Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 9/14/2006

Question
after I did up the canna bulbs in the fall and they have all those small spidery roots coming off the bulbs do I pull them off and how do I separate the bulb for more bulbs?

Also, do I let them air dry before putting them in peat moss?

Answer
To divide a canna rhizome, find the small pink or white bumbs called "eyes" or "buds". Cut off any old leaves.  Using the sharpest, sturdiest knife you can find (parting knife is good), cut the rhizome so that there are two to three healthy eyes on each division.

The spider roots are the roots which are responsible for taking up nutrients. Just leave them for now. They will die when they are stored.

On large clumps as the one pictured here, you can simply cut the individual rhizomes from the main clumb.

I found this picture on the county extension office:

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/county/cass/horticulture/annuals/ageratum/canna.roo.jpg




I like wash off all soil before dividing. Then I keep the cannas on a piece of cardboard for a few days out of the sun to dry them. Then I place on a bed of dry peatmoss sphagnum.