Calla lilies: how to properly store in the winter at home. Calla is a member of the aroid family native to South Africa. It is distinguished by long flowering until autumn and light agricultural technology. Even novice flower growers can easily cope with its cultivation. Bright and colorful flowers callas are sure to brighten up any garden. Their tubers are planted in early May, and after a month you can see the first flowers. White callas Interesting! What we call the calla flower is actually the cover leaf of the cob of the inflorescence. The place for these flowers is best chosen open and sunny with loose fertile soil. In nature, these flowers grow along the banks of rivers and reservoirs, so they need regular and plentiful watering in the garden. Calla lilies are planted to a depth of 5-10 cm and immediately after that are watered abundantly. After planting, they do not sprout until they grow a root system. Sometimes this process can take a long time. These flowers are not able to overwinter in our climate, so in the fall, with the arrival of the first frosts, they have to be dug up, and then the question arises of how to store callas correctly in winter so that next summer they can again please with their flowering. Dates of digging and preparation for storage Dig up tubers of garden callas starting from the end of September, when there is a threat of frost. At this time, they are already completing their biological cycle, their foliage begins to turn yellow. After digging up, the calla lilies are laid out for further drying for 10 days, while all leaves and roots must be left on the plants. The excavated plant After this time, the tubers are carefully cleaned of the remnants of the earth, it is very important not to damage the young nodules and children. Attention! Do not separate the children now, for the time winter storage they will ripen and in the spring will easily separate from the mother plant. After cleaning the tubers from the ground, you can begin to remove dry leaves and root residues. It is very important to cut the roots, if they are left, the plants may soon begin to grow. Pruning the roots Now the peeled tubers must be dried for 2 weeks at a temperature of about 25 °. Only after that they can be placed for further storage. Ways to store White callasCorrect organized storage and compliance temperature regime during it are the key to abundant flowering in the summer. For winter storage at home, dried garden calla tubers are placed in paper bags, carton boxes or just wrapped in newspapers. Further, depending on the possibilities, there are several storage options: In the basement To save planting material until spring, packages or boxes with it are placed in the basement, where during the winter period the temperature is maintained within + 5-10 °. It is very important not to allow the temperature to rise - this can lead to premature germination of planting material. Attention! Proper storage of garden callas must be dry, so they cannot be stored in cellars, as there is usually consistently high humidity. The dormant period for planting material lasts until the end of March. After that, the tubers can already be delivered and planted for growing in pots. Bulbs should be checked periodically during storage. This will make it possible to identify and isolate diseased planting material in time. In the refrigerator To keep a small amount of planting material until spring at home, you can use the refrigerator. The tubers are wrapped in paper or newspapers and placed in a vegetable storage compartment, where the temperature is maintained within 5-7 °. Wrapping the tuber in paper As with any other method of storage, planting material should be inspected periodically when stored in the refrigerator. In this case, diseased and damaged specimens must be removed. By the way! If the tuber is not completely damaged, you can try to save it by cutting out rotten places with a sharp knife. Later, these areas must be cauterized with brilliant green. Trimming the rotten parts of the tuber and processing with brilliant green On the loggia This method is suitable for those who grow garden callas in pots. In this case, when autumn comes, watering is gradually reduced, and after the complete death of the leaves, the containers with plants can be transferred to a glazed balcony or loggia, where they are left until spring. In the apartment When there is no possibility of using other storage methods, you can try to save calla bulbs at home. To do this, the box with planting material must be placed in the coolest place, for example, near the balcony door. Need to know! At temperatures above + 20 °, callas are able to endure wintering, but by spring their tubers shrivel and dry out. In the future, this may cause weakened flowering in the summer.
Callas are delicate, beautiful flowers that will be a great decoration for your landscape. This plant is mostly grown in pots, but they can also be grown in the garden, in open field. How do callas survive the winter? In order for frosts to pass without negative consequences, they need to be dug up, since temperatures below -2 degrees are contraindicated for them. The topic of this article is callas: how to store in winter? From it you will learn how to properly dig, prepare planting material and where to store it.
Callas: how to store in winter?
