November 2014 Culture

Crop Culture Report: Canna Cannova Series

Cannas are an important variety for North American landscapes. Whether used as a thriller in back borders and containers, or as a stand-out bedding plant, gardeners and landscapers enjoy durable, impressive cannas in their designs. The brand-new F1 canna Cannova series from Ball Ingenuity offers an exciting new seed option for growers looking to serve the canna market.

Bred in the Netherlands for over 10 years by Takii, the Cannova series is unique in that it will actively grow in cooler and lower-light conditions. This is a huge advantage since cannas as a tropical plant have traditionally needed more heat and light to actively grow. Another significant improvement is that Canna Cannova germinates quicker and more uniformly compared to other seed canna lines. In the garden, Cannova is more uniform
and blooms quicker than other open pollinated cannas.

Colors

Canna Cannova is available in four colors: Red Shades, Yellow, Rose and Bronze Scarlet. These core colors are some of the most popular in the canna market and should serve as a great opportunity to offer well-matched canna varieties to customers.

Sowing

Sow Cannova seed directly into a large plug tray — between a 72-cell to 128-cell tray with one seed per cell. Covering the seed does not appear to affect germination if humidity is kept at 100 percent; however, sowing the seed deep in the cell benefits the plug. As Cannova germinates, the seed is very vigorous and can push out of the cell if not planted deep.  

Germination 

Keep in germination chamber until radicle emergence. This should be between five and eight days, which is quicker compared to other open pollinated seed cannas. During germination, it is important to keep temperature between 75 and 85° F.

Plug Finish Time

The large plug tray should be ready to be transplanted in four to five weeks.

Transplant Containers

Due to canna Cannova’s unique compact habit and excellent branching, they can be finished in a wide range of containers. Cannova can be finished in a container as small as a 41/2-inch pot, but still will finish out a 1- and 2-gallon container with additional grow time and plants per pot. For containers from 41/2 to 61/2 inches one plant per pot is recommended. An 8-inch or gallon can be finished with one plant per pot, but two or three plants per pot will finish faster.

Growth Regulators

Although not necessary for larger containers, if height control is needed it can be accomplished using a 1- to 4-ppm Bonzi drench two weeks after transplant.

Finish Temperature

Canna Cannova grows better than other seed cannas under cooler conditions. However, for best results daytime temperatures should be 70 to 85° F and nighttime temperatures should be 60 to 80° F.

Media and Fertility

Cannova should be planted using a well-drained potting mix with an EC of 1.0 to 2.6 for finishing (calculated using the pour through method). During the plug stage, EC should be below 0.5 before cotyledon expansion. As the cotyledon expands, the EC should be raised but kept below 0.75, up until the first true leaf growth. Finally as the plugs are finished the EC should continue to be raised to 0.75 to 1.2. The pH should be kept between 6.2 and 7.0.

Days To Flower

The entire crop time for Cannova from sow to flower is 80 to 110 days depending on finishing temperature and light.