We were 60 miles north of the California / Mexico border....now we're 20 miles south of the California / Oregon border

Ahhhhhh... I see!! Now THAT is a big transition ....and SHOCK - I am sure.

I've had good results with just soaking and planting them. I start them in my sunroom, which is about 70* year round.

Update.

As of tonight, I still only have one seed germinated.

Test 1 - scarified on sandpaper and soak overnight in H2O2/water solution

out of 24 seeds.

Well, I'll do mine tomorrow...outside

4 up - all Test 1. None of the others have germinated at all.

I've been watching your experiment with interest. Thank you for the update.

A generous trader gifted me with Canna seeds some years ago. Having no idea how to germinate those things that looked suspiciously like Boston Baked Beans, I tried the scarify-and-germinate-in-water method (pot up after the radical emerges) I found in various GW posts. It worked flawlessly, so I've been using it ever since. Putting the glass next to the bathroom sink makes it easy to remember to change the water twice a day. The method worked nicely for the Canna patens seeds Domehomedee sent me last year (30 out of 33 germinated right away). I haven't tried winter sowing Cannas, but they do volunteer in unexpected places around the yard most years.

Maybe I should try adding H2O2 next year...

Yes. The H2O2 helps. I moisten all my seed starting media with a solution using it and mist the plants with it as well.

I have found it interesting that the seeds I scarified AND boiled have not emerged. The other 2 will likely take forever. Canna seed is impenetrable.

I have two canna plants growing now.
I found them last fall in pots I had discarded from a winter sow several years before. The seeds have gone through a couple of winters here in zone 4.

CarolineScott said:I have two canna plants growing now.
I found them last fall in pots I had discarded from a winter sow several years before. The seeds have gone through a couple of winters here in zone 4.

That is quite impressive, Caroline! I've never tried from seed, and have had no success overwintering the tubors. I always end up buying new plants

I like to start from seeds because a few years ago I lost my whole canna collection because I did not isolate one new tuber.
This year I saved seeds from purchased plants. And also was sent some interesting ones from a seed swap.
Scarifying and then soaking in dilute hydrogen peroxide and then into moist vermiculite until they sprout.