Calla is one of the most elegant plants in the Aroid family, flowering indoors.
Its "popular" names: calla, arum. She comes from the swampy forests of South Africa.
In nature, there are 8 types of calla lilies, which are divided into 2 groups: tuberous and rhizome.
In addition to the type of root system, they differ in the size and color of the bedspread (varieties of tuberous calla lilies have different colors, and rhizomes bloom mainly with white flowers).
Of these, suitable for growing at home:
Calla Ethiopian (Zantedeschia)- most large view cultivated in indoor floriculture. The large leaves are heart-shaped. It blooms with funnel-shaped white flowers. Unlike colored calla lilies, it retains leaves during dormancy and remains green. The most popular varieties: Green Goddess, Pearls, Nikolay, Childsiana; Albomaculata.
Calla Eliot reaches a height of up to 50cm. Has large variegated leaves, a flower veil yellow color... Notable varieties: Black-eyed Beauty, Yellow Corner, Vermeer, Black Beauty, Captain Chelse.
Calla Remani- compact tuberous species (up to 70 cm high). On its basis, varieties with red, pink, purple, black shades of bedspreads have been bred. Popular varieties: Chameleon, Evening, Indian summer. Anneke, Black Forest, Bolero.
Calla lilies in pots, home care, which are not as difficult as it seems at first glance, still need a special approach. So that they not only grow, but also bloom in room conditions, the florist is required to create optimal combination conditions most similar to natural ones.
Calla: home care - reproduction, transplant
Reproduction
At home, calla lilies are propagated mainly vegetatively. In zantedeschia, the rhizome is divided into parts. Each of them must have at least one kidney. Sections are dried and dusted with powder charcoal or disinfected with brilliant green. The division of rhizomes must be carried out at least once every 4 years. Otherwise, lateral small shoots are formed around the mother bush, which will not give flowering. After that, the delenki are planted in a separate pot.
In colored calla lilies, daughter nodules are separated from the mother.
An overgrown calla tuber is ready to divide
Seed propagation is the most difficult way... This is due to the low percentage of their germination. If you managed to get ripe seeds, then they must be soaked in a growth stimulator (Kornevin, Epin, Heteroauxin, Etamon, Zircon) before planting, and then left to germinate in a warm place on a damp sponge or gauze. After the seeds have hatched, they can be planted in the ground. However, another difficulty arises here: the planting material often rots. To reduce losses to a minimum, it is better to moisten the sprouts not from above, but through a wick. Planting is grown at a temperature of + 22 ° C. Seedlings dive 2 months after sowing.
Transfer
Calla lilies are transplanted annually in the spring after the end of the dormant period. At the same time, you can divide the rhizomes or tubers. The pots are wide, not too deep. At the bottom, drainage is required up to 5 cm thick. Calla are planted in pots no deeper than 5-10 cm.
In colored calla lilies, the selected tubers should be firm, lively, with a smooth yellowish skin. Before planting, it is recommended to keep them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or treat them with a fungicide.
Plants of white calla lilies are planted to a depth equal to their 3-fold diameter of their rhizomes.
At first, it is not worth watering the planting too much - there is a high probability of decay (it is better to spray it from a spray bottle). After the emergence of sprouts (about 14 days after transplanting), active watering and feeding begin.
Calla lilies in pots: home care - soil, lighting, temperature and humidity, conditions for flowering
The soil
For tuberous varieties of calla lilies, a suitable soil composition will be as follows: leafy, soddy soil, humus, coarse sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1: 0.5. For rhizome varieties, you can use a universal soil for flowering plants or replace it with such a mixture: equal parts of humus, leafy earth, coarse sand, 2 parts of sod land, ¼ part of clay. In both versions, 1 tablespoon of superphosphate is added to 3 liters of the total volume of the substrate.
Lighting and location
Callas need bright, diffused light. The duration of daylight hours should be 10-12 hours. In autumn and winter, it is necessary to provide additional lighting with an intensity of at least 700-800 Lux. Lack of light leads to a loss of decorativeness of the plant: the leaf stalks are stretched out, there is no flowering, in tuberous calla lilies, the color of the bracts is fading.
