Canna Indica: [Sowing, Care, Irrigation, Substrate and Pests]
Canna Indica, also known as achira, achera, sago, capacho, biri, cucuyús, juquián, chisgua, risgua, cane of the Indies , is an edible and very beautiful plant , so it is used ornamentally .
Its origin is in the American continent and is of tropical origin , however the climatic and terrain conditions found in Spain have favored its cultivation.
So if you are looking for an attractive and useful species to decorate your garden, perhaps indica canna is a good option and here we give you information about this wonderful plant
- When? In late winter or early spring , when there are no longer any risks of frost.
- Where? In a semi-shady place to receive a few hours of sunlight a day.
- How do we prepare the land? With a good amount of organic matter. Care must be taken to ensure that it has adequate drainage.
- How should we water? By dripping .
- How often do you have to water? Abundant when it grows and in summer , little in winter .
- What pests and diseases do they have? Mealybugs and bud rot.
Canna Indica characteristics
Canna Indica is a small plant species with very large and vividly colored flowers and leaves.
In the case of the leaves, bright green is what prevails; while the flowers vary from red to yellow.
Within the structure of the flowers , it also has some areas in purple and even green.
The stems are large but not very far apart and their origin is within a tuberous rhizome .
Where should we sow canna indica?
The ideal place to grow canna indica is where it gets a sufficient amount of sunlight for a few hours a day, in semi-shade.
Some people keep it in full sunlight, but only in places where the weather is already very cold.
The good news is that it accepts a pot planting, which is recommended to place the canna indica in the best position according to the date of the year.
When should canna indica be grown?
The ideal time is when the coldest temperatures have passed, between late winter and early spring.
It is a species that does not support strong frosts, so great caution must be taken to keep it at a good temperature in case they occur.
How do we prepare the land?
The land must be selected with care, as good drainage is an essential point for its proper development.
The amount of nutrients it has also counts a lot in its favor, being able to even carry out a previous work of adding an organic fertilizer .
This process, in the case of being in the garden, will be carried out by supplying the fertilizer to the earth and stirring.
When sowing is in a pot, it can be applied as a mixture with the earth and peat.
How to sow a canna indica step by step?
The sowing of Canna Indica can be done through the seeds or with the rhizome division process.
Sowing by seeds
In this case, the process starts from scratch and will continue as follows:
- The seeds should be deeply hydrated by soaking them with water for approximately 24 hours.
- They will have to be arranged in seedbeds with a little peat and left at room temperature in an area with semi-shade.
- When it begins to germinate, two weeks later, it is necessary to transplant .
- To do this, you will have to open a hole 10 to 15 centimeters deep (anticipate this in case of doing it in a pot).
- Fill the spaces with soil or substrate and moisten without puddling.
Sowing by rhizomes
In this case, the procedure will be carried out with plants that have already been developed and grown for a minimum time of five years.
It is a slower and more complex process than that of the seeds because it will be necessary to dig up the plant to extract the rhizome that will be used in the new planting.
So, step by step it would be like this:
- Dig up the plant .
- With a sanitized knife, cut out the rhizome that will be used on the new plant.
- To sow the same previous procedure will be followed, opening a hole and placing the specimen inside, watering after finishing.
What care does canna indica need?
Irrigation
The main care that Canna Indica needs refers to watering, as it must be very frequent in its growth stage.
Later, during the coldest weather, it could be reduced a little, taking care to return to an abundant rhythm on summer days.
Although the plant seems to go into a dormant period in the fall , never let it lose moisture.
Fertilizers
If the irrigation water is also offered a little liquid fertilizer once a month in the spring, the flowering results will be much better.
Pruning
Pruning will be carried out on the parts that are affected , either withered leaves or flowers, for example.
What pests and diseases does it have?
Canna Indica is prone to various pests and diseases , but responds very well to treatments in some cases.
Pests: mealybugs and worms
In the field of pests, there are species such as mealybugs and worms , for which natural remedies can be applied.
Diseases: rot
Diseases are also the order of the day, but the most worrying is bud rot.
Its effect causes the flowers not to open in the correct way, but to turn into dark and rotten buttons.
The bad news is that this disease has no effective treatment, so it is recommended that the plant be removed from the place where it is planted.
On the other hand , stem rot can be avoided from the beginning by making a correct selection of the soil.
The level of drainage that it has is very important to avoid flooding since, as we have seen, it needs abundant irrigation.
It is also a good plan, in all cases, to apply fungicides .
