Canna indica - Pink Indian Shot - Rhizome

Description

• Cannaceae Zingiberales
• Tropical America (south, center), Caribbean
• H 0.8m x W 0.3m
•  Z8 
• Deciduous perennial
• Synonyms: African Arrowroot, Edible Canna
• 1 rhizome
  (dwarf variety with plain pink flowers, green leaves)

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Details

Canna indica is a large, fast-growing rhizomatous tropical plant, cultivated as an ornamental plant in the garden for its generous, brightly colored flowering, and for its luxuriant foliage reminiscent of the banana tree

Several varieties exist, which produce tall or dwarf plants, with green, variegated, or purple foliage, and yellow, orange, pink, or red, single-colored, two-colored, or spotted flowers

The Pink Arrowroot is a dwarf variety with nice ornamental foliage, tender green like that of the banana tree, 20 to 30cm long by 15cm wide

Its flowers are pink, borne in terminal racemes on short stems at 0.8m

Indian Canna is a rhizomatous plant which forms dense, tall clumps and works wonders to furnish the back of flowerbeds and the banks of ponds, or borders for dwarf varieties

The rhizome of Canna is edible and cultivated for human consumption in Latin American countries, and for the production of starch used in the formulation of biodegradable plastics in Asia

Canna indica has medicinal properties: Softener, Diaphoretic, Diuretic

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Cultivation

Canna indica being a tropical plant, it needs heat to grow well and flower abundantly

Start the rhizomes in March-April, by planting them 10cm deep, individually in pots filled with a good culture mix, rich in organic and fertile matter

Place the pots in the sun, warm, and keep the soil moist

Sprouts and the first leaves will soon appear

Water regularly so that the growing medium is always moist

Continue cultivation in the nursery until the end of the spring frosts

Then plant your Cannas in the ground, in full sun, sheltered from strong winds, in well-worked soil, generously enriched with manure compost or manure

Water regularly: Canna indica should never be thirsty

The Pink Indian Shoot can also be grown in a pot outside, on a terrace or in the garden

Plant your young plants as started above, in a large pot filled with fertile growing compost, and placed on a high saucer which will always be filled with water

Fertilize regularly with liquid fertilizer for flowering plants, every week from June to August

Remove damaged leaves to maintain the aesthetics of your pot

Also remove inflorescences when its last flower fades, which encourages branching of the stem to produce new lateral inflorescences and prolonged flowering

Wilted flowers should be removed to keep the pot clean and aesthetic

In September, reduce watering to keep the soil just moist

Bring the pot under shelter before the first frost, and dig up the tubers planted in the ground if you live in a region where winter temperatures drop below -10°C

They should be overwintered in a cool place like Dahlia tubers, for example in a cellar

Similarly, potted tubers, which should be left in the pot without watering, after cutting the leafy stems at ground level

The following spring, repeat the cultivation cycle described previously

No remarkable disease in our climates (fungal attacks on flowers in rainy weather)

Slugs and snails can pierce leaves and devour flowers in humid weather, as can green grasshoppers

Certain insect larvae can attack the rhizomes of plants in the ground

Roots rot in cold weather if the soil is wet