Summer best location for zantedeskia there will be west and east windows. In winter, on the contrary, for additional sunlight it is better to rearrange it to the south side.
Temperature and humidity
For different types Calla lilies temperature and humidity in the room has some differences.
Rhizome plants during the active growing season feel good at + 17-21 ° C. After flowering during the dormant period, they are kept at + 10-13 ° C for at least 2 months.
"White" calla lilies need high air humidity (70-80%). To do this, their leaves are sprayed with soft water, the pots are placed on pallets with wet moss, expanded clay. Better yet, use special humidifiers.
Optimum temperature for the development of "colored" calla lilies it will be + 20-24 ° C. During the "rest" of plants, it is increased to + 25-28 ° C, so that the tubers ripen and form flower buds... Tuberous calla lilies have enough moderate air humidity (50-60%). Every day they wipe the leaves with a damp sponge.
Conditions for flowering: why does calla not bloom?
It often happens that a calla lily bought in a store does not bloom at home. One of the reasons for this behavior is that the "vegetation-rest" regime is violated. Plants on sale are "pumped up" with phytohormones to maintain a presentable appearance. To send the arum to "hibernation", it is necessary to reduce watering and put the pot in a cool room.
The wrong irrigation regime also "slows down" the beginning of flowering. Calla, as a tropical plant, likes to actively "quench their thirst" during the growing season. This is especially true for Ethiopian calla lilies. It is important to remember that watering cold water these "green African women" are not allowed - there is a high probability of decay of the roots. It is better to use soft warm (+ 20-25оС) settled water for this.
An inappropriate pot size is another probable causes lack of flowering in calla lilies. This Tropicana is growing pretty fast. When it becomes cramped in the pot, it stops growing and is in no hurry to please with its elegant flowers. After a dormant period in the expanded "family", it is necessary to separate the "children" that weaken the mother plant and transplant them into separate pots. At the same time, the soil is changed to fresh.
An incorrect feeding regimen negatively affects the ability of calla to bloom. With an excess of nitrogen, the plant "fattens" - it develops a deciduous mass to the detriment of flowering. Therefore, it is necessary to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, "responsible" for flowering.
With an insufficient depth of planting of a tuber or rhizome, an active growth of lateral shoots takes place in the soil. If they are not separated and transplanted, then there will be no flowering.
Calla: home care - feeding and watering
Watering
Calla lilies also have different requirements for watering. So, "colored" calla lilies are watered moderately: stagnation of moisture in the soil can become fatal for them (rot is formed on the tubers). Excess water drained from the pallet. The next watering is carried out when upper layer the soil will dry out 2-3 cm deep.
"White" calla lilies like abundant watering, especially during the period of active growth. The soil in the pot should always be moist.
After flowering in all species of this plant, watering is reduced to 1 time per week, and tuberous specimens, after 1-2 months of this regime, stop watering altogether.
Top dressing
With the release of calla lilies from the dormant period, it is fed every 2 weeks, alternating between mineral and organic fertilizers... When conducting foliar dressing the plants are sprayed so that the liquid does not get on the bracts (ugly spots form on them and the flower loses its decorative effect).
Potted calla lilies: home care - why do they die?
Calla lilies in pots at home most often die with improper care, as a result of which weakened plants are exposed to pests and diseases.
The most malicious "lovers" of calla are spider mite, whitefly and aphids... To destroy them, acaricides (Aktelik, Sunmayt, Vertimek) and insecticides (Fitoverm, Biotlin, Aktara, Akarin) are used.
With improper irrigation and temperature conditions calla lilies are often affected by various bacterial and fungal infections. Root rot can be recognized by such signs: massive wilting of leaves and peduncles, necrotization of the root system. Contributes to its occurrence high humidity and air temperature, excess nitrogen in the soil. To help the plant in this case, it is necessary to temporarily stop watering it, partially replace the wet soil with a dry one, treat the plant with a fungicide solution (Fundazol, Previkur, Rovral).
Gray rot caused by the pathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea, spreads through contaminated soil, water, and wind. A characteristic feature her is gray bloom on the plant.
