Cannes

The canna flower is a prominent representative of the Cannes family. This is a ginger-flowered culture, which includes about 50 varieties of herbaceous varieties. It occurs naturally on the South American and Asian continents. In Europe, the plant appeared thanks to sailors from Portugal. It happened in the 16th century. However, the cultivation of flowers on these lands began only in the 17th century.

Translated from Greek, the word "kanna" means "reed". The bottom line is that the stem of the plant really does resemble a reed. If we consider the translation from Latin, then it sounds like a "pipe". There is an ancient legend according to which the canna flower first grew on the site of the fire on which the peace treaty was burned. This led to the development of a brutal war. It is believed that bright red flowers are a symbol of the blood that had to be shed for victory, or the tongues of this flame.

One of the characteristic features of the canna is the presence of well-developed rhizomes with a supply of nutrients. Thanks to this feature, in their homeland, the Indians consumed starchy modified shoots, and fed the juicy tops to livestock.

Cannes today is highly popular among florists and gardeners, because it blooms well and looks beautiful. There are several color options, so every connoisseur of colors can choose what they like.

Description of cannes

All parts of Cannes flowers are extraordinarily beautiful. The abundant green mass attracts attention. From the strong, erect stem, there are several excellent ornamental leaves with a waxy coating. The color of the foliage can be bright emerald, blue-green and burgundy. Thanks to this combination of pigments, this plant stands out in a favorable light against the background of the usual flora. Cannes flowers will decorate any garden and greenhouse, balcony and room. True, it rises above ordinary flower crops like Gulliver above the midgets.

With a quick glance at the canna, you might think that this plant is a hybrid of a banana palm and gladiolus. Bright perianths of all kinds of shades not only resemble the flowers of gladioli and orchids, but also compete with them in beauty. Articulating with wide leaf blades, like the oars of a boat, the plant supposedly convinces us that they are the result of such a distant crossing. But only nature is capable of creating such a miracle.

The plates of the sheets are rather massive and have a sharpness, as well as an elliptical shape. Their length, in turn, can start from 0.25 m and reach 0.8 m. The width, in turn, is 0.1-0.3 m on average. Due to the original color of the foliage and the unique shape, this plant looks very unusual. But it looks best after opening the buds.

The flowers are bisexual and are characterized by sharp asymmetry, their average size reaches 40-80 mm, the color is mainly red. Thanks to a large number of breeding work, varieties have appeared that have pink, yellow, orange flowers, edging, speck and even several tones at the same time. The least common is a white tint. Particularly noteworthy are the interesting inflorescences of the plant, represented by a brush or panicle.

Canna also differs in long flowering, which occurs from the last days of June to the moment of the onset of the first frost. The rhizome branches and grows quite widely. The stems are erect, their height reaches 60-300 cm, the thickness is also great.

It should be noted that when canna is grown in mid-latitudes, its flowers have no aroma, and in an extremely cold winter there is a risk of freezing. In other moments, the plant is 100% satisfied with gardeners. As for the positive aspects, the flower is characterized by a fairly high resistance to various diseases, so that even a gardener with minimal experience can start growing it. Cannes flowers look spectacular and do not require special care. They survive in arid conditions without any problems.

Brief rules for growing cannes

The table shows brief rules for caring for cannes in the garden.

Planting cannes in open ground

Sowing seeds

It is worth taking into account the fact that seedlings that have appeared usually do not retain the characteristics of the variety to which the parent plant belongs. And also the fact that not all varieties can set seeds. For this reason, gardeners propagate the canna in a vegetative way, namely by dividing the root system.

Nevertheless, if you really want to grow cannes from seeds, you can do it. After all, they have a fairly dense and durable shell, which must be softened without fail. First, the material is poured over with water, which has barely boiled, and then folded into a thermos. In it, in warm water, it should stay for 3-4 hours. It can also be sent to a warm battery and held for 12 hours. Or freeze it after keeping it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Sowing cannes seeds traditionally falls in February. For planting, a light substrate is usually used. As for the temperature mark of the environment, it should be 23 degrees maximum. In addition, crops should be in partial shade conditions.

Practice shows that the first cannes seedlings make themselves felt in 20-30 days. After 3-4 plates appear, you can send them to individual pots. Before transplanting into open soil, it is necessary to keep the seedlings at an average temperature of 16 degrees. Some part of the seedlings will bloom in the near future, while the other part will have flowers only by the next year.

Growing tubers

It is by dividing the tubers that you can qualitatively propagate cannes and get bushes that bloom well. Already from the first days of March, the tuber should be divided into parts. It is important to make sure that each of them has several small buds or one large one.

The cuts are processed with carbon powder. They require mandatory drying. Then it is necessary to tightly put the delenki in the container. In this case, the kidneys should be located horizontally. A layer of sand is poured on top, requiring regular moistening with the use of a spray bottle and "summer" water.

It is worth noting that the germination of the buds is best promoted by a temperature of 20-24 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, it is worth slightly heating the container from below. After the foliage has formed, they will feel cramped. In this situation, you should plant each of them in a small pot, which is then removed to a cool microclimate with good lighting. The temperature should be about 16 degrees with a plus sign.

