Question
I have taken over the care of a garden whose cannas used to grow tall with huge leaves and abundant, gorgeous flowers. What can I do to encourage this ?
Cheryl
Portola Valley
Answer
The cannas are in their dormant stage now. To encourage robust growth, cut stems that have bloomed back to the ground. Water regularly and feed monthly with an all purpose fertilizer such as Maxsea 16-16-16. Though they will tolerate some drought, keeping them too dry will greatly reduce their size.
If the plant clusters are really crowded, now would be a good time to divide and thin them. This way, there is less competition for the water and food. You do not need to switch to Ultra bloom once buds form. It is also a good idea to snip off the flowers that have just finished blooming so the plant does not waste energy forming seed. Most flower stalks will blossom more than once.
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