On defeat bacterial rot peduncles, roots, leaf bases darken, over time the plant dies. Sick calla lilies should be destroyed.
If rounded shapes appear on the leaves brown spots, gradually merging, this means the plant is sick with anthracnose. The damaged parts of the calla are removed, the plant itself is treated with fungicidal preparations.
Why do calla lilies turn yellow leaves at home?
Calla lily leaves turn yellow when kept at home for 2 reasons: preparation for a dormant period and inaccuracies in care.
After the plant has bloomed, it begins to prepare for a "well-deserved rest": in "colored" calla lilies, all the leaves turn yellow and die off, and "white" zantedeschia retain their green foliage.
Not proper care behind calla lilies affects appearance plants. As a tropical plant, it needs high humidity, which, under conditions living quarters difficult to maintain at the proper level (especially during the heating season). Therefore, calla lilies should often be sprayed with settled water, rearranged away from heating appliances.
Waterlogging or overdrying of the substrate also leads to a change in the color of the leaves and their wilting.
Although feces require long daylight hours (10-12 hours), too bright light depressing it. Therefore, if the plant is on the south window, it must be shaded or rearranged to another place.
Calla leaf burn
Long-term cultivation of calla lilies in one pot without replanting and replacing the soil leads to its depletion and, as a result, to yellowing of the leaves. Nutrient deficiencies also cause increased fragility leaf petioles... With a lack of nitrogen, the leaves lose their gloss, their ends droop, and with a grasp of potassium, they rise up.
Calla plant (Latin Calla), or Zantedeschia (lat.Zantedeschia)- genus perennial plants families Aroid, or Aronnikovye. Calla flower grows in damp places South America and in Africa, from Nigeria to Tanzania. It is a relative of such a plant as calla, or marsh calla, the only representative of its kind, whose range is located in the Northern Hemisphere. Zantedeskia is sometimes called the Ethiopian calla lily, or richardia. The flower got its name "zantedeschia" from the German botanist Kurt Sprengel, who named it after his friend the Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi, but most often the zantedeschia is still called just calla lilies. The attractiveness of this plant for flower growers not only in very large showy leaves and in unusual shape flower, but also in the fact that calla lilies can be grown both in the garden and at home, in a pot.
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Planting and caring for calla lilies (in brief)
- Landing: tubers are planted in early May.
- Bloom: from June to early October.
- Digging: in September.
- Storage: in an earthen coma in a dry room at a temperature of 5-7 ˚C.
- Lighting: bright light in the morning, light partial shade in the afternoon.
- The soil: well-drained, fertile, pH slightly acidic to acidic.
- Watering: moderate but regular, abundant in dry season.
- Top dressing: fertilizers are applied to the soil only at planting.
- Reproduction: vegetative, depending on the type - tubers or dividing the bush. Seed propagation is ineffective and unreliable.
- Pests: aphids, thrips, bears, beetles and wireworms.
- Diseases: rhizoctonia, root rot, penicillosis, pytium, ervinium bacteria group.
- Properties: the plant contains poisonous alkaloids. Juice, when it comes into contact with the skin, causes irritation, and if it enters the body, it causes vomiting, numbness and convulsions.
Read more about growing calla lilies below.
Calla flowers - features
Growing calla lilies, like any other plant, involves following the rules of agricultural technology, the main feature of these flowers is that they are grown both as garden calla lilies - in yards, and in apartments, in pots, like indoor calla lilies. But general rules growing and caring for calla lilies, wherever they grow, there is still:
- calla lilies require shallow planting, that is, the rhizomes are barely covered with earth to avoid rotting;
- what amateurs call a calla flower is actually the cover leaf or blanket that wraps around the ear of the flower. In fact, calla flowers are small and inconspicuous, although very fragrant;
- after planting, the calla does not emerge until it forms its root system, therefore, do not be nervous if there are no shoots for a month;
- be careful when digging up tubers: they are easily damaged;
- calla is a living barometer: water droplets appear on its veil and tips of leaves before the rain, like tears;
- a pot for calla lilies, especially Ethiopian, is preferable to be porous so that excess moisture can evaporate. In addition, the Ethiopian calla loves solitude and does not tolerate neighbors in their own pot;
- each calla flower blooms for about a month;
- From time to time, the top layer of the calla lily pot should be carefully removed, being careful not to damage the roots, and replaced with fresh nutrient medium.