They should be in it until they are transplanted into the soil. During this time, they should get stronger. To speed up the process, the bushes need to be watered. Water alone is not enough for this, it is best to use potassium permanganate at the rate of 2 g per 1 bucket of liquid.

It should be noted that not all gardeners are engaged in growing canna tubers. This, in turn, results in later flowering. Sometimes, with this approach, there is no blooming at all.

When to plant cannes

After the frosts have passed in the spring, you can proceed directly to preparing the site for planting cannes. The flower loves places with perfect lighting, where there are no drafts. It is important that the soil contains many organic elements as well as nutrients. The temperature also plays a role, it must be warmed up.

As for the conditions for caring for a cana, they should be approximately the same as for a cucumber. For cultivation, a soil mixture is traditionally used, it contains leafy earth, humus, peat and coarse sand. All this is in equal proportions. As for the bottom of the holes, drainage must be present on them.

Experts in summer cottage and garden business advise planting this color in the 10th of May or later. After all, if the bushes are affected by temperature drops, this will definitely lead to a slowdown in growth, and flowering will begin with a delay or not at all.

Landing in open ground

It is recommended to plant cannes flowers from mid-May to the very end of the month. This work is carried out strictly after the frosts are gone. For active growth and development of the plant, the so-called "hot" litter is required.

First, you need to make a hole, which is about 0.5 m in diameter, and then lay drainage at its bottom, which includes manure (thickness indicator - 20 m). Only with this approach will the root system stay warm, so the bushes will bloom to delight with their beauty.

Soil is poured on top of the manure without fail. The thickness of this tier also deserves special attention, it is equal to 25 cm. After abundant watering of the soil, canna bushes are planted in it, which are subsequently dug in. If a bulb is planted that has not sprouted, embedding is required to a depth of 6-9 cm.The distance between the bushes, as well as the width between the rows, should be 50 cm.After the cannes are planted in the soil, the bushes will bloom quite quickly, approximately after 6-8 weeks.

Canal care in the garden

Watering

Watering cannes is carried out on a regular basis and in moderation. This is done until the stems appear. After the canna begins to bloom, you need to provide it with more abundant watering. However, it is unacceptable to allow liquid stagnation in this system.Indeed, in the case of constant waterlogging, the active development of bacteria and fungi will begin in it.

Top dressing

Throughout the growing season, cannes need feeding, which is carried out 2 or 3 times. For these purposes, it is customary to use mineral fertilizers. After watering the bushes, fertilizer (granular) is poured onto the soil surface, and then the soil must be loosened. The volume of the nutrient mixture is small - about 50 g for each "square". The composition should contain nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers (12, 10, 25 g, respectively).

Pruning

Inflorescences that have had time to bloom must be removed without fail. This is done at least from the very beginning of the growing season to its middle. The same goes for removing weeds. Hilling is required from the moment of flowering until the first frost appears. Only in this situation will the necks of the roots receive reliable protection from damage due to frost. At the end of flowering, the cannes will no longer require excessive watering.

Pests

Some canna diseases have been described earlier, but the list goes on. The plant is most vulnerable to nematodes and caterpillars. To get rid of these parasites, spraying the bushes with the use of special insecticidal preparations is required.

Keeping cannes in winter

Immediately before frost, the bushes, as already noted, spud. This, in turn, will help provide them with comprehensive protection against severe frosts. If you ignore this point, you can find rot on them in winter.

As soon as the first frosts pass, it is necessary to start cutting the cannes shoots. This usually happens at a height of 15-20 centimeters. After that, the rhizome is dug out together with a lump of earth. It remains only to remove the shrub in the place in which it will stay until spring. Most often this is a cool space, where there is moderate humidity and diffused streams of light.

The rhizomes of the flowers are placed in wooden boxes. In order for them to be well preserved and continue to "live", it is necessary to pour on top a mixture of some of their species - soil, peat, sand, sawdust. It is desirable that the moisture indicator of this mixture be around the 50% mark. As for the temperature regime, it should traditionally be 6-8 degrees.

In the process of storing rhizomes, regular inspection of them for changes plays an important role. Indeed, over time, rot can form on them. The area that was affected should be excised up to the part where the healthy tissue is. With all this, the sections are processed using iodine. It is also important to monitor temperature and humidity, avoiding sharp fluctuations in these indicators.

If desired, the rhizomes can be placed on a shelf in the refrigerator before spring comes. To do this, you need to take the roots prepared in the fall, wash them thoroughly under running water, and then hold them in a solution of potassium manganese for a day. After that, it remains to dry them and wrap each tuber in a paper sheet (separately). Then they are all sent to the refrigerator, usually on the shelf where vegetables are stored. In winter, as already noted, a check should be made for the formation of rot.

Another proven way to store dry rhizomes is to place them in a plastic bucket and then cover them with a layer of soil. In this case, they lie on the balcony throughout the winter. When severe frosts come, the container must be kept on the floor at home, right next to the balcony door.

