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"rosemarie face" wrote in message ... Hi everyone ! This year for the first time I had a bed of Cannas in my garden . How do I store them for winter ?? I have read up on it a little and it said to store them in peat moss . My dilemma is that I can't find any in any stores around here . Are there other alternatives ? I want to store them in my basement . Please help ! Thanks ! Rosie z5 Just what you need - another answer! I dig them up and hose off all the soil. Because I don't want soft tissue that can rot (and has for me, in the past), I clip back the fine roots to about 2". Dry the tubers on screens for a day. Pick up a container of sulfur powder at a garden store. While you're there, pick up some vermiculite - enough to completely cover all the tubers in their storage container. Put an appropriate amount of sulfur in a plastic bag, drop in the bulbs, and shake to dust them as if you were dusting chicken with flour. Remove the roots and shake off the excess sulfur. Bury the tubers in vermiculite. I use large plastic storage boxes because they're more manageable than plastic bags. And, they won't get holes in them, which would cause vermiculite to leak all over the place. And, you'll want to check the condition of the tubers and moisture level in the box from time to time. Opening a lid is easier than dealing with a bag in the corner of a dark basement. The vermiculite can be used year after year. By the way, you should work OUTDOORS with vermiculite. If I recall, the dust is something you shouldn't breathe. This technique came from a hotel gardener I knew in Long Island 25 years ago. His reasoning was as follows: 1) The soil contains microorganisms which make compost. He didn't want to take any chances with the little buggers making compost out of his canna roots. 2) The sulfur raises the acidity level of the tubers' "skin", which he felt would lessen the chances of rotting. 3) The vermiculite is sterile, at least in theory. Considering that this guy grew ten foot tall cannas, and the tubers were enormous, I was inclined to take his advice. And, it works. |
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