Growing garden calla lilies
Callas decorate the garden with their majestic flowers so much that many growers are happy to grow them on their own farm. The meadows where the calla lilies grow look like an Arabian ornamental painting: the rhizomes give young shoots of leaves every year, and elegant flowering arrows rise among them ...
In the photo: Purple calla lilies
Calla lilies prefer open, spacious areas and fertile soil, but it is advisable to shade them in the hottest daytime hours: in the scorching sun, the leaves wither, burn and dry out, therefore it is important that bushes or trees grow nearby, which in the afternoon will give the calla lilies a saving shadow. The soil must be acidic or at least slightly acidic, it is required good drainage, because stagnant water in the roots is detrimental to the plant.
The optimal soil composition for calla lilies: earth, sand, peat and leaf humus in equal proportions.
Planting calla lilies and garden care
Planting calla lilies in spring
Garden calla lilies are planted in early May. Pre-planting material is kept for half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate, then carefully inspected and, as necessary, cut out rotten places to healthy tissues, and the wounds are smeared with brilliant green. A complex mineral fertilizer is introduced into the soil at the site at the rate of 30-40 g per 1 m², the site is dug up. Then the tubers are immersed in prepared holes to a depth of 5-10 cm at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other (depending on the size of the bulb), buried in, and the planting site is well watered.
Calla lilies are fertilized with a balanced liquid fertilizer, such as Kemira-Lux. Top dressing is applied to the soil along with water at every fifth watering of the plant.
In the photo: Pink calla
Calla lilies propagation
Calla is propagated by seeds (this method is unreliable, and the result will have to wait for a very long time), tubers and dividing the bush. Calla lilies are propagated by dividing the bush as follows: in the fall, when digging, the offspring of the calla is separated with a part of the rhizome and transplanted into a pot with an earthen mixture, and in the spring it is transplanted into open ground. If by dividing the bush, only Ethiopian calla lilies and its varieties multiply, then the rest of the calla lilies reproduce by tubers: in the fall, the tubers are dug out, stored for the whole winter, and in the spring they are planted in open ground.
In the photo: growing calla lilies at home
Calla lilies after flowering
Caring for tuberous calla lilies and rhizome calla lilies has differences. In Ethiopian calla lilies, rhizomatous, the dormant period begins in the very heat - at this time growth slows down, then stops, the calla turns yellow ... At this time, watering should be reduced, and the plant should be taken to a balcony or garden to a well-lit place where it is not raindrops will reach. In the first half of July, the plant is taken out of the pot, all old leaves and offspring are removed and transplanted into a pot with a new nutrient mixture, placed in a bright place and they begin to water and feed the calla, preparing it for the next flowering. This is the cycle for rhizome potted calla lilies.
Garden calla remains on the site until autumn; in September, the rhizomes are dug up and stored with an earthen clod in a cool dry room with moderate, infrequent watering.
In the photo: Calla in a pot
In tuberous calla lilies, after flowering, the covers gradually turn green and droop, the leaves turn yellow and dry. Garden tuberous calla lilies are carefully dug out in the third decade of September, trying not to damage the tubers, freed from the soil, washed and kept for a couple of weeks at a temperature of 5-10 ºC, waiting for the beneficial nutrients to transfer from the leaves to the tubers. After that, the dead leaves are easily removed.
In our latitudes, calla lilies are not left in the ground for the winter. When the leaves die off, they are removed, the tubers are washed well, kept in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, washed again and placed in a dark, dry place for drying, then the tubers, packed in paper bags, are stored at a temperature of 5-7 ºC: in a city apartment for this fit vegetable boxes in the refrigerator.
