Digging Up Canna Bulbs

Wait until the first frost to divide canna plants.

When the foliage has started to die back and the nights are getting cooler, that happens to be the perfect time to start thinking about digging up your inground or potted canna plants.

Potted Plants

Lift the plant from the container.

In Garden Plants

Carefully dig around your plant to lift them from your soil.

Once you have lifted your plant, cut off the foliage to about 2″ above the bulbs.

Flip your plant over and start to separate the root balls of the bulbs.  
Use scissors and/or a knife to cut and separate your bulbs. Try and leave a good portion of the roots intact

If you wish, now is the time to trim some of your roots.

1. Do not wash bulbs. Lay them on newspaper in a dark closet to cure for a week. Curing hardens the outer skin of the bulb to prevent rotting during storage.
   
2. After curing for a week, gently brush off the extra dirt and wrap the bulbs in a newspaper.
   
3. All the bulbs get stored together, in a paper bag label by color.  Store them during the winter in a cool basement.
   
4. Each month check the bulbs for rotting. Discard any rotten bulbs.

After the danger of frost passes in the spring, you can plant them in the ground.

If repotting, you can re-pot them just before Easter and leave by a sunny window; indoors.

When placing the potted plant outside, be sure to slowly get the plant used to the temps. A few hours at a time daily does the trick.