It is difficult to pass by the cannas without paying attention to it: both its large leaves, and even more so its bright, spectacular flowers, will invariably attract the eye. This is not to say that this beauty is too unpretentious to the conditions of growing and caring for her, but with some effort and certain rules, it is quite possible to grow this colorful plant on the site, even if the grower is new to this business. Below is described in detail what the canna looks like, landing and care in the open ground.
Appearance and Origin of Cannes
The Cannes family includes about fifty species. Canna is a perennial plant, herbaceous, distributed in America, India and China. A flower came into Europe several centuries ago and gradually won the love of gardeners.
Kanna amazes with its colors and shapes of even the most demanding gardeners
The stems of the plant are straight, not branching. The leaves are glossy, large, oval, oblong, pointed at the ends. The color, depending on the variety, can be green, and purple, and striped, and even multi-colored. Quite large and brightly colored flowers are located in inflorescences - paniculate or racemose.
The bright blooming of Cannes is simply impossible not to notice
Popular types of cannes
Among flower growers, the following varieties have proven themselves well.
Kanna indian
Almost all the popular varieties of cannes that can decorate the garden are derived from the Indian (garden) canna. Each hybrid variety belongs to one of three groups:
- Krozi's Cannes are low (from 0.5 to 1.5 m) varieties resembling the appearance of gladiolus. The surface of the leaves is covered with a whitish coating, and the petals on the flowers slightly bend. The most popular varieties of this group are America, Livadia, President;
- Cannes are orchid. Plants reach a height of 1 to 2 m, large flowers with a corrugated edge in shape resemble Cattleya. The leaves are green or with a slight purple tint. The most common varieties in this group are Suevia, Richard Wallace, Andenken en Pfitzer;
- Cannes are small flowered. Bushes can reach 3 m. The main attraction of this group is the leaf, its color can vary from green and yellow to pink and purple. Flowers with such enormous growth are quite small and against the background of bright leaves look inconspicuous, therefore, varieties of this group are rarely grown. The most popular among them is Durban, which attracts with its variegated foliage.
Note! Canna Red is one of the most popular varieties of Indian Canna. It looks great both in single and in group plantings, invariably attracting attention with its large bright flowers.
Crozie's Cannes look like flowers gladiolus
Kanna Lucifer
Despite its name, this is a very beautiful plant, characterized by an unusual red-yellow color and shape of flowers. It is this variety that is grown as a room, although it grows well on the street. Many gardeners practice its cultivation in an open flowerbed, and with the onset of cold weather, the cannas are dug up and brought into the house. Adapting to new conditions of stay, Canna Lucifer will begin to produce new shoots and peduncles. It should only be placed on a well-lit windowsill.
Important! Before planting in a pot, a street canna should be treated with prophylactic insecticides.
Before placing the transplanted canna next to other indoor plants, make sure that there are no pests on it, otherwise home specimens may be in jeopardy.
The basic rules of landing Cannes
There are many ways to plant a flower.
Seed cultivation
This is not the easiest and most reliable way of propagating cannes, since not all hybrid varieties are able to preserve all the characteristics of the parent plant, and some do not form seeds at all. Nevertheless, if this particular method of reproduction is chosen, this is quite realistic.
Note! Canna seeds are covered in a very dense shell, so it’s very difficult for them to germinate just like that.
Experienced growers recommend first holding the seeds for several hours in the cold (it can be snow or a refrigerator), then pour boiling water over them and stand for several hours in a thermos. After this, the shell is usually scarified (scratched) and after all these procedures they are planted in the substrate.
Planting seeds for seedlings is carried out around the end of winter. The soil should contain a sufficient amount of nutrients and be light. The air temperature must be maintained at a level of 20-22 ° C, and the pots themselves should be placed in partial shade.
The first seedlings will appear no earlier than after 3-4 weeks, so growing seedlings requires some patience. After 3-4 normal leaves appear on the sprouts, they can be dived into separate containers. In this case, the temperature of the seedlings should be slightly reduced (to 16-18 ° C).
Planting seedlings in open soil is made when steady heat occurs. For the first time, canna flowers can be thrown both this year and next.
Particularly impressive are group plantings of cannes of the same variety.
