Question about Cannas & Dahlias

My sister-in-law soaks her Canna, Dahlia & Glad bulbs in water for 1-2 hours before she puts them in the ground. She says that it helps them to grow faster by restoring lost moisture after winter storage. (in zone 5 we have to dig them up & store them in the winter) Has anyone ever heard of this before or done it?

A lot of plants sold as rootstock do well if soaked for a couple of hours first. I don't find a great deal of difference as long as I water the roots in well they all seem to grow but then I have moist soil. It probably works better in places where the soil tends to be dry.

I think I'll give it a try, but I'm going to do it like a test with 2 control groups. I'll post any early results, I'm going to put them in the ground within the next week or two. It makes sense though, whenever I've purchased rootstock like Bleeding Hearts or Asparagus, it says to soak them. My ground is not exactly dry, but it is well-drained.

Michele,

If you want, try this as a test, too. I soaked my bare root hostas in a water and root stimulator solution. They were dried up and looked dead when I got them. After soaking them overnight, each of the roots was as plump as if they'd been just dug up. It might work in this instance, too, but I haven't tried it, so don't know for sure.

Michele, you can soak them in water...the cannas you can actually leave in the water, and it will start to root and grow just like that.....be sure to change your water daily, and use only tepid water! I started mine this way and they are now in the ground halfway to the blooming point.

"eyes"