Callas - storage rules for summer residents
Callas are usually dug up after the first frost. IN middle lane our country - starting from October, and from the beginning of October in young regions. The first frosts do not harm them, but serve as a signal for the completion of the growing season. Two or three weeks before digging, callas are no longer watered, and light shelters are being built from possible rains. Leaves dried after frost are cut off, but petioles are left about 7 centimeters high. For digging up the bulbs, it is better to use a garden pitchfork, as this reduces the risk of damaging the plants. In order not to damage the roots, you need to dig a hole of a slightly larger diameter.
After the bulbs are dug up, they are cleaned from the ground. You can use a weak jet of water, as strong pressure often harms children who are not yet ready to separate. Peeled bulbs should be carefully inspected and the diseased should be discarded. If the damage to them is minor, the bulbs can be saved by stripping them to healthy tissues and disinfecting them with brilliant green or charcoal. To dry, calla bulbs are laid out in low cardboard, wooden or plastic boxes, the bottom of which is lined with newspapers.
You need to dry callas in a dark, cool place where there is good air circulation, at a temperature of up to 20 degrees. After about a week, dry leaves are removed from the bulbs, after another week the roots are cut off, which provides the bulbs with a good rest. Children are not separated at the beginning of storage, because they are not yet ready for this: the film separating them from the mother bulb has not yet formed. This procedure is best done closer to the middle of winter. How long do bulbs take to prepare before being stored? The bulbs are dried for two to three weeks, depending on the humidity in the room.
How to store calla bulbs? To do this, you need to follow some recommendations of experts:
- To prevent the bulbs from touching, use a substrate of moss, sawdust, vermiculite or shavings.
- If the bulbs are too dry, they need to be sprinkled with water.
- The bulbs are well preserved at a temperature of 5-7 degrees in rooms with dry air, without air stagnation, and in the absence of lighting.
- Planting material should not be stored next to vegetables and fruits, as they humidify the air. high humidity can provoke early awakening of the bulbs, or cause them to rot.
Now you know how to store callas winter, so be sure to take care to dig, prepare and store the bulbs. We hope that our tips will help you grow on your own. suburban area beautiful, healthy and bright callas.
Callas are one of those ornamental plants, which delight with exquisite flowering, but require special care. Therefore, the question of when to dig up and how to store callas in winter becomes a real stumbling block for many beginner flower growers in an effort to decorate their garden with outlandish, but rather picky green pets.
When to dig up callas
The main feature of the tubers is that they are not able to withstand temperature drops below + 2 ° C. Since in almost any region of Russia the temperature in winter period much lower, calla lilies have to be preserved in winter not in open ground, but in enclosed spaces.
The yellowed leaves of the plant will help determine when to harvest callas for the winter. Color change indicates completion biological cycle. Traditionally, in temperate latitudes, this period falls at the end of September, when night temperatures drop significantly.
10-15 days before digging up calla lilies for subsequent storage, the flower bed is no longer watered, allowing the soil to dry thoroughly.
The plant is dug up entirely, completely preserving the leaves and root system. In this state, it is left for 10-12 days to dry, allowing the roots and foliage to dry out on their own. During this period, the roots have time to absorb all the nutrients that will give strength to wake up next season. To minimize damage to tubers when digging, the diameter of the pit should be at least 30 cm, and the procedure itself should be performed with a garden pitchfork. The fact that the drying process is completely completed can be judged if the leaves are easily separated from the tuber.
If the digging procedure is delayed, and the plant is "grabbed" by the first cold weather, it must first be cut off, leaving only a small petiole.
For storage of calla lilies in winter at home, only healthy tubers that are dense to the touch, devoid of any kind of mechanical damage, are suitable.
Advice: it is better not to separate the children from the mother bulb at this stage. During storage, they ripen, are isolated from the mother tuber with a dense film, and due to this, they will separate on their own.
The larger the tuber, the more flowers it can produce. Large tubers can form up to 20 flowers.
Important point! Separating the children from the mother tuber is possible only by breaking off. There shouldn't be any cuts. All fractures should be treated with activated carbon.
bulb storage
There is nothing difficult in preserving dug up callas at home. It is only necessary to fulfill a number of necessary preparatory activities and during the wintering of the bulbs, maintain a certain temperature and humidity regime.
The plants dug up and dried for 10 days are cleaned of the remnants of the earth. Completely cut off all roots and dry leaves.
Important point! During the pruning process, all roots must be removed. Leaving at least one root on the bulb, you should be prepared for the fact that the flower will soon begin to grow.
During pruning, the planting material is carefully inspected for damaged and diseased areas.
