On 19 Feb, 15:14, Bookworm wrote:
I lost all my Cannas in pots in an unheated Greenhouse. I have just
bought some new ones but not as many as I lost. The ones I purchased
are just beginning to shoot. Can I divide them up with one shoot per
division and do I have to treat the cuts?

On 19 Feb, 15:14, Bookworm wrote:
I lost all my Cannas in pots in an unheated Greenhouse. I have just
bought some new ones but not as many as I lost. The ones I purchased

are just beginning to shoot. Can I divide them up with one shoot per
division and do I have to treat the cuts?

Hi there.

May I suggest you overwinter as growing houseplants ?

I was given one Canna shoot with roots from a friend 2 years ago. It's
orange flowered with brown & white speckles in the throat.

This was potted in John Innes, and it loved it and grew like a weed.
So much so that I split it and made 3 potted plants. Two of these have
been subsequently split (actually in Spring and Summer in my case) and
have again grown and been given away.

I live in Lancashire in the cold north-west, and they're grown and
been overwintered in my heated lounge close to patio doors. Having
lost so many houseplants years ago through overwatering, I've been
sparse with the can at this time of year.

They'll go outside for the summer, and return indoors in autumn. I've
tried to stop their growth by putting them in a colder room and
watering less, but was afraid they'd die off and not return. That
first winter when I saw one of my giveaways in a neighbours warm
lounge sporting 3ft. high growth in December, I realised that if
they're happy to keep growing (albeit slowly), then I should just let
them grow.

I've always waited til the plant tells you when it wants splitting, ie
its pushing out new shoots that then start growing a few inches. You
can test if they're the right size by checking if they've got their
own roots on. Just then trace the new shoot back to the parent and
split or cut away, and pot in John Innes 3. I've not needed to treat
the cut with anything, and no damage/disease has been caused.

They're fantastic as houseplants, actually, having tall, spear-shaped
leaves all year and exotic flowers in summer.

As the expert Sacha says, it's probably best just to let them bulk up
for a month or two, and establish a strong root system, so when you do
split them, it won't affect the main plant.

Good luck with yours - what colour are they ?