Canna tuerckheimii is the plant that your garden has been missing. It can grow as much as 11 feet tall and produce the most exuberant flowers yearly.
Are you looking to add some funk to your outdoor space? There is no better plant than this. This tell-all guide will discover how to grow, propagate, and solve common problems.
What Is Canna Tuerckheimii?
Canna tuerckheimii is a big-sized plant that can grow as much as 11 feet tall. It originates from North and South America. It is an outdoor plant yearly producing gigantic green foliage and orange-red flowers. Despite its large size, it is a relatively easy plant to take care of.
Canna Tuerckheimii Care
Give your canna plant bright sunlight that is partial or dappled. As you go through our care guide below, you will find all the necessary information in order to maintain the growth of your plant. Don’t worry, and we have covered all the requirements for you.
– Light Requirements
This plant likes partial or filtered sunlight of high intensity the most. It needs lots of sunlight to make food for itself. However, it can get sun damaged in direct sunlight outdoors.
Because this is such a large plant, providing it with shade might be your only option. When planting it in a garden, it would be best if you could find a northern-facing wall to plant it next to.
Another option is to place its pot right under a tree. This way, it will get dappled and partial sunlight that is neither too much nor too little.
– Water Requirements
This plant belongs to a species that needs constant watering; hence you shouldn’t let its soil dry more than one inch from the top. To water the plant, you need water at room temperature.
Don’t let the waterfall on the stem and leaves but on the soil. Keep watering as long as it moistens the whole soil and starts to drain out. During summers, you must water it one or two times each week. Even more, if the weather is scorching and dry.
We are sorry to say this, but tap water needs to go. It is full of salts and minerals that accumulate in the soil. These nutrients make it so hard for roots to absorb water and food. The plant also takes up these salts, where they crystallize on leaf edges.
You will see yellow and brown burn marks on the leaves yourself. Nonetheless, you may go for distilled water which is the safest for plants; even filtered or rainwater is better than standard tap water because these types of waters are away from minerals.
– Soil Requirements
This plant constantly needs moist soil. To prevent waterlogging and rot, you need soil that is well draining. Nutrient-rich soil that is mildly acidic is imperative to neutralize. It grows quite well in boggy soil as well.
This plant will not grow in ordinary garden soil. You need to make suitable soil by yourself by taking any familiar potting mix and adding peat and perlite to it in an equal amount. Perlite is those tiny white balls you add to the soil to help drainage.
Peat is obtained from boggy marshes and is readily available everywhere. It helps with providing food to the roots. Additionally, it also stores water which helps with retaining moisture within the soil. Cover the soil surface with an additional layer of mulch to keep it from drying.
– Temperature Requirements
More than 60 degrees Fahrenheit is needed all year round. In that sense, tuerckheimii canna is mild to moderately warm growing species.
Since it grows outdoors, you will have no problem during the hot spring and summer months. When the plant is still growing, you can grow or transplant it in pots and move it indoors.
For fully grown large-sized plants, you can cover them in the winters to protect them from the cold, so you may use cardboard, a plastic sheet, or a burlap sack. A transparent plastic sheet works the best because it lets light through.
– Fertilizing Requirements
This plant, too, like canna lily and canna indica, is a heavy feeder. You need to start a monthly feeding schedule from spring to fall. After this, the plant needs rest and usually goes into hibernation.
A well-balanced fertilizer is one with an equal amount of the three most needed plant nutrients; potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. The packaging will have an NPK value of 20:20:20 or 5:5:5 written on it.
Remember to always dilute commercial fertilizer, no matter what the manufacturer says. Mix equal amounts of water and fertilizer to dilute to half the strength. This will help a lot with preventing chemical burns. Set aside one day each month, so you don’t forget to feed your plant. Remember, always pour fertilizer on the soil and not the plant itself.
Compost is much safer when compared to commercial ones. You don’t need to dilute it or worry about chemical burns. Add a handful of mulch to the top one-quarter of the soil every month. Mix it well with the ground using a rake or other similar tool.
Composting is also great when it comes to recycling food items. You should definitely try your hand at either traditional or vermicomposting. If you usually cover your soil with a layer of mulch, this helps too. Mulch breaks down slowly, adding nutrients to the soil.
– Humidity Requirements
The humidity needs of tuerckheimii are around 40 to 70 percent. This is relatively easy to maintain in most areas, but since this is an outdoor plant, the air can be quite drying.
A hygrometer will help detect the exact levels of humidity in the air. In order to maintain top-notch humidity and see which ones you like the most, one method is simple misting, but this needs consistency. You will have to use a small nozzle spray bottle to lightly spray water every other day on the large leaves of this plant.
Another method is to buy a pebble tray for placement under the pot. Don’t forget to change the water every week and also don’t let the pot touch the water. Furthermore, you may move the rest of your humidity-loving plants near this one too. They will create their own mini greenhouse environment and help each other with humidity.