Stages of planting and care in the open ground:
- A place to land. Kanna prefers open sunny areas, reliably protected from drafts. The soil should be light, nutritious, well-drained and deeply dug before planting. This southern beauty should be planted only after the soil warms up well and the threat of frost passes. Between neighboring plants, a distance of 0.5 to 0.5 m should be made. Pits for planting need to be dug up spacious, especially if the root is old enough.
- Watering. The rules of irrigation are simple: until the shoots appear, they conduct moderate, gradually increasing the volume of water with the growth of plants. Blooming cannas need abundant and regular watering, otherwise there is no waiting for lush flowering.
- Top dressing. Kanna - a flower, planting and care for which will require compliance with certain rules. One of the main among them is timely top dressing. The plant needs to be fed at least once a week, using liquid complex fertilizers for flowering plants. In this case, the nitrogen content in them should be minimal, because otherwise the plant will actively increase its green mass, and flowering will be significantly reduced. By the way, when planting, some gardeners use the so-called hot litter, when fresh horse manure is brought to the bottom of the pit, sprinkled with a layer of soil on top, and then a plant is planted. Thus, manure will gradually burn out, releasing heat in the process, which will invariably affect the quality and duration of flowering of cannons.
- The specifics of care during flowering and dormancy. How to care for cannons during the flowering period is easy to figure out. Watering and fertilizer are the main factors in the normal development and flowering, whether it is a garden or indoor plant variety. The resting state of homemade cannon varieties lasts no more than two months. During this period, their leaves and peduncles dry. It is better to cut them off immediately, thus saving plant strength. During the dormant period, watering and the temperature at which the flowers are contained should be somewhat reduced.
Important! Canna is a flower from which it is necessary to remove faded inflorescences. This will help to keep their attractive appearance longer.
Wilted inflorescences must be removed
Rhizome propagation
Rhizome division is the easiest way to propagate a plant. To this end, in early autumn, the roots are carefully dug up, trying not to damage them. Better to have some land left on them. Root storage in winter is best done in the cellar. At the same time, you need to periodically inspect them to avoid the appearance and spread of rot.
As soon as spring arrives, the rhizome is carefully divided so that not to catch the kidneys, and on each divide there should be at least 2-3 living buds. Sections for the purpose of prevention need to be processed with crushed coal and slightly dried. After that, the separated parts are planted in a greenhouse.
Note! As the plants grow and interfere with each other, they are planted in separate containers in which they will be located immediately until they are transplanted into open soil.
Cannes attract the eye not only with their flowers, but also with unusual leaves
Winter storage
Caring for cannes in anticipation of winter depends on the climatic conditions of a particular area. If winters are snowy and warm, it is quite possible to leave in the open ground. In this case, before the onset of cold weather, at the end of flowering, it is necessary to prune the stems at a height of 10-15 cm and high them up to protect them from freezing of the root neck.
If the winter is supposed to be frosty, it is better not to take risks and dig up a flower. It is better to store it after easy drying, covering the roots with a layer of sawdust or sand. Storage temperature should not be higher than 10 ° С.
Kanna looks great anywhere
Important! In the spring, you should not plant a perennial root as a whole, it is better to divide it.
Possible pests and diseases and their control
In general, cannes are quite resistant to many diseases and pests. Most often, their appearance is associated with a violation of the rules for caring for the plant.
- Rotting of the roots. With moisture stagnation in the basal zone, root decay may develop, which is fraught with death of the plant. Ill bushes are dug up, rotten rhizomes are removed, and it is imperative to treat the cuts with powdered coal. For the purpose of prevention, before planting the soil, it is necessary to dig up the soil well and deeply, and after each watering, loosen it, avoiding the formation of a crust.
- Bacterial disease. To answer the question of why it appears is quite simple - excessive watering. When defeated, the buds turn black, and white plaque begins to appear on the leaves. Unfortunately, this disease is incurable. Affected plants are destroyed immediately.
Cannes can hit caterpillars
- Rust fungus. With it, yellowish, rusty spots appear on the foliage. The treatment consists in treating the bushes with a potassium permanganate solution.
- Variegated virus. Black dots appear on the leaves. If the affected leaves are not removed in time, the disease will spread to flowers that begin to fade and curl.
- Caterpillars. Among pests, the main danger to cannons is caterpillars. To destroy them and prevent the appearance, they use special insecticidal preparations.
The main condition under which the undoubtedly loved canna will be magnificent and bright, and, most importantly, bloom for a long time, is proper care for it. If you follow the simple rules described above, the cannes will look just awesome.
