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willy1der
01-28-2010, 12:37 PM
Just checked on my canna's and I see the smaller varieties(richard wallace,tropicana,dwarfs.etc) are drying out to the point I dont think they can wait another 3 months.Is it possible to start these growing and then put them dormant again to keep them alive???I have some cannas that had bulbs so small that storing them dry would have killed them( from dominican Republic)so I am growing them near the window.Look like $%#@ but they are living!!!Thanks for your replys.

jack hagenaars
01-30-2010, 01:35 PM
mine are in the garage in pots still...I water them once a month...some are starting to grow....I leave them until the threat of frost is done then move them outside in the shade for a few days...and then into their summer spots as it starts to warm up.

willy1der
01-30-2010, 01:57 PM
Ive dug up from outside and stored bare rhizome,my musifolia,and wyoming rizhomes are as thick as potatoes so I dont have to worry about those ones.I am going to put them in pots till they are breaking soil and then Im going to put them back to dormancy and see if this works.Thanks for the reply jack!!!!

sandy0225
01-31-2010, 07:37 PM
I dig mine and put them into rubbermaid storage containers just after digging. They go down into the basement. At first, leave the lids off for about a week or two. Then put the lids on. Check them in a few days after putting the lids on, if there's condensation of moisture on the inside of the tub, leave the lids off for a few days and then put them back on. Keep checking them, and leave the lids off for 3-4 days, when you find condensation. Eventually they will find a moisture balance and keep. Then you can keep the lids on and keep them two years. I know--I just found a tub that I missed putting out last year and they are just fine.
If yours are too dry, soak/submerge them in a bucket of warm water overnight, then drain really well, put them into a tub and start them out for a week with no lid. Then put on the lid and keep cycling it on and off as above. You may be able to save them.

willy1der
01-31-2010, 09:15 PM
good idea sandy,I will give it a try,do you give them a fungicide dusting at all,just curios!!

sandy0225
02-01-2010, 11:33 AM
no I haven't ever done that, but I don't see what it would hurt. Especially if you already have it on hand. I always had trouble saving canna tubers until I tried doing it this way, and it works good with sweet potatoes too. I can save them till spring, and they used to dry out on me, or rot. I've not tried it on dahlia tubers either, but I would think it would be similar.