Over Wintering Water Canna

Over Wintering Water Canna

Water Canna are hardy to zone 8. In northern zones there are several ways to keep them through the winter. In the fall, once the foliage is damaged by frost, remove the pot from the pond. I have listed below several over wintering choices, just choose the one that will work best for you.

Place the pot in a in a container that you keep filled with water and place it in front of a sunny window for the winter. In the spring, when the pond water temperature is above 60 degrees, place the Canna back into the pond.
Place the potted plant in a cool, dry, frost free area. A basement or cellar works well. Let the plant almost dry out. Water periodically to keep the the tubers from drying out.
Un-pot the tuber. Gently rinse off all of the soil. Allow the tuber to air dry, then cover them with barely moist peat moss. Store the tuber in a cool, frost free area for the winter. Lightly mist the peat moss covered tuber with water periodically to keep the tuber from completely drying out.

If you choose method number 3, use these instructions to start the tuber back up in the spring.

Remove the tuber from storage.
Put 2-3 inches of soil in a pot.
Lay the tuber on top of the soil.
Finish filling the pot with soil over the top of the tuber. You may place pea gravel on top of the soil if you wish.
Place pond plant fertilizer tablets (2 tablets per gallon of soil) down into the soil.
Water very lightly.

Continue watering very lightly until you see new growth emerge from the soil. As the leaves begin to grow, gradually increase the amount of water. After you see several inches of new growth, you can fill the hole-less pot with water to the top of the pot. Or, if the pond water temperature is above 60 degrees, you can place the pot directly into the pond. If you place the plant directly into the pond, do not completely submerge the plant. Keep the water just barely over the top of the pot. As the plant grows, the pot can be lowered further into the pond.

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