How to Replant a Canna Plant Bulb

Dig around the clump of cannas in spring before they resume growth, if you overwintered the rhizomes outdoors. Slide the trowel beneath the clump and lift it out of the ground. Brush the excess soil from the rhizomes.

Break the rhizomes apart into smaller sections before replanting, whether you just dug them or overwintered them indoors. Break each piece so it contains at least three growing buds, which are raised nodules at the top of the root.

Spread a 2-inch layer of compost and 1/2 pound of 5-10-5 fertilizer over every 25 square feet of garden bed in the planting area. Turn the compost and fertilizer into the top 8- to 10-inches of soil with a spade.

Dig an 8-inch-deep planting hole for each canna, making the hole larger than the root piece. Set the canna root in the hole with the buds on top and about 5 inches beneath the soil surface. Space plants so the roots are approximately 12 inches apart in all directions.

Fill each hole with soil and firm it gently in place over the top of the canna. Spread a 2-inch layer of mulch over the bed.

Water the newly replanted cannas thoroughly so the soil is moist throughout the root zone, providing about 1 inch of water. Continue to water the cannas about once weekly to maintain the moisture in the top 6 to 8 inches of soil.