Canna 2012

I put them in soak on christmas eve and potted them 3 days later(27th),i was hanging on for the 4th to sprout but it didnt otherwise i would of potted all 4 boxing day.
I was worried about the white root that was showing above the compost i thought id planted them wrong but i moved a little compost over the top and they sorted themselves out 2 days ago i seen green bits
Ive had them in a prop tray on window ledge(radiator end for warmth) and now i move them into the kitchen on top of the microwave as the lights are on in there at sun down for a few hrs,not sure that will make a diff to growth but im trying

 

I have a lighting rig, in my UNheated greenhouse, although I DO have a propagator (under the lighting rig).

 

Can you move the lighting rig to the house for a couple of months?

 

I neglected to say, my propagator is of a good(ish) size, probably 3ft x 18" x 18". Would they be ok there until I put some heat into the greenhouse (probably mid April)?

Putting my lighting rig in the house is probably a non-starter

 

Hi Freddy, I only use a heated propergator to germinate them, once they are say 1-2" tall they're moved out and on to a warm, light windowsill that recieves sunlight from mid-day until sunset. I do give them a mini hardening off treatment (don't know whether its necessary but doesn't do any harm ), I put them on the windowsill by day and pop them back in prop at night (but turned down a touch), I do this for a few days and then they're left on the windowsill, split and potted on when necessary and then in late April they go through another hardening off treatment to get them in the greenhouse before eventually going out at the beginning of June after a final period of hardening off

 

That's a good idea Bilbo - could the pots come into the house [on a windowsill] after they germinate Freddy?

 

Yes, they could, the only problem being that if they all germinate, I'll have 15 plants to house, but it's something that might be do-able.

 

You can pot on as they grow. They will probably be OK in 3" / 9cm pots until such time as they can then go in the greenhouse, so you could pot-on to 4.5" or 1L at that time - even if you were holding them back a bit.

Lets see ... 1st January, probably prick out 21 Jan, maybe 31 Jan. That leaves a month in a 3" pot before they need potting on. I reckon that is probably about the likely timing.

 

Hiya Kristen.

Do you not mean 1st Feb?

 

Does that mean i can start to soak my other 80 or so seeds tomo?
4 trays of 20 9cm pots dont seem a lot

 

Sorry, not sure where 1st Feb comes in, but my original post makes no sense re-reading it now!

Sow on 1st Jan
Ready to prick out around 21 Jan, maybe 31 Jan if you are lucky (i.e. delays longer).
Prick out into 3" / 9cm pots. and put on windowsill
With a little luck you will get to 01 March before they need potting on to 4.5" / 1L, and I reckon on 01 March there will be enough light / warmth that they can go into the greenhouse, so you won't need to try to squeeze the larger pot size onto a windowsill.

So if you have enough room on the windowsill for 3" pots then I reckon you could start now.

But I'm just typing out loud looking for "angles". For example: if you will be thrown out of the house, along with the plants, for filling up all the windowsills in the house, then I guess??!! its a non-starter

 

Feels like my neck is on the line!

If you have well lighted windowsill space I don't see why not.

I'd feel more comfortable is someone else agrees, or not, with my timing estimates, and the concept of starting Canna on the windowsill in Jan/Feb light levels

 

Im more worried im going to be evicted now!...do you know something i dont kristen

 

Here are the first Cannas I grew from seed, raised under lights (sown around the start of October). They are 8 weeks old



Yours won't be that big on a windowsill, but this is what they are capable of by End Feb if sown on 1st Jan ... IF they are given the MAX supplemental light.

 

Do the taller varieties grow faster/taller as seedlings ? or do they get a spurt on later in march onwards say? Probably a stupid question because like you say light levels arnt great early on but i do have shorter varieties so im wondering should i start them off first just to be safe
My 3 in pots have already almost doubled in height over night