In the photo: calla tubers
The rhizomes of the Ethiopian calla, if you do not have the opportunity to keep it in a cool room after digging, are slightly dried and, after cutting off the leaves, are stored in the same way as the tubers.
Do not forget to check weekly how the calla tubers and rhizomes feel: whether they have begun to dry out and wrinkle from too warm temperatures or, conversely, rot from high humidity.
If you grew calla lilies in a pot, then during the rest period you can not remove it from the pot, but simply take it out to a cool veranda or loggia. If you, without giving your beauty a couple of months to rest, continue to water and in every possible way provoke further growth, you can deplete the calla and it will not bloom.
Types and varieties of calla lilies
There are only eight species of calla lilies in the genus, but only three are grown in culture, they also served as material for breeders in breeding different varieties:
These are tall white calla lilies (peduncles are up to a meter or more in height), the underground part is a rhizome, and not a bulb, like in other species. Ethiopian feces are hygrophilous, they do not shed their large, shiny green leaves even during the dormant period. The most popular varieties:
- Nicolai- the length of the peduncle is up to one and a half meters, the leaves are dark green, arrow-shaped, the petioles are long. The bedspread is green below and outside, diameter 8-12 cm;
- Pearl – undersized variety, height up to half a meter, suitable for growing in pots;
- Schone Zweibruckerin- the length of the peduncle is up to 1 m, the leaves are heart-shaped, light, the bottom is dark green, the diameter of the upper part is 10-15 cm;
- Green goddess- of rare beauty majestic green calla lilies, reaching a height of 90cm.
In the photo: Calla aethiopica
Calla rehmannii
This is a short calla lily (up to 70 cm in height) with a veil color pink(lilac-burgundy or red-pink) and narrow green leaves. The underground part of the plant is a tuber that looks like a begonia or gloxinia tuber. In autumn, it loses leaves and requires rest in winter time... Popular varieties:
- Chameleon- short calla lilies, grown both in a pot and in a garden, a peach-colored bedspread with golden tints;
- The evening- satin black and purple calla;
- Indian summer- calla red, with a pomegranate tint.
Not all city dwellers can go to summer cottages, and in order not to get away from nature, they arrange a flower garden on the windowsill. Planting calla lilies at home will give the room a solemnity and style. That part of the plant, which is usually called a flower, is actually a veil, a large bracts that envelop the ear, on the stem of which there are many small flowers. Calla lilies can also be grown outdoors, in regions where the temperature does not drop below 0⁰, they can even bloom all year round if provided with proper care. The flower is good at home in a pot, and in a flower bed, and in bouquets.
How calla lilies reproduce
Calla tuber quickly grows overgrown with children. If you do not transplant a flower every year at home, soon the entire area of the pot will be covered with new young shoots, and plant care will become impossible. When transplanting from one copy, you can get a lot of planting material. When you remove the onion from the ground, carefully use your hands to separate each piece with a bud. It can be planted at home in a new container or in a flower bed. If you are a little late and the babies do not separate from the mother tuber, just break the rhizome into pieces. Sprinkle the wounds with crushed coal.
Planting flowers by seeds is possible. There are not always pollinating insects indoors, sometimes at home you will have to arm yourself with a brush and start transferring pollen from flower to flower. Do not store the grains: the fresher they are, the better they will germinate. Immediately after collection, place them in a damp cloth and keep at home in a warm place. Usually, after 2 days, the seeds begin to hatch. Sow the swollen specimens into a pot with. Until shoots appear, plantings are easily rotting. Best care- do not water them from above, but fill the sump with water so that the soil is moistened through the drainage holes. Spray the dry surface of the ground with a spray bottle.
When sprouts appear, place the container in the light and keep at home at a temperature of about + 22⁰. After 2 months, cut the seedlings into separate pots, and after a year, plant them on permanent place... Some flower growers prefer not to pick, but immediately plant 2 swollen grains in a glass. After the emergence of shoots, the strongest plant is left, and the second copy is removed or transferred to another container. All care for young plants comes down to watering as the soil dries out.
Usually, planting and growing from seeds at home allows you to get the new kind not like the parent plants. There are different colors of the bedspread:
- white;
- yellow;
- pink;
- red;
- blue;
- purple;
- black.
