Canna indica, the flower of summer

Canna indica leaves can be green or colored

Would you like to contemplate some beautiful flowers in your garden or terrace? The canna indica are some of the plants that bloom for much of the year, but it is in summer when they brighten our day to day the most by showing us their most extraordinary petals.

They are very easy plants to maintain, to the point that it could be said that the difficult thing is to lose them. And it is that, as long as they have plenty of light and water, they will grow perfectly.

Origin and characteristics of canna indica

Canna indica is a rhizomatous plant

All the canna indica They are bulbous plants originating in Central America, but today you can find them in all temperate-warm climate gardens around the world. They grow to a height of approximately 3m, and they have beautiful leaves that can be green, reddish or purple depending on the variety. It also has flowers of different colors: yellow, red, bicolor ... They appear in spring and summer, and remain until mid-autumn.

They are popularly known as Indian cane, crab flower, yerba del rosario, achera, risgua or chisgua. Its growth rate is very fast as long as it has enough water at its disposal and the temperatures are warm.

What are the care that must be provided?

Keeping an Indies cane healthy is simple, but we recommend taking the following into account so that no problems arise:

Location

It must be located in an exposed area, directly in the sun. But if you do not have any available space at the moment, you can also have it in partially shaded areas, as long as it is very bright.

Earth

Will grow on all types of terrain, but although it is true that it will develop better in those that have good drainage and do not have a tendency to compact.

  • Garden: not demanding. It grows well even in limestone.
  • Flower pot: the container must have holes in its base, and be filled with universal substrate mixed with 30% perlite, claystone or fine construction sand.

Subscriber

Canna indica flowers can be of various colors

Likewise, you will also appreciate being periodically fertilized with slow-release fertilizers, like the ones you can get in nurseries or with worm castings, from spring to late summer.

Irrigation

If we talk about watering, this will have to be frequent, especially during the flowering season, since it does not tolerate drought. You can take advantage of the irrigation water, once a month, to add a little guano to fertilize your plant. This way, will have a greater number of flowers.

Planting or transplanting time

Early spring It is a good time to plant it in the garden, or change the pot following this step by step:

Planting in the garden

  1. First, you have to choose the location, taking into account that it must be watered very often, and that it requires direct sunlight.
  2. Next, dig a hole about 30 "by 30" and fill it with water. Then wait for the earth to absorb it, something it should do in a few minutes. If you see that it takes a long time, make the largest hole, 50 x 50cm.
  3. Then, add a layer of about 10 centimeters (or 20cm if the earth finds it difficult to absorb the water) with fine construction sand, clay, volcanic clay or similar.
  4. Next, remove the plant from the pot or rhizome and place them in the center. If it is too high or far below ground level, remove or add more clay, volcanic clay, ... or whatever you have used 🙂.
  5. Finally, finish filling with universal substrate.

Pot change

The change to a larger pot you have to do it every 2-3 years, when you see that roots are coming out of the drainage holes, or the plant has occupied the entire container and cannot continue growing.

It is done as follows:

  1. First, choose a pot with holes in its base about 5-7cm wider and deeper.
  2. Then fill it in a bit with universal substrate.
  3. Then remove it from its old pot, and place it in the new one, in the center. In the event that it is too high or low, remove or add dirt.
  4. Finally, finish filling, and water.

Multiplication

La canna indica multiplies by seeds, and division of rhizomes in spring:

Seeds

Before sowing them, they must be soaked in water for 24 hours. Later, are sown in seed trays with peat or mulch, placed outside in semi-shade.

After a week or two, they will begin to germinate.

Rhizome division

When the plants reach 4-5 years of cultivation, the rhizomes can be divided and thus new specimens can be obtained. For it, you have to dig them up and cut the aforementioned with a knife previously disinfected.

Afterwards, they are planted in individual pots or in other areas of the garden, and watered.

Pests

It can be attacked by aphids, mealybugs, drills, worms, and plusias (a type of caterpillars). Fortunately, they are not usually serious, and even so, they fight well with natural products, such as neem oil or potassium soap.

Management

Sometimes, when the soil is very compact and, in addition, it is watered too much, always keeping it flooded, the fungi will start to do their thing. The most common are the Fusarium Rhizoctonia and Alternaria.

When you see that they have dark spots on leaves and stems, treat them with fungicide and water less.

Rusticity

Resists up to -3ºC.

Where to buy?

Indian cane is a perennial plant

Get your plant from here.

All the canna indica they are very grateful plants, that they need very little care - and very little space! - to look perfect. Either on land or in a planter, you can enjoy its flowers every summer. Do you dare to have one?


8 comments, leave yours

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.

  1.   Carmen said

    I love Bulbs where I find

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi carmen.
      In any nursery or garden store you will find a wide range of bulbs, including Canna indica.
      Greetings and happy week!

  2.   Luciano said

    Good afternoon.

    I bought dwarf canna seeds on ebay, they advised me to file the seeds to speed up germination, but in this case they came wrapped in a bluish substance, I guess fungicide. What I can do?

    A greeting.

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi luciano.
      I recommend sowing them directly in a pot. They will germinate in a maximum of one or two weeks if the temperature remains above 20ºC, and the substrate is humid.
      A greeting.

  3.   Annette said

    Hello, I have some of these plants that they gave me and they grew and flourished very well. After a while their leaves began to turn yellow and no longer bloom, their soil in the pots in very humid. I also saw some bugs 1 cm long, black with yellow and red. I plan to transplant them to the ground to save them, what do I do?

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Annette.
      Cannae after flowering tend to get ugly. In any case, if you have seen insects, treat them with Chlorpyrifos 48%, following the instructions specified on the package.
      A greeting.

  4.   Loam said

    Hello, they are blooming well but the tips of the leaves are turning brown, it is very hot. I don't know if that is the reason. Thank you

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Marga.
      Probably because of that, because of the high temperatures. Do you have it in the ground or in a pot?
      If it is in a pot, it must always be taken into account that it should be watered more often, since of course, the plant has less soil, and apart from that in summer it dries quickly.
      A greeting.