To minimize the risk of damage by putrefactive bacteria in the future, the tubers are kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed in a flowing clean water. If black spots are found, remove them from the affected areas. upper layer, dried for 15-20 minutes, after which they are treated with crushed activated carbon or brilliant green.
Prepared bulbs are left to dry in a place protected from direct sunlight at a temperature within + 25 ° C.
Tubers are best stored in paper bags. Some gardeners solve the problem by wrapping each bulb in sheets of newsprint or offset paper. It is also convenient to store planting material in cardboard resealable boxes, or filled wood chips or substrate cloth bags.
Ideally, a dry cellar or the top shelf of a refrigerator is suitable for saving material, where the temperature is stably maintained in the range from + 3 ° С to + 7 ° С. The main thing is to exclude close proximity to fruits and vegetables that create high humidity.
To make the plant happy in the new season abundant flowering, the rest period should last at least 2 months.
Dormant period of container plants
When growing beautifully flowering callas in containers to create favorable conditions for wintering in early September, the plants stop watering. From this moment, the leaves begin to dry out, and the plant itself enters a state of "hibernation". Tubers can be dug up using the technology described above, or left to winter in a container. To do this, the container should be placed on a glazed balcony or covered veranda.
When storing dug calla bulbs, it is important to inspect the planting material for rot spots throughout the winter from time to time. Waking callas is very simple: you only need to put the box in the first decade of April in a room where room temperature is maintained. It is recommended to expand the tubers only after a couple of weeks. Tubers are planted in the ground when the night temperature does not fall below + 12 ° C for 5-7 days.
- Dates - usually this is done at the end of September, beginning of October. In principle, Callas may well endure the onset of the first cold weather in the ground, but it’s not worth the risk.
- When digging, leaves and roots should not be removed from tubers; everything should be stored in one bundle.
- Before storage, they must be dried for 10-14 days.
- after that, treat the tubers themselves with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, dry them completely and put them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator until spring.
- In the spring, carefully inspect the tubers for lesions, separate the babies and plant them in pots in early April.
Usually these flowers are dug up, as they are very fond of warmth and can die from any frost, not to mention severe frost.
It is better to do this in the month of September, since in October the first frosts are already possible, which the flower may not endure.
Be sure to dig up callas for the winter. This is a thermophilic plant of the south and it does not like frost, most varieties will freeze out if they are not dug up in the fall.
Most flower growers breed hybrid varieties callas, and they require even more care and warm wintering.
If you put calla lilies in the cellar not dried, they will rot.
And I don’t bother with planting and digging up callas, so in the fall and spring there are a lot of other things. I have calla lilies growing in pots all year round, in the spring I just take them out into the street, I arrange them cozy in a flower bed among other flowers. There they live until the end of September. Then we make a reverse migration to the windowsill with them.
I transplant them as they grow in spring or autumn. And they bloom both at home and on the street.
Yes it necessary condition their survival. Although not many plants need wintering, callas are one of them. Moreover, it is better to dig them not right before winter, but already in September. Here detailed instructions preparation for wintering for callas:
Callas are gorgeous and beautiful flowers. The tubers of these flowers usually begin to be dug up in early September and until the end of October. You need to dig them out carefully without damaging the roots of the plant. Once you have dug them up, let them dry well, about 2 weeks. Then treat with a weak solution of manganese. It is better to store in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. spring best time April is considered to be the month of planting callas.
Callas are gorgeous and beautiful flowers. The tubers of these flowers usually begin to be dug up in early September and until the end of October. You need to dig them out carefully without damaging the roots of the plant. Once you have dug them up, let them dry well, about 2 weeks. Then treat with a weak solution of manganese. It is better to store in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.
It depends on the type of calla. If the calla is tuberous, then you definitely need to dig it out before frost. Fresh tubers contain a lot of moisture, they are fragile, so they need to be dried for one to two weeks in a cool place with foliage, and only then remove foliage and roots and pack them for storage. It is better to store in the refrigerator at a temperature of +3 +5 degrees. At lower temperatures, moisture will be lost.
If the calla has a root system, then in the fall it can be dug up and transplanted into a pot, it will bloom in winter and will delight you with its flowers.
Tuberous calla lilies are planted in greenhouses in March, and they are dug up in autumn before frost and immediately put in sawdust and moss, in a cool place, in the basement, if there is one in the house. They don't like sunlight.