Perhaps the seeds you received will give an unexpected result in 2 years and at home there will be a flower of a completely unusual shade on the windowsill. Try transferring the pollen from a black flower to a white or red flower and see what happens. On a warm day, you can take the pots outside and entrust the breeding work to insects. If you don't like surprises, buy seeds of the desired variety from the store.
Planting calla lilies in a pot
In order for calla lilies to develop well at home and give large inflorescences, you need to properly equip the place where the cultivation will take place and provide the plant good care... The roots should be roomy, so choose a pot of at least 0.5 m with a diameter of 0.4 m or more. Check drainage - although this plant lives in swamps in its homeland, stagnant water is harmful to it. Cover the bottom with expanded clay or pebbles for drainage. You can buy special soil for calla lilies, or you can independently prepare a composition of equal parts of leafy soil, turf and compost.
You can take the bulbs from friends when they are replanting their flower. When buying planting material, pay attention to its appearance.
A quality bulb has certain characteristics:
- large, even, firm;
- have a peel of uniform color without wounds and damaged areas;
- have a healthy kidney.
Calla planted in March takes root well at home. Before planting, soak the tubers in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate, and then inspect each specimen. Remove all sore spots, growths and other defects, and treat the wounds with a disinfectant solution. It is a good idea to keep the bulbs in a growth stimulant solution, then planting and growing will give the best results.
Indoor calla lilies produce large leaves, a long stem, and a heavy inflorescence. In order for the rhizome to hold tightly to the soil, when planting at home, bury it to a depth of 6 to 12 cm. Until a sprout appears from the ground, keep the pot under the film so that it is warm and humid inside. At this time, maintenance is not required, just open the container every day for ventilation and make sure that the soil does not dry out. After the emergence of the shoot, the pot must be placed in a place with a temperature of + 15⁰ to + 18⁰, where the maximum illumination occurs in the afternoon. The south-western window of the house is very suitable, only the cracks must first be repaired so that the plant does not suffer from drafts.
If you have purchased rare bulbs, read the instructions carefully. They may need shallow landing or special care.
Caring for calla lilies at home
These plants are accustomed to the conditions of African swamps, so caring for calla lilies at home should be special. When a plant is actively developing, it needs a constantly moist soil. In order not to go around every day with a watering can, install a watering system for indoor flowers. Flowering will end, and the great need for liquid will disappear, water only when the top layer of the earth dries up.
The aerial part of the flower also needs moisture when growing. If the air is dry at home, place a pallet of wet pebbles next to the pot. In warm weather, spray the leaves with a spray bottle.
Calla lilies will warn you of changing weather better than meteorologists with accurate instruments. When dewdrops appear on the leaves and bedspreads, wait for rain.
You need to feed the plant with a special fertilizer for calla lilies. During the period of growth and flowering, more careful care is required, the flower must be fertilized every 2 weeks. If using other formulations, choose a formulation with a low nitrogen content. From an excess of nitrates, the flower can get sick. If you notice that dry areas have appeared on the edges of the leaves, completely eliminate nitrogen from the dressings.
From pests to calla lilies at home can also spider mites. You can simply wash the leaves with soapy water, and if these measures do not help, treat them with insecticides.
At high humidity the flower is sometimes attacked by fungal infections.
- Gray rot. A grayish bloom appears on the leaves and flowers. The bush must be treated with fungicides.
- Brown rot. Leaves and peduncles dry up. Stop watering, add hydrogel to the soil, and treat the plant with fungicides.
- Bacterial rot. The peduncles and the base of the leaves darken. Gradually, the entire aerial part turns yellow and fades. The disease is almost not amenable to treatment, the affected specimens must be destroyed.
- Anthracnose. Brown spots appear on the leaves, which gradually increase and turn into a reddish circle with a light center. Cut off the damaged parts, and treat the entire flower with fungicides.