Some gardeners store canna tubers in a special container designed for them in the soil, sending them to a cool room for the winter, where it is no more than 15 degrees. The container can be easily placed in any convenient place, for example, on the veranda, attic, loggia. However, with this approach, it is important to water once every two weeks, while the amount of water is insignificant.

If the winter is mild and warm in the region, storage of canna rhizomes takes place in the garden. They need to be dug up and stacked in an area that is not flooded by melt water in spring and is equipped with reliable protection against gusts of wind. It is worth pouring sawdust on top with a layer thickness of 20 cm.

Canal care at home

Flower lovers often turn the cannu into a tub or pot plant. For these purposes, they usually choose those types and varieties that can stand on the terrace, balcony or at home. The latter types of crops have mainly exclusively decorative properties, therefore they are often chosen as the basis of flower compositions. In addition, the duration of the "rest" period is 8 weeks. For the rest of the time, it grows and pleases all household members with its beauty.

Growing cannes in indoor conditions can be carried out constantly, in fact, like many potted plants. For these purposes, it is customary to use a standard flower pot. Also in the fall, you can dig a bush that grows in open ground, and then plant it in a tub, a pot 50 cm transversely. Before doing this, the soil must be watered using an insecticide solution. This approach will ensure the prevention of infestation by all kinds of pests.

Basic rules of care

Indoor canna is a plant that does not require strict rules, unlike a garden flower. This is due, first of all, to the fact that she does not need spraying, weeding, as well as various loosening, top dressing.

All that is required of a florist is the choice of the optimal place with a lot of sunlight. As for irrigation, it is also carried out subject to special conditions: the fact is that it requires the use of water that has settled well. The procedure itself is organized as needed.

It is important to regularly remove dust from the leaves using a soft, damp cloth. At the end of the flowering period, the bush will still look spectacular because of the unusual leaves.

Canna after flowering

A canna bush that has already bloomed should rest. In this regard, the flower grower requires a reduction in watering (gradual) with its complete cessation later. Leaves are traditionally cut at a height of 10-15 centimeters, starting from the base of the bush. After that, the flower is transferred to a dry place with a fairly low temperature (the minimum mark is 10 degrees).

When spring comes, the rhizome is taken out of the pot, and then divided into several elements for subsequent seedling. Separated parts can be grown anywhere - on a loggia or in open ground.

Types and varieties of cannes with photos and names

Cannes flowers are available in a wide variety of varieties. The main ones will be discussed below.

Indian Canna (Canna indica)

It is the progenitor of many other types of cannes, which are most popular with gardeners. The variety is also called "garden canna". Hybrids of this species, in turn, are divided into three groups.

Cannes Crosey

This species is traditionally undersized and has a height in the range from 0.6 to 1.6 m. As for the flowers, outwardly they strongly resemble gladiolus. The surface has a whitish coating, the petals are bent.

The history of this flower is also unique. The fact is that in 1868 a French scientist named Crozi created the first hybrid, which also received the alternative name "French canna". The most common types are the following crops:

• The president - the bush has a height of 100 cm, the length of the inflorescences is 0.3 m, they contain bright red flowers, the foliage has a green color, the beginning of flowering occurs in July;
• Livadia - the height of the plant is 1 m, inflorescences of a crimson shade grow on such bushes, their length is up to 30 cm, the foliage is purple, the beginning of the flowering process occurs in July;
• America - on average, the height of the bushes is 1.2-1.4 m, the flowers are cinnabar-red, their diameter reaches 12 cm, as for the inflorescences, the length is 0.35 m maximum, the phylet foliage makes this plant special.

Orchid cannes

This culture has flowers that resemble Cattleya in shape. The bush is vigorous, and its height reaches 200 cm. The flowers are large, the diameter can be 17.5 cm. The corrugated edge makes the plant interesting. The foliage is bright green with purple splashes (they may not be there). Among beginners and experienced gardeners, the following varieties are most popular:

• Andequin en Pfitzer - the bush can be up to 1.4 m high, the inflorescences are 0.3 m long, in the composition - orange-colored flowers and purple-brown foliage, the beginning of the flowering period occurs in July;
• Richard Wallace - the plant can reach a height of 100 m, the inflorescences are up to 23 cm long, in the composition - yellow flowers with specks on the surface, as well as green leaves, the culture begins to bloom in June;
• Suevia - the height of the bushes is 100 m, the size of the inflorescences is 12-15 cm, in the composition there are lemon-colored flowers and green leaves, flowering is quite early and begins in the last days of June.

Small-flowered (deciduous) cannes

The height of this bush is about 3 m, the leaves are purple and look quite impressive. Sometimes their color can be just green, but it looks beautiful anyway. The flowers are small, no more than 60 mm. The most popular among florists is Durban, a variety with bright orange-yellow flowers.

Cannes are beautiful and unpretentious flowers that are popular with many gardeners. Cannes can be grown both outdoors and on the balcony or in the room.