Rhizomes need to be sprinkled with earth and also in a cool place.
Callas are dug up for the winter because they are thermophilic plants and winter frosts they won't carry it. Dig up calla tubers before the start of frost. Then they are dried and left to store in a cool room, but inaccessible to frost.
Callas need to be dug up for the winter following the rules:
Calla, cala, or zantedeschia (Calla, Zantedeschia) is a genus of rhizomatous or tuberous plants. It is a showy perennial that blooms from June to September. A variety of varieties with flowers from white to yellow or maroon, almost black, can satisfy every taste. After several years of experiments, it became clear that, despite its African origin, it is not so difficult to grow it in Russian gardens - this is far from the most capricious exotic. Like dahlias, calla must be removed for the winter in a frost-free room, otherwise its requirements are quite modest - even a novice gardener can fulfill them. The plasticity of the culture allows it to be used as a heat-loving perennial for open ground, pot culture for the home, and on an industrial scale - for winter forcing for cutting.
Rhizome and tuber feces
Types and varieties of callas are divided into 2 groups: rhizomatous and tuberous.
Ethiopian rhizomatous calla (Calla aethiopica) is suitable for damp places. An excellent solitary plant with large white flowers. Tall: reaches a height of 1.2 m, creates a spectacular curtain. Prefers partial shade, where it “lights up” the space well. In nature, it grows on the banks of rivers. Gubit clay soils. Appropriate in coastal zone reservoirs, in combination with aquatic plants.
Tuberous callas (Calla elliottiana, Calla rehmannii) do not require such moisture. They look interesting in parterre flower beds or as a bright spot in a mixborder. A good choice for the patio.
A large selection of varieties with colored bedspreads will allow you to create bright compositions in shaded places - tuberous callas, like rhizomes, prefer partial shade. Varieties of tuberous calla lilies tolerate sunny exposure, but may be slightly lower than counterparts growing in partial shade.
Choosing planting material
Depending on the type of calla, it has either a tuber or a tuber-like rhizome. The size of the tuber depends on age: each growing season it increases in volume. When choosing tubers when buying, pay attention to this. The larger they are, the more flower stalks such a plant can produce. By purchasing a tuber with a diameter of 7 cm or more, you can be sure that it will bloom in the year of planting. You also need to make sure that the selected instance is viable. The tuber should be dense, not have rotten places. Dry, shriveled specimens are discarded.
Except exotic calla flowers have attractive leaves, and their shape and color in different varieties are very different. Choosing a variety, you will get not only flowers of a certain tone, but also attractive foliage. There are varieties with narrow green leaves and wide arrow-shaped, plain and with a silver-white tap (the tap is not created by color, but by a thinner leaf plate in this place).
Planting and caring for callas
In late February - early March, we take out the tubers after winter storage, plant them in small pots, slightly larger than the size of the tuber, put them in a warm, bright place for germination, and water them. It is better to plant calla tubers in a light nutrient substrate with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. Suitable, for example, a mixture of peat with river sand (4:1). We arrange the tubers so that the more uneven, bumpy part is facing up. Tubercles are buds with the rudiments of future leaves and inflorescences, and a “bouquet” of leaves with a peduncle comes out of each bud.
Before the appearance of sprouts, 2-3 weeks pass, during which time the callas build up the root system, and then the buds on the top of the tuber wake up. Plants bloom quickly. Within a month after the appearance of sprouts, as a rule, the first flowers open. It is necessary to make a reservation: what we call flowers in callas is actually a colored blanket wrapped around a cylindrical inflorescence-cob (the flowers are located on it, and very small ones at that). Some varieties, such as 'Schwarzwalder' and 'Black Star' with black bedspreads, tend to put forward flower stalks faster, even without having time to fully unfold the leaves. Callas have an unusual feature: when unfolding, the veil
at first it has a paler or generally different shade from the varietal. So, in the ‘Mango’ variety, it is initially yellow, and after 5-7 days it acquires an orange-red hue characteristic of the variety. Many varieties tend to change color to green when flowering. To grow a tuber, it is worth cutting off the green flowers, preventing seeds from forming.
Since callas are planted annually in fresh soil mixture, there is no need for top dressing. If desired, you can feed with infusion of manure in a ratio of 1:10. In addition to top dressing, such a solution will acidify the substrate, creating more favorable growing conditions.
