Calla, or zantedeschia, is a perennial, a plant of the Aroid family, or Aronnikovy. There are Ethiopian calla rhizome, which blooms in autumn and winter with white flowers, from March to June it is in a resting period. South African calla is a tuberous or bulbous plant, the color of its flowers is different, it blooms in the summer. Both species are grown in the country and in the apartment. The plant is distinguished by its original flower: on a long peduncle there is a yellow inflorescence in the form of an ears, wrapped in a funnel-shaped sheet-veil, which has its own color in different species.
Homeland flower - the territory of South America and Africa. Breeders bred a huge number of varieties that are grown as home and street flowers. Callas planting and care in the open field for which require certain knowledge and skills, attract not only knowledgeable gardeners, but also beginners with their swept, succulent leaves and an amazing flower.
A riot of colors of blooming callas
Timing for spring planting
By mid-May, when the time of spring frosts has passed, and the soil at a depth of 15 cm has warmed up to 15 ° C, they start planting callas in the garden, this corresponds to the weather in central Russia. The landing dates in the southern regions are earlier: mid-April. In the north of the country, in the Urals and in Siberia, it is advisable to wait until the end of May or even the beginning of June.
Stages of preparation for planting calla lilies
April-May - the time of "awakening" of corms of bulbous callas. At this time, they begin preparations for landing:
- They open the boxes in which they hibernated and take out the tubers.
- Take off the paper wrappers.
- Inspect for the presence of fungal infections.
- It is treated with a fungicide or potassium permanganate solution.
- Separate the "kids", breaking off from the jumper and processing the place of breaking with brilliant green.
The appearance of sprouts in corms waking up after wintering
Rules for choosing planting material
A bulb suitable for planting should be large, have a dense structure resembling a potato tuber. A wrinkled, dented bulb will not produce a normal plant. Sick and damaged bulbs are discarded for treatment. The selected material is placed in trays and installed in a cool place with a temperature of 5-7 ° C, regularly ventilating.
Digging and storing calla lilies in winter
Calla wintering in the garden is not provided, this plant is not frost-resistant, can withstand up to -2 ° C. Every autumn they dig a bulb.
Important! To succeed in growing a flower, it is necessary to create conditions for it for a clearly defined period of rest in winter.
When the calla lilies fade and wither, before the cold, gently dig the tubers so as not to damage the stems. Dug tubers with stems are placed in cardboard or wooden boxes and set for 2 weeks in a dry room to dry. Then carefully dried stems and roots from the bulb are carefully separated.
Dug corms after drying
The latter are well washed and treated in a solution of potassium permanganate, then washed again under running water. When water drains, the bulbs are cleaned for a week in a dark ventilated room for drying.
Note! "Children" are not removed from the dug bulbs, it is necessary to wait for the formation of a bridge between the mother bulb and the "baby" to break it off without injury to the parent bulb, and later use them for propagation. It takes a whole year. If you break off immediately, you can damage the bulb, which is fraught with infection and death.
Prepared tubers are ready for winter storage. Before this, once again inspect all the material obtained to detect damage and rot. Detected defects must be removed with a sharp knife. Dry for several hours, then treat all sections with green or activated carbon.
Planting material for breeding is wrapped in paper, each tuber separately, placed in boxes with holes and put away for storage in a ventilated room with a temperature of 10-12 ° C. Regularly check that there is no rot and drying out.
Sprouting bulbs before planting
Tuber germination accelerates the development of the plant, which leads to earlier and longer flowering, and also contributes to increased resistance to frost and disease. To ensure a sufficient amount of daylight, the process begins in mid-March, if earlier, artificial light exposure will have to be used.
In order to “wake up” tubers that didn’t hatch from wintering, they were kept in a potassium permanganate solution for 30 minutes, then the damaged areas were examined and removed with a sharp knife, processing sections with green stuff. Prepare containers for landing:
- Pots are taken with holes for water drainage.
- At the bottom lay a layer of drainage of small stones and sand.
- Prepared calcined soil spread on top.
- Tubers are planted, not deeply buried in the ground, up to 2 cm.
Capacities are installed in rooms with temperatures up to 20 ° C. Look after the planted tubers, starting to water in a week. Watered 2 times a week, making sure that the soil was moist, but the water did not stagnate. After 15 days, the first leaves will appear.
Germination of callas in pots at home to transplant into the open ground
Soil loosening
A mandatory element of care is loosening the soil, this ensures the supply of oxygen to the root system. The procedure should be performed carefully so as not to damage the roots.
Natural loosening is created by earthworms. By increasing their population on the site, in addition to loosening, they also enrich the soil with nutrients.
Note! Loosening is carried out after each watering or rain, so that a crust does not form on the surface.
Seedlings
Callas are planted in open ground when freezing stops, not earlier than mid-May. Sprouted bulbs, planted immediately on the flowerbed, will bloom much later, they need to adapt to new conditions and build up the root system, only after this begins the growth of the plant itself. The first shoots appear in 2-3 weeks. For earlier flowering, awakened bulbs germinate at home. To get an adult plant by the beginning of summer, they are planted in March. In this case, a plant with leaves is transplanted into the open ground, which immediately begins to grow.
