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Canna

Poppygirl2Poppygirl2 Posts: 7
in Problem solving
bought Canna last year from a reputable supplier it’s orange flowers were amazing. Over wintered in heated greenhouse (lost all leaves) brought out in April removed top 3” of soil replaced with mix of MPS n grit fed with fish n bone meal feed n topped up pot with shingle. Gave plenty of water throughout season. No flowers this year plenty of leaves a couple had a symmetrical pattern on 🤷‍♀️  What did I do wrong? 

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    maybe too much nitrogen in the feed, giving you lots of leaves, but not enough potash to give the flowers?
    Devon.
  • Chrissy the gardenerChrissy the gardener Posts: 1,072
    I think they need to rest in the winter, I’ve been growing cannas for quite a few years and they always flower. I keep mine under a bench in a cold summerhouse in the winter just keeping a little moist and bring out in the spring when they show signs of growth.
    I don’t know if this is correct but it works for me.
  • Poppygirl2Poppygirl2 Posts: 7
    Thank uuuuu 
  • Stephanie newish gardenerStephanie newish gardener Posts: 516
    edited October 2020
    A neighbour gave me a canna about four years ago and it only flowered in the year she gave it to me and has never flowered since. It goes in the greenhouse over winter but I've never repotted it. It has loads of leaves but no new flowers.
    Last year I was given a pretty pink indoor plant that is a canna. When it started to sprout new leaves this year I divided the bulbs as the pot was chock full, but none of the bulbs has done anything at all. I tend to think cannas are not safe in my hands......
    No longer newish but can't think of a new name so will remain forever newish.  B) 

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They need a lot of food to flower well - rich soil and water.
    Too much nitrogen isn't the right thing though, as @Hostafan1 says. It produces foliage at the expense of flowers. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Cannas in pots should be given new compost every year, watered prodigiously when in growth and given regular potash rich feed.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited October 2020
    We repot our canna in March then feed it every ten days or so from early June to the end of August with tomato food. This summer it produced over a dozen flower spikes and still has flowers on it. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Poppygirl2Poppygirl2 Posts: 7
    Thank uuuuu everyone. So new compost n tomato feed it is then 😀
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