to divide .
Just be certain to sum enough mulch to cover the stalks if in zona 8 to 9 .
If it ’s a dividing year , continue with Step 2 .
Step 2: Excavate and Clean
Move around 6 ” inches away from the base of operations of the flora and put your branching or shovel in the ground , aiming flat down .
lick your direction around the industrial plant until you ’ve created a consummate rotary .
Now insert your toil cock and mildly pry the clod out of the soul , allow it top onto the tarp or cloth you ’ve lay out .
Gently knock off any loose shite to bring out the rootstock , careful not to scratch or snick the out open .
you’re able to also apply a hose to spray the dirt off .
Step 3: Divide
Take a good spirit at the rhizome and commence planning where you need to separate them .
Each rhizome clod will need to have at least three eyes and should be healthy .
Look for any soft and discolored touch which will need to be discarded .
you’re able to use crisp , sterile shear , scissor hold , or your hands to break off each section .
Remember to throw away the cardinal rhizome , approach the ending of its bloom .
Rhizomes are solid and starchy on the interior like a potato , so check for any sign of disease and discard taint bulbs .
sop each sizeable rootstock in a solvent of 1 part bleach to 9 parts piss for about 30 minutes , then let them to atmosphere dry somewhere with indirect sunlight for 2 to 3 days .
you’re able to either replant the break rhizomes ( in zones 10 to 12 or if in container ) or continue with measure 4 for overwintering .
Step 4: Curing Bulbs
For rhizome that require to be overwintered , continue air - drying them for seven days .
You do n’t need light for this , soCannas can be storedin a warm closet or garage while curing .
This process helps murder spare wet that could otherwise conduct to rot over the wintertime months .
Step 5: Overwintering
insure out this article fordetails on winter potted canna lilies .
Note: Canna Rhizomes Need Checking
While the process of overwintering a canna rootstalk is similar to that of bulb , it ’s important to remember that they are NOT bulbs .
As a resultant role , you will desire to agree them every few weeks for signs of rot .
If caught early enough , you may prune away the browned discussion section , pass on only the healthy whitened flesh .
However , you may see it necessary to fling the entire rootstock if there ’s a lot of rot .
They will also ask another thorough inspection in the bound when you ’re ready to engraft .
