By Webmoose
Hampshire,
United Kingdom 
OK! I know I should have but I didn't. Nobody to blame but myself!
I DIDN'T LIFT MY CANNAS FOR THE WINTER!!!
Now that everything is starting to poke through I've been peering at the pots for a while and it appears there is no life.
Yesterday got the better of mee so I decided to have aa poke around with a trowl!
Finding the root it appears to be white and hard.
Does that mean its alive?
8 Apr, 2012
Answers
Sound promising then. They are in pots anyway so I'll let them get on with what they are doing. Thanks for the quick reply!
8 Apr, 2012
if theres ever a sign of life theres a chance as nothing wants to die .
8 Apr, 2012
If they're in pots stick them somewhere warm, even the corner of the living room. They need soil temps in the region of 15 to 20°c to get going.
8 Apr, 2012
Thanks Meanie, didnt know that so will do. I have the perfect spot!!
9 Apr, 2012
Another "fact" that I never knew is that it is perfectly feasible to go from seed to bloom in a single season with Canna...............
9 Apr, 2012
Gotcha!
9 Apr, 2012
From seed to bloom eh. I did try to collect seeds last year but read that they are difficult to germinate. May try it this year. I love the tropical feel it gives the patio.
9 Apr, 2012
Easy to germinate, but a real booger to scarify! Easiest way that I found to scarify them was to give them two 24hr soaks using the hot water method and then nibble the outer coat carefully with nail clippers (everyone has their own method - that is just mine). Do it carefully so as not to damage the embryo and then give them another 24hr soak with quite warm water before sowing 6mm deep and placing in a warm spot.
9 Apr, 2012
Great advice. I'll give that a go as I know my mum would love some!!
9 Apr, 2012
Good seed (as in pretty fresh, no more than a year old) will give 100% germination.
Certainly for the first year, you MUST avoid any hint of frost.
9 Apr, 2012
Great stuff. I've had my eye on some seeds on ebay for Cannas, they say they are fresh.
You sound like you're a bit of an expert!!
10 Apr, 2012
Far from it - I was sent the seed by someone on another forum when I expressed my doubts!!
The scarification technique is my own, and I can always get my Canna to start easily, bloom well and create huge tubers! They can also be started off if placed on the top of a pile of sand in a carrier bag. Leave the top of the bag open to prevent rot.
10 Apr, 2012
Well I'll give it a go - thanks!
10 Apr, 2012
Sounds OK. As long as the Canna rhizomes are solid then they should grow. We had a mild winter so they probably did fine. If you put a mulch around them then remove that to encourage shoots to grow but I doubt you will see any till May. Slugs and Aphids may get there first so I normally stick them in a pot to move things along.
8 Apr, 2012