Canna Tropicannas for tropical look in Arizona

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As you can see, the Canna Tropicannas here at The Tropical Paradise are doing great. They have been in the ground for several years now, and just keep coming back stronger all of the time. They do best with morning sun, deep rich soil, and plenty of water (I use a drip system). But there some tricks to getting them to produce the nice tropical effect. This is what you need to do -

• Give them plenty of water and plant food. And if you planted them directly into the hard Arizona ground, dig them up, dig a nice big hole, filled with the best potting soil you can afford (I pay extra for the Miracle Grow Moisture Control) and replant them.

• Give them plenty of water and plant food. Yeah, I know that I already said that, but it's the most important part. These are tropical plants that love moisture, and they are always hungry. Don't starve them  of food and water!

• Cut the flowers off. When the flowers are finished blooming, cut the stalk all the way to the ground. I use a small curved saw. Once a stalk starts to look rangy, or has some burned tips, cut it down to the ground.  Don't worry - for every stalk you cut down, many more will grow. And don't worry about the flowers - this isn't a rose bush. Yes, the flowers are nice, but what really makes this plant is the beautiful foliage. The flowers finish blooming in a couple of days and then the stalk needs to be cut down. All the way to the ground.

Oh yeah, and give them plenty of water and plant food. Did I mention that?


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