Ripening the seeds weakens the tuber of the plant. If you are not going to harvest seed at home, cut the peduncle when the bedspread begins to take green tint... After that, in some varieties, the leaves wilt and fall off, while in some they remain green. Usually, the aerial part of the calla lily with a white veil is preserved, and the colored ones shed their greens and submerge in a dormant period. At this time, the plant needs to be transplanted, and the bulb must be freed from small children. When transplanting, remember that the tubers are poisonous. Keep children away from them and wash your hands thoroughly after handling.
Output
Capricious African calla lilies can bloom at home on the windowsill, even in the far north, if the plant is properly cared for. Large bush you need a lot of nutrients, do not forget to feed and water the flower in time. You need to be especially careful about moisture: a marsh plant does not tolerate dry air and soil, but it can get sick from excess water.
If the leaves do not wilt on their own, some growers cut them off and let the bulb rest until the next growing season. Other indoor flower lovers have been growing calla lilies at home as evergreens for years. You can choose this option, just watch your pet carefully. If you notice that, despite good care, the plant has become depressed, the flowers are small, then do not torture it, cut off the leaves and let it rest.
It is difficult to grow calla lilies for bouquets at home: each plant produces one flower. To collect several compositions for a wedding or anniversary, you need to make all the window sills with pots. Planting and growing in greenhouses or winter gardens, and at home there are several beautiful flowerpots decorate the interior, create good mood dwelling inhabitants and guests. Do not chase after quantity, 2-3 pots with colorful huge petals will create a cozy atmosphere even in the darkest room.
Everyone who has seen calla lilies at least once will agree that this flower enchants with tenderness and grace. The plant looks good in any room, forming a spectacular center of the plant composition. This culture is easy to propagate and grow in a pot at home, and even a novice florist can take care of calla lilies.
Important planting advice room calla lilies and caring for her at home is about changing the pot. During this procedure, many make the same mistake: they pour a lot of soil, because of which the roots begin to rot. The flower grower is at a loss, tries to treat the "patient" different methods, but all you need to do is to remove the extra land. In addition to transplanting, calla needs to update the top layer of the soil mixture. Some part of the earth is taken out, and a nutritious substrate is poured in its place.
It is recommended to move the calla lilies to a larger pot annually or once every 2 years. In the second case, the development of the plant is artificially slowed down by pinching young shoots. Sick and weak specimens should not be transplanted. Better to wait for them to recover to normal.
Growing from bulbs
The beginners' mistake is that they immediately plant the sprouted seeds in moist soil, where they rot. Instead, it is better to put them in a shallow container, three-quarters filled with a mixture of sand, peat, humus and turf. It is desirable to take all components in equal parts.
After waiting for friendly shoots, young flowers can be cut into separate pots. The optimal period for a pick is from the beginning of mid-May. It is better to remove weak specimens immediately, since in the future it is unlikely that full-fledged plants will turn out from them. Calla lilies can be grown in long boxes, provided that the distance between adjacent bushes is at least 40 cm.
Every year, after a dormant period In the summer 18-22, during the rest period 10-15 During the period of active growth and flowering - every day, during the rest period - once every 10 days During the flowering period - 2 times a day Diffuse lighting, partial shade A dormant period is required for flowering.
Lighting
Calla is a light-loving plant, but the lighting for its growth and flowering must be diffused. Does not tolerate direct sunlight.
The flower can be grown in partial shade, he can even endure a shadow, but such lighting negatively affects his flowering.
Poor lighting can be the reason why calla lilies do not bloom or bloom very poorly.
In hot summer days it is especially important to protect the flower from the scorching rays of the sun. To do this, the pot can be rearranged to floor stand and / or cover with a translucent curtain.
Calla needs good lighting all year round. She prefers long daylight hours, so in autumn and winter it is recommended to supplement the plant with artificial fluorescent or phytolamps.
Temperature
It is a plant with a pronounced dormant period that lasts 2 months a year and begins after flowering ends. From the beginning of the growing season, a stable temperature with small average daily differences is required.
It is best to keep the flower in a room at a temperature of 18-22 ° C.... This plant does not like heat; at temperatures above 27 ° C, its leaves begin to dry out, despite the humidification of the air. The cold is also detrimental to him, although the Ethiopian calla can tolerate a short-term temperature drop of up to 5 ° C.