Digging up and storing callas
Calas do not overwinter in our climate in the open field. Like some other perennials (gladiolus, dahlias), they need to be dug up before the first frost (usually the 3rd decade of September). We do not cut the leaves and roots immediately, but dry them for 10-14 days so that the nutrients pass into the tubers and the roots dry out. Withered leaves and roots are removed very easily. We lay the tubers for storage (the optimum storage temperature is + 4 ... + 10 ° С). In urban apartments, calla tubers are usually kept in the refrigerator in the fruit compartment, after putting it in a paper bag or wrapping it in a newspaper and periodically checking that there is no rot. Ethiopian calla leaves do not completely die off. It is advisable to plant it after digging into a container and put it in a cool room without removing live leaves. If this is not possible, the leaves are cut off completely, the rhizomes are slightly dried (until the remnants of the leaves dry) and stored in the same way as the tubers.
Reproduction of callas by division
The readiness for division in callas is clearly visible in the tuber. At first, the babies are tightly attached to the mother plant. As they mature, an isthmus forms between the baby and the main tuber. With age, its thickness decreases. When the baby reaches maturity, the isthmus breaks easily - at this time it can be separated and grown as an independent plant. Do not forcibly divide the plant, cut with a knife.
In this case, a wound surface is formed, and, as a rule, decay occurs. You can cut when the isthmus becomes no wider than 5-7 millimeters, and the wound must be treated with crushed coal.
Cultivation of callas - questions and answers
This year I did not have time to dig up calla tubers. Is it too late to do it in November?
Light frosts will not damage tubers buried at least 10 cm deep. The main thing is to bring them into the room immediately after digging, dry them for 5-7 days, remove the old roots and place them in storage. (I store in the basement in sawdust at a temperature of + 3 + 10 degrees.). By the way, once I didn’t have time to dig tubers for the winter at all. She covered them with sawdust, foliage. Surprisingly, some survived!
Is it possible to force calla tubers to actively share during the growing season?
I noticed that a less deep planting of tubers (by 4-5 cm) contributes to the fouling of their children. Probably, better warming stimulates the awakening and development of additional growth buds, while it is easier for young shoots to break out than from a standard depth of 10-12 cm. Young children are best left to winter on the mother tuber, and in spring they can be separated.
Is it possible to plant calla tubers if the buds do not wake up in April?
If at the same time the tubers look strong and healthy, they are planted immediately into the ground in pre-moistened planting holes. If the condition of the tubers is suspicious, it is better to plant them in clean sand, sprinkled no more than 1 cm on top, moderately moisten and place in a warm, bright place. Wait until the roots and rudiments of leaves appear, and then, when the threat of return frosts has passed, carefully transplant into open ground.
Left photo:
The young tuber is not ready for division (left) When the baby matures, an isthmus forms between it and the tuber (right)
Photo in the center:
Flowering of calla tuber purchased at the garden center in the first year after planting
Photo on the right:
When planting feces, position the tuber so that its uneven, bumpy part is facing up - this is where the kidneys are located.
THE MYSTERIOUS BEAUTY OF THE ETHIOPIC CALLA
Above the large green leaves, dazzling white elegant funnels of flowers on long peduncles seem to soar - this is how Calla Remani blooms. Its flowering usually occurs in the winter, because this plant comes from the tropics of the southern hemisphere.
But recently, gardeners have become more and more popular _ another species - Ethiopian calla.
The plant is not so tall, with flowers of various colors - from pale pink, red, yellow, crimson to dark purple, almost black. These unusually graceful, beautiful flowers will bring a touch of mysterious and unearthly beauty to the garden.
WHERE TO PLANT CALLAS?
Since these are very heat-loving plants, they need to be planted in a sunny place, but where there are no winds and drafts.
The soil should be rich in humus, slightly acidic, loose. It is useful to add peat, but you should not bring in fresh manure - a handful of rotted compost or humus is enough.
GROWING TUBS
Usually, callas have been sold in stores since February. The tubers purchased at this time should first be kept in the refrigerator, and when sprouts appear, transplanted into a pot in loose soil and placed on the window.
10 days before planting in the ground, plants should be hardened off, taking them out into the air - to the street or balcony.
IRRIGATION FEATURES
Landing is carried out in moist soil. At first (about two weeks), the plants do not need to be watered. The tubers will direct all their efforts to the growth of the root system and only then will they sprout.
