Transplanting Tropical Cannas from #Containers to the Ground!

It’s early Summer in the Mid-Atlantic area of the U.S.A. and we are filling in our new garden space by transplanting Cannas from a container to the ground! We dug up the Cannas from a different location, put them in a container for a week, and now we are breaking them up into 2 Cannas, planting one in the ground and the other into a new container. We have a small L-shaped garden so we want to soften the curves and add depth. We have 2 Cannas at the top of the “L” so the new Canna will form a triangle of 3 Cannas. Cannas multiple so we need to give them plenty of space to grow. When the Cannas overgrow the space, we will dig up a few of them for sale.

We have identified the space in the garden for our new Canna. Cannas multiply so we need to leave plenty of space for them to grow. The new Canna will form a triangle with the 2 Cannas at the top of the “L” in our L-shaped garden. We moved the mulch out of the way and placed a rock in the space so our gardening partner knows where to dig.

We dug up the Cannas from a different location, put them in a container for a week, and now we are breaking them up into 2 Cannas, planting one in the ground and the other into a new container. We will turn the container on its side and gently nudge the root ball out of the container. We use an old kitchen knife to make a clean cut down the middle of the root ball.

Turn the container on its side and gently nudge the root ball out of the container. Do not pull on the plants because that may damage the plant. Once you get the plant and root ball out of the container, cut down the middle with a sharp knife. Plants are durable so if you cut down the middle and you cut through roots, the roots will grow back. They key is to quickly get the plant into new soil and water the plant.

This is a new development so the soil is hard clay and rocks. We use a pick ax to break up the clay soil and rock, then use a shovel to dig up the dirt. How large a hole should we dig? Cannas have shallow roots so the hole will be 6 – 8 inches deep and 8 – 10 inches in diameter. Fill the hole with a 50/50 combination of top soil and peat moss. Peat moss helps aerate the top soil so water will drain. Without the peat moss, the top soil would hold onto the water and the roots would become soggy. Plants don’t like soggy roots.

We have finished digging the hole and have added a 50/50 combination of top soil and peat moss to the hole. We place the plant in the hole and make sure the neck of the plant is at ground level. Plants don’t like for their neck to be covered with soil. Finish adding soil around the plant. Add mulch to beautify. Be sure to water the plant so they new roots start growing. Water the plant every day for 7 days. During the next week, water the plant every other day.

Five weeks after transplanting our lovely Tropical cannas, they bloomed gorgeous yellow clusters of flowers! We are surprised that they adjusted so well and bloomed so quickly!