Bulb cultivation and garden care
Before planting callas, bulbs must be prepared. They are kept in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, then dried and cut off damaged and diseased areas, slightly capturing healthy ones. Slices are treated with brilliant green. How to plant calla lilies in open ground: they are planted on a flower bed with dug up and fertilized soil, maintaining a distance between them of 30-40 cm and closing to a depth of 5-10 cm:
- Large ones are dug deeper;
- Small ones are sprinkled with earth a little.
After planting, the root system is first formed, at this time watering is not needed, seedlings appear after 2-3 weeks. Only after the formation of the roots is completed, the forces of the flower are directed to the growth of the plant itself.
The main components of flower care in the open field are:
- Timely watering;
- Making the necessary dressings;
- Weeding weeds;
- Regular loosening of the soil.
Subject to all the rules of care, callas will begin to bloom in a month and a half and will delight you with beautiful flowers until the fall.
Watering and spraying
Callas are garden - a hygrophilous plant, watering is an important component of flower care. After planting, callas are not watered, observing the "dry regime". Watering is started after the appearance of the first sprouts, somewhere in 2-3 weeks after planting.
Note! A stream of water is directed around the plant, avoiding contact with tubers.
After the appearance of several leaves, watering is carried out more often: 1-2 times a week. How often to water the plant depends on the weather. Proper watering should be frequent but moderate so that the soil remains moist. Calla does not like excessive moisture in the soil, but its drying out must not be allowed. In a drought, watering should be more plentiful, in addition, the leaves should be sprayed and moistened.
Additional Information! Another feature of the flower can be used as a barometer: the plant begins to cry before the rain.
Methods and timing of feeding
The plant responds well to fertilizing, each period requires various fertilizers. Due to the fact that callas love acidic soil, it must be acidified.
Type of fertilizer and quantity required
| Application time and how many times | What fertilizers | Consumption rate | Note |
| Landing | Complex mineral | 30-40 g / sq. m | To provide nutrition for the entire season |
| 3 times per season | Citric or Acetic Acid | 1 tablespoon per bucket of water | To maintain optimal soil acidity |
| 1 time in 3 weeks | Special for corms | according to instructions | For the formation and growth of bulbs |
| Flowering period | Potassium sulfate | 1 tablespoon per plant | Pour around the plant, distributing evenly and slightly sprinkling with earth |
Important! Nitrogen fertilizers contribute to the growth of green mass, it is advisable not to use them.
Pest and Disease Control
Callas are relatively resistant to disease and pest attacks, but if this happens, you must immediately begin to troubleshoot.
Possible plant diseases, methods of control
| Disease | External manifestations | Reasons and solutions |
| Yellow spotting and yellow banded (viral) | The appearance of light annular spots and curly leaves, deformation of flowers, light streaks on the peduncles. | The peddler is thrips. Extermination of the insect. |
| Bacterial Wet Rot | The appearance of rot at the petioles of leaves and peduncles at ground level, with their subsequent breaking off. The roots are wet, rotten. The tubers are dented in brown. | Sick plants destroy. Prevention - planting only healthy tubers. |
Pests and methods of control
| Pests | Signs of presence | Ways of struggle and prevention |
| Aphid | Leaves, buds and flowers turn yellow, curl. With severe damage - sticky aphid discharge. | If the lesion is mild, wash it off with soap and water. With strong - treatment with drugs: "Antitlin", "Actellik", "Fitoverm" and others. After 4-5 days, the treatment is repeated. |
| Spider mite | Dry hot weather contributes to the appearance. On the leaves - yellowish dots, eventually turning into large discolored and dry patches. | |
| Thrips | The appearance of a silver sheen on the upper side of the leaf blades and brown spots on the lower. Over time, leaves, flowers turn yellow and dry. | Folk remedies - spraying with infusions: marigolds, yarrow, celandine, tobacco. Processing with preparations: "Aktara", "Karate", "Fufanon", etc. |
Care after flowering
After flowering, callas cease to water, wilted peduncles are carefully cut. Why is it necessary - to maintain the attractiveness of the flower and the growth of new peduncles. In September, the leaves begin to turn yellow, peduncles droop. In the second half of September, before the onset of frost, the tubers are carefully dug up and prepared for storage.
Bouquet of callas
Possible growing problems
Violations of the rules for growing and caring cause some problems. If storage conditions are violated, planting material will be unsuitable for flower cultivation. Callas that planted too late may not bloom. If plants were planted too close to each other, they will be frail and small, and the flowers are unprepossessing. Unsuitable lean soil will also affect growth and flowering. Inadequate watering during hot, dry weather can cause insects. Excessive watering will lead to decay of the roots and tubers of the plant. Compliance with the simple rules of agricultural technology will allow you to successfully grow abundantly and continuously flowering plants.
Callas are flowers growing in the garden of which does not create special difficulties, the resistance of the plant itself to diseases and pests makes it easy to succeed. A grower, even with little experience, can grow a lush bush with delicate inflorescences.