When the first leaves begin to unfold, you can start watering, but very carefully, so that the water does not fall directly on the tubers - in a thin stream along the edges of the pot, by the way
When the plant has formed good leaves, you can water them regularly, but without flooding.
LANDING
The tubers are planted in the spring, when the daytime air temperature rises above 13 ° C and frost has ended, otherwise they can damage young plants. When planting grown callas, they must be removed from the pots carefully so as not to injure the root system.
Plants are planted at a shallow depth - no more than 10 cm, at a distance of 30-40 cm
Ethiopian calla varieties: Chameleon, Bolero, Captain Rosette, Little Susie, Elliot, Samur, Selina, Firelight, Black-eyed beauty. from each other. After planting, they are sprinkled with soil, not compacting too much, watered and refilled with earth or peat.
FEEDING
If you plant tubers in nutrient soil, into which complex mineral fertilizers are added immediately upon planting (according to the instructions), then during the summer season you can no longer feed the plants. But it is worth 2-3 times over the summer to pour them with a weak solution of citric or acetic acid (1 tablespoon per bucket of water).
Callas practically do not get sick and are not damaged by pests.
STORAGE
The digging of tubers begins before the onset of frost. Do this very carefully so as not to damage the root system. Then they are cleaned from the ground and washed, without removing the aerial parts.
2 weeks after digging, the tubers should be kept in a room with a temperature of 5 to 15 °C. During this time, the accumulated substances from the leaves will pass into the tubers. In winter, planting material is stored at a temperature of 3-5 ° C.
CALL VARIETIES - PHOTO PLACE IN THE GARDEN
Best of all, these beautiful flowers will look near a decorative pond. Next to them you can plant plants with beautiful foliage - Siberian irises with xiphoid, straight leaves or a fern with delicate, openwork fronds.
Recently, the beautiful calla has won many hearts of flower growers. Previously, one could only meet snow-white callas, which are often called callas. A few years ago, bulbs of multi-colored callas appeared on sale. Today, botanists refer to them as the Zantedes Ethiopian species. They have multi-colored bedspread flowers that look great in bouquets. Blooming zantedeschias are spectacular both in flowerpots on the windowsill and in the garden.
Seven years ago, I decided to grow these callas in my garden. It turns out they are easy to get along with.
At first I bought already vegetating plants in pots, hoping that it would be easier to study their needs this way. But as the first experience showed, no "higher mathematics" was needed. Soon my house blossomed the most beautiful flower. Depending on the variety, even in the first year of flowering, the plant can produce a whole fountain of flowers per season. For example, varieties Black Pearl (black), Mango (orange-peach), Picasso (purple with cream edging), Samur (pink). Amethyst (lilac), Sunshine (yellow), Albomaculata (snow-white), Kapteyn Reno (dark red) - unpretentious and very abundantly blooming.
They are undemanding to the soil. For planting in a pot, you can use garden soil or universal soil. To make the plant feel more comfortable, I add vermicompost to the soil. In the future, I sprinkle it on top of the pot as needed. When planting, the main thing is not to deepen the corms: I plant them to a depth of no more than 5-6 cm. Plants should be watered moderately, they cannot stand overflow, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out completely. At the end of March, I plant corms in pots and put them on the windowsill for germination.
When the weather is warm outside, zantedeschias can be planted in open ground or taken out in pots to the garden. I choose a place for my callas in the shade or partial shade, where the sun is only in the evening. In June, my beauties bloom and constantly delight me with their unusual flowers throughout July and August. To keep the soil from drying out, I mulch the ground around the plants with hay, coconut fiber, bark, or any other mulch material I have on hand.
With the onset of cold weather, usually in October, a dormant period begins for the Zantedes. After that, I dig them out with a clod of earth, plant them in a pot, cut the leaves halfway and store them in a cellar or a cool place without watering until spring.
I propagate calla lilies in the spring by dividing the corms (if children have grown on it): I separate the baby from the adult bulb, and I must powder the cut with ash or cover it with brilliant green and dry it a little.
I wish you good luck and pleasant moments with these bright beauties!
CALLA - FORECASTING THE RAIN
About 20 years ago, I first saw callas.
And since then, I have not ceased to admire the beauty of these snow-white flowers, which have many names - richardia, Ethiopian zantedeschia and calla.
