Cannas - overwintering

I am trying cannas in my pond for the first time. I have read they are
hardy to Zone 7. Since I heat my pond to keep it from freezing (I am in
zone 5) and Zone 7 is down to 10 degrees F, it seems to me that I
should be able to leave them in the pond over the winter. Any comments?

Introduce them slowly so they do not drown. They will die back over
winter. We have had them do nicely in the ground. Never tried the pond
for them.

Jim


Mike C wrote:
I am trying cannas in my pond for the first time. I have read they are
hardy to Zone 7. Since I heat my pond to keep it from freezing (I am in
zone 5) and Zone 7 is down to 10 degrees F, it seems to me that I
should be able to leave them in the pond over the winter. Any comments?

*Note: There are two *Koi-Lo's* on the pond and aquaria groups

"Mike C" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am trying cannas in my pond for the first time. I have read they are
hardy to Zone 7. Since I heat my pond to keep it from freezing (I am in
zone 5) and Zone 7 is down to 10 degrees F, it seems to me that I
should be able to leave them in the pond over the winter. Any comments?
=========================
I grow cannas around the pond but not in it. They survive winters here in
zone 6 without a covering. It can get down to zero here in the winter.
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Rude or obscene messages posted by my impersonator.
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

I am trying cannas in my pond for the first time. I have read they are
hardy to Zone 7. Since I heat my pond to keep it from freezing (I am in
zone 5) and Zone 7 is down to 10 degrees F, it seems to me that I
should be able to leave them in the pond over the winter. Any comments?

Hi Mike, Below is an article I wrote up for my koi club newsletter. I do
have one thing to add. I gave a conditioned canna to a friend for her
B-day, she left it in the pond all winter, thought it was dead, set it off
to the side (out of the pond) and found it growing 2 weeks later. She does
not heat her pond and we had some really cold temps last winter. Needless
to say I am amazed. She has since dumped it, without conditioning it, back
in the pond. Ignorance is bliss.

Cannas in the pond. By Jan Jordan

Do you love to have something in bloom in the pond? Water lilies usually
take a center stage as they have been bred for their spectacular beauty.
Many of the marginal plants have not. They are mostly kept for the
variations in their foliage rather than their blooming ability. On the
other hand, their terrestrial cousins have been bred over the years for
both spectacular blooms and foliage. Would you like to find this in a water
plant? Well, you can, and if you do it yourself, for as little as $1.25.

Enter your terrestrial cannas and calla lilies. Start watching for the
bulbs and rhizomes to come into stores around March. Pick a color you like
and plant it in regular garden soil, using a pot or basket that you can
eventually put in your pond. Follow the directions for planting on the
package and place next to a sunny window. Water as needed to just keep the
soil damp. When the plant gets one to two leaves, it's time to slowly
introduce it to more water.

Start by placing the pot in an inch of water. Then raise the water level
another 1/2-1 inch each week. During this time, if weather permits, you
should also have the plant outside in a protected area to harden it off.
When you have the water level up to the surface of the soil, you need to
slowly start conditioning the plant to being in the sun, while maintaining
the water level. Once the plant is conditioned to the same amount of direct
sun as your pond, you can put it in the pond with about 2-3 inches over its
crown. Expect blooms long before the terrestrial cannas you planted in the
ground to occur.

During the conditioning time if the plant tends to wilt or not mature, you
may be increasing the water level too fast. Lower the level until you see
the plant recover, then wait another week before continuing to raise the
water level.

You can buy terrestrial cannas and callas lilies that are already
conditioned to water from some of the local nurseries. Expect to pay
between $10-$20 depending on type.

There are two ways to save the plant for next year. One way is to bring the
plant inside and keep it in a shallow saucer of water and treat it like a
house plant. The other is to go through the process of drying the bulb or
rhizome and storing in peat moss. ~ jan

-----------------
(Do you know where your water quality is?)

~ janj wrote:

Hi Mike, Below is an article I wrote up for my koi club newsletter. I do
have one thing to add. I gave a conditioned canna to a friend for her
B-day, she left it in the pond all winter, thought it was dead, set it off
to the side (out of the pond) and found it growing 2 weeks later. She does
not heat her pond and we had some really cold temps last winter. Needless
to say I am amazed. She has since dumped it, without conditioning it, back
in the pond. Ignorance is bliss.

At the least, it reduces stress levels :-)
--
derek

I will introduce them slowly. I am assuming that if the temp is warm
enough, I can keep them in the water year roudn after they are
conditioned?

Phyllis and Jim wrote:
Introduce them slowly so they do not drown. They will die back over
winter. We have had them do nicely in the ground. Never tried the pond
for them.

Jim


Mike C wrote:
I am trying cannas in my pond for the first time. I have read they are
hardy to Zone 7. Since I heat my pond to keep it from freezing (I am in
zone 5) and Zone 7 is down to 10 degrees F, it seems to me that I
should be able to leave them in the pond over the winter. Any comments?

*Note: There are two "Koi-Lo's" on the pond and aquaria groups.

"Derek Broughton" wrote in message
...

At the least, it reduces stress levels :-)
--
===========================
I just discovered some kind of worms in the top leaves of my cannas. They
bound the leaf so it can't open and severely damaged the curled leaf in
side. Really disgusting when I unfolded the leaf. :-( I hand killed
them all....... spray time!
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

On 31 May 2006 09:22:23 -0700, "Mike C" wrote:

I will introduce them slowly. I am assuming that if the temp is warm
enough, I can keep them in the water year roudn after they are
conditioned?

Worked for my friend. Myself, I put them in the garage and keep their soil
damp. ~ jan

-----------------
(Do you know where your water quality is?)

So Jan, which foot is in the google group, the left or right? Those
jokers think they are so secure and safe in their little world in
google.......but the big one is gonna hit soon, trust me.....its been
done before to google groups and its about to repeat itself.



On Wed, 31 May 2006 19:19:51 -0700, ~ janj
wrote:
On 31 May 2006 09:22:23 -0700, "Mike C" wrote:

I will introduce them slowly. I am assuming that if the temp is warm
enough, I can keep them in the water year roudn after they are
conditioned?

Worked for my friend. Myself, I put them in the garage and keep their soil
damp. ~ jan

-----------------
(Do you know where your water quality is?)