Hello , just clean the rhizome up a bit in warmish water . You should be able to see thin ( about 1/8" ) roots , light brown , at one end . At the other the cut off stalk stubs. I don't know how your winters are in Georgia . In the UK I plant my cannas up in the middle of March and keep them in a warm location. They take about 1 to 2 weeks to show . I plant them out late May.
To plant up , leave all the roots alone . Clean up and cut back the old stalks . Then just plant about 2" below the surface in a plant pot.