Every autumn in my collection there are up to 70 tubers. Over the years, 8 hybrid specimens have also appeared, but they are so fastidious that I hastened to get rid of them, distributing them to everyone.
The first bulbs of this plant were given to me in my school years by my teacher. I brought home two small heads and put them in a regular 2 liter plastic bottle before cutting off the neck. Over the past time, I had a chance to study all the features of these wonderful flowers, so now I can share my experience of growing them myself.
When to plant in a flower bed?
Callas are one of the few plants that bloom during the winter. But over the years of practice and experimentation, I have learned to grow them in the open field, where they begin to spread their “sails” on the eve of summer.
I start planting plants in a flower bed at the end of April, when the earth warms up enough. Until the threat of night frosts blows over, I cover the plantings with a film. And immediately after disembarking, I water abundantly, and next time only after 1.5-2 weeks. When I see that the callas have successfully adapted, as evidenced by the new green leaves that have appeared on the plant, I feed them with a weak solution of saltpeter or a combined mineral fertilizer. And I do this only once for the whole season: excessive feeding can lead to rotting of tubers and death of plants. All other waterings are carried out as needed.
Blooms for almost a month
3-4 weeks after planting, an adult calla blooms, but only if the climate favors it. Usually a biennial plant blooms, which produces a flower arrow with a wide asymmetric bell of white (yellow or red) color. This kind of "cover" well protects a narrow cob, consisting of densely seated nondescript flowers. Do not be surprised that the calla flower is not a “cover” at all, but a narrow cob-core.
A very beautiful and elegant flower pleases for about two weeks, and then changes color, becoming off-white. At this time, it can already be cut, but very carefully so as not to damage the new bud, which may appear to replace the one that has already dried up. An adult plant is able to give 2 (and sometimes 3) flowers in turn. In this case, the first one will be the highest, all subsequent ones will be quite low. After the last flower has faded, the calla begins a dormant period. At this time, it is advisable to reduce watering.
I leave 3-4 leaves on the calla, and carefully cut off the rest with a knife. This is enough for the normal development of calla lilies, because then a smaller amount of nutrients is required.
In open ground, callas bloom until mid-October, and if autumn is warm, then even longer. After the time comes to transplant the plants - I send the largest tubers separately to fairly large pots.
On a note
Calla lilies do not tolerate crowding, if this is neglected, they will slowly develop and get sick.
The roots of these plants are cord-like, extending from the succulent tuberous rhizome in all directions, and appear on the surface. Root bulging is the result of not planting deep enough. Therefore, when moving to a new place, it is best not to fill up the earth to the edges of the pot, and then gradually pour it in.
Myth debunked
Relying on the own experience, I disproved the myth that calla does not bloom when planted in a group of flowers. This is not true. An adult plant that has passed a dormant period and is not overfed with nitrogen will definitely bloom, no matter how many bulbs are in the same pot nearby. But it is advisable to separate the children during transplantation so as not to burden them with the presence of an adult plant. After this, the wounds should be sprinkled with crushed coal or ash. The soil for calla lilies should consist of 1 part of sod land and 2 parts of peat.
The main enemy of calla - spider mite, which most often appears when there are also pots with other houseplants next to the calla. It is possible to defeat the enemy if the plant is abundantly sprayed with a solution of any pest control agent. And since zantedeschia is a marsh plant, it also needs to be moistened with water from a spray bottle.
What about the weather?
Cala is not only beautiful, but also useful plant, which will tell you what the weather will be like. For example, before the rain, droplets of water appear on the tips of its leaves. On gloomy days, you have to wipe the window sill daily, as droplets from the leaves quickly turn into small puddles on it.
I have been a teacher for 12 years. And all this time, many students come running to my office during breaks to find out the weather forecast from calla lilies. Seeing these wonderful flowers for the first time, some guys also became interested in growing this beautiful plant. And in order for their experience to be successful, I gave my students little “babies” of calla lilies, who already feel great at home.
In the cut, this plant is also excellent. A long peduncle and decorative leaves allow you to create original flower arrangements that remain fresh for an extremely long time and delight the eye. After 18 years of dating callas, I have had many others. indoor plants- some have long disappeared, while others are still there. But the calla has remained my flower companion and a kind of talisman in life.
If for some reason you were unable to see the flowering of such wonderful plant then try these simple rules and you will surely be able to make sure that the calla is not an exotic whim, she just needs your attention and love.
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