– Pruning
Pruning this plant is very important to keep it in shape. Before each year, look at all the off-kilter stems that should be trimmed, and remember that all old, diseased, or yellowing leaves need to be removed, this way you will keep the plant looking lively and excellent.
Keep in mind, before winter each year, carry out regular deadheading of the flowers, as this practice is actually helpful for promoting a better yield for the following year. All trimmed and cut parts that are not diseased will come in handy for making mulch and compost. Clean your instruments using alcohol or bleach as a preventative measure.
Propagation
Propagating new plants from seeds or an old plant is much better than buying a new one. It is also super fun and convenient. We have discussed both these methods in easy steps underneath.
Propagating through root or rhizomes divisions is the method of propagation that will give you the most successful results. Of course, you will need to own a canna plant already to propagate it further.
Begin by taking your adult canna plant out of its soil, be very careful as roots can easily get damaged this way. Wash the soil off the roots gently. You will see a group of individual rhizomes from which stems are growing.
All you have to do is to separate these rhizomes from each other. Each separated rhizome should have its own roots and stems growing to make a complete plant. Sometimes, closely tangled rhizomes must be cut off using a knife.
All you must do is carefully plant each separated plant in a well-draining and peat-rich soil. Give the plants the right care conditions, and they will live happily in their new pots.
Problems
This is an overall unproblematic plant to grow, even outdoors. Luckily it is not very disease prone, except for the occasional mosaic virus. It can get affected by pests like mealybugs, spider mites, and aphids, but the ones you need to take care of the most are slugs.
– Slugs
The peat-based boggy soil in which this plant grows is prone to getting a slug infestation. Slugs are pretty giant, and you can spot them easily.
Another tell-tale sign of a slug attack is a slimy track they leave behind on your plant. The leaves will have chewed-up holes in them. You need to take action against slugs as soon as you identify them. Otherwise, your plant will get significantly affected.
Of course, you would like to get rid of slugs right away. We still recommend you go for natural methods instead of chemical insecticides. For instance, eggshells work great against snails. You need to dry them and then crush them before pouring them onto the soil. The snails get irritated and abraded and then eventually go away.
Another household item you can go for is ground coffee beans; however, not only are they abrasive to snails, but caffeine is also toxic to these pests. Additionally, another clever way is to introduce natural predators like toads and frogs. Create a sort of puddle or pond near this plant to attract them, don’t worry, they will eat up all your snails for you.
– Bean Yellow Mosaic Virus
This plant is not prone to disease but can get infected by the bean yellow mosaic virus. This mostly happens when you get lazy and use infected instruments for cutting and propagation.
One characteristic symptom of this disease is a deep yellowing of the entire veined network of leaves. In severe cases, countless yellow spots appear on the leaves, giving them a mottled appearance.
This disease is pretty much a death sentence for the poor plant. Just be very careful when discarding the diseased plant. Moreover, remember that you cannot use it for compost or mulch. Even the soil it was grown needs to be dug out and discarded.
FAQ
How Do You Propagate Canna Tuerckheimii Through Seeds?
Seeds propagation can be a bit tricky to carry out. It is not a very reliable method as not every seed will germinate. You must take quite a handful of seeds and then use individual pots for each seedling.
Make sure you procure the seeds from a 100 percent reliable source so that the plant doesn’t come having root rot. You must place all your seeds in warm and clean water for 24 hours before planting so that they swell up.
The next step is scarifying the seeds. Chip off a tiny portion of the outer shell without damaging the seed. This will help your seed absorb water better. Prepare your ideal canna soil and plant each seed within its own pot. Each seed should be planted no deeper than half to two inches deep.
You may now take these pots and place them in an indirectly lit, bright, and warm place. Keep the soil evenly moist with regular watering. Be patient because, within a period of three to nine weeks, most of your seeds should germinate and grow actively.
Can you leave Canna Tuerckheimii in pots over winter?
Yes, Canna Tuerckheimii can be left in pots over winter. However, it is important to ensure that the pots are protected from freezing temperatures and provide adequate insulation to prevent damage to the plant.
Should seed pods be removed from Canna Tuerckheimii?
Removing seed pods from Canna Tuerckheimii is recommended for better plant growth and to prevent self-seeding.
Conclusion
As we conclude this well-articulated guide, here is a brief recap before finally signing off.
- This plant likes moist soil; that is why you need to water it once or twice a week in summer.
- Direct sunlight is likely to damage the leaves and turn them brown.
- The soggy needs to be well draining as well as boggy.
- You can propagate this plant either through seeds or rhizome division. We recommend the division method personally.
- The plant might go through two problems which are having slugs and yellow mosaic virus; however, both have their solutions.
Tuerckheimii is a large plant that can only be grown outdoors. Trust us, and there is no better plant for your garden out there.
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