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How to Store Canna Bulbs
How to Store Canna Bulbs. One of the most striking flowers you can have in your garden in the canna lily. You've enjoyed their blooms and low maintenance all summer long but now it's time to get your hands dirty. If you live in zones 7 thru 10 then you can leave your canna bulbs (actually called rhizomes) in the ground. Those in zones 6 and colder...
One of the most striking flowers you can have in your garden in the canna lily. You've enjoyed their blooms and low maintenance all summer long but now it's time to get your hands dirty. If you live in zones 7 thru 10 then you can leave your canna bulbs (actually called rhizomes) in the ground. Those in zones 6 and colder need to dig up these summertime show-stoppers and store them for the winter. It's not a difficult task but a necessary one so you can enjoy these magnificent flowers year after year to really get your money's worth.
Things You'll Need
Gardening trowel
Plastic bin or bucket
Pruner
Garden hose
Newspaper
Trim canna stalks down to 1 inch above ground level after the first frost and discard or compost them.
Search for new canna eye buds poking through the ground around the canna planting bed where the tip of the stalks remain. Cannas will typically triple the amount of bulbs over a growing season so don't be surprised if it seems like they multiplied. They did!
Insert a garden trowel at a 45 degree angle under the bulbs and gently push in deep, then lift and pry gently to bring the bulbs up through the soil.
Repeat this process throughout the entire canna lily flower bed until you think you've lifted out all the bulbs.
Shake off excess dirt from the flower bulbs. For heavy or clay soil rinse the bulbs with a garden hose to blast off most of the dirt and make storage a little less messy. This also retains that soil in your planting bed.
Place newspapers in the bottom of a plastic bin or large bucket and put the canna bulbs on top of the paper to form a layer of bulbs, then put down another layer of newspapers, then more bulbs, and repeat until all the bulbs have been stored. Do not cover the bin or bucket. Leave it open to allow air circulation around the bulbs and prevent them from getting moldy.
Store the bucket of canna bulbs in a cool, dark place such as a basement or garage as long as the temperature does not get below freezing during the winter. Your cannas will be ready for planting next summer.
Tips & Warnings
Cut away any dead or diseased parts of canna bulbs before storing. As long as there is at least one eye node, it will grow when planted.
Bring those extra canna bulbs to garden exchanges to trade for other flowering bulbs or other perennials on your wish list.
Be sure cannas are not stored in a hot or sunny area as they may get overly dried out and may not grow.
