How to plant Tropicanna Cannas in water

Tropicanna cannas are ideal in ponds and water features, adding an exotic touch. However, for ultimate success, it’s important to follow these 4 easy preparation steps for how to plant Tropicanna cannas in water.

1)  Planting in Water Features and Ponds

Carefully remove your Canna Tropicanna® from its original pot and rinse off the soil. If the plant isn’t root-bound you can re-use the same pot but if it is, use a larger container because you want the pot to be large enough to allow for the rhizomes to grow.

If the pot has holes in it, line the bottom of the pot with burlap, newspaper or some other heavy-fibered material. You don’t want any holes in the pot, as good drainage is not an issue. The most important thing is to keep your dirt/mud mix in one place.

Place the washed Canna Tropicanna into the pot, spreading the roots and keeping the crown of the plant 5-8cm (2-4”) below the rim. Then fill the pot to about 5-7cm (2-3″) from the top with the “mudpie” mix below. Continue to fill with soil, shaking the pot gently to ensure that the soil is evenly distributed among the roots.

2) Making a Mudpie Mix

If available, instead of using garden soil, use clay or a commercial pond soil that is available at most garden centers. If that’s not available, use a mix of 20% potting soil and 80% sand mix. Mix with soil with the water from the pond to make a nice thick “mudpie” in the pot of your choice.

3) Adding gravel

Remember to leave 5-7cm (2-3″) between the soil line and the rim of the container. Place clean gravel or small rocks in this area to both give the plant a more finished look and to help keep the soil inside of the pot. Tap the pot on the ground a couple of times. This squeezes most of the air out of the soil, which ensures that minimal soil will be blown out into the water as the air escapes into the water, and the pot is less likely to tip over in the first few moments after having been lowered into the pond. Lower it into the pond slowly at first to let more of the remaining air escape.  Submerge into your pond or water feature, but keep the top of the pot just a few inches out of the water.

4) Fertilising

Fertilise your plants monthly with a fertiliser that has been designed specifically for aquatic plants. They come in liquid, granular or tablet form. Never pour non-aquatic liquid fertiliser into a pond. Avoid “once-a-season” timed-release products. We have found that they dissolve too quickly adding too many nutrients to the pond at once and can encourage algae growth. A monthly routine of fertilisation of pond plants will provide healthy plants with abundant flowers.

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