During the dormant period, the temperature of the plant should be between 10-15 ° C.
Watering
It is a marsh plant for which abundant watering is vital. When growing it in pots, a lump of soil in and flowering should never dry out. You need to water it daily, but it is better from the bottom through the pallet. When watering from above, care must be taken so that water does not fall on top of the tuber or growing point.
During the rest period, watered about 1 time every 10 days.... The soil should be slightly damp at this time. For watering the plant, only warm, settled soft water is used.
Due to insufficient moisture in the soil, calla lilies stop growing.
15 minutes after watering, all the water that has flowed into the sump is drained. This will prevent decay of the root system.
After flowering, the regularity of watering for all species is reduced to 1 time in 7-10 days. After 1-2 months, watering of colored calla lilies must be stopped until the end of the dormant period (end of February).
Spraying
To maintain the air humidity necessary for the plant, it must be sprayed frequently. In summer, in hot weather, you can spray twice a day - in the early morning and after sunset.
Calla responds well to moisturizing the leaves with a wet sponge or cloth... During the dormant period, the plant is not sprayed, since it lives mainly due to the tuber, the humidity of the air does not affect it.
Calla lilies need very fertile and acidified soil. In earth with an alkaline reaction, they will not grow.
Peat in the composition of the substrate for calla lilies must be present.
The best earthen mixture for growing them is the following: sod land, peat, humus and coarse sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 1.
For white varieties, you can use a commercially available flowering aroid substrate. Another option is to prepare the soil mixture yourself, mixing one part of humus, sand and leafy earth, adding ¼ part of clay and 2 parts of sod land.
For all types of calla lilies, 1 tbsp is added to 3 liters of substrate. spoon of superphosphate.
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Fertilizer
Plant feeding is carried out during growth and flowering. The plant responds very well to feeding with superphosphate twice a month. You can also use complex fertilizers for flowering plants. During the dormant period, you should not feed the flower.
Calla lilies especially need feeding when there is a lack of lighting.
Nitrogen fertilizers should not be overused before flowering. so that the intensive growth of green foliage does not drown out the formation of buds. After the appearance of flower stalks, calla can be fertilized with urea. During flowering, organic feeding with eggshell infusion is recommended.
It is useful to alternate root dressing with spraying on the leaf. In this case, it is important to ensure that drops do not fall on the flowers.
Humidity
The marsh calla plant prefers high humidity in the range of 70-80%. It is not easy to achieve such a microclimate in an apartment. To increase humidity, the plant is sprayed at least 2 times a day..
It is also helpful to place the flower pot in a deep tray with damp sand or expanded clay. The substrate should always be moist, but not wet; there should be no water in the pan.
Peculiarities
Calla for long and abundant flowering should rest 2 months a year. The rest of the time falls on its growth and flowering. The dormant period in plants begins at different time, especially when kept in an apartment.
To organize a dormant period for the plant, after flowering it needs to be watered less often, and then almost stop watering. The leaves of the plant turn yellow and dry up, it goes into a dormant state. Some flower growers do not stop watering and feeding after flowering. So it is possible to achieve a second flowering in the season, but after that a dormant period for the plant is already necessary.
Callas usually have rest periods in July and August or January and February.
Their dry leaves are cut off, and the pot is removed to a colder and darker place. After the end of the rest, they are transplanted into new land... Now it is important to wake up the plant correctly so that it begins to grow intensively and bloom soon.
Experienced growers recommend waiting for the plant to wake up on its own., and immediately after transplanting it is good to water it with acidified lemon juice water. For 0.5 liters of warm water, you need a few drops of lemon juice. As a rule, new leaves appear after 1-2 weeks.
Trim / Support / Garter
During the growth and flowering of the plant, yellowed and drying leaves can sometimes be removed. At the beginning of the dormant period, when all the leaves of the plant have dried, they follow.
As such, pruning is not applied to calla lilies. Only dried leaves are cut off. The procedure is carried out during the dormant period, when the plant does not bloom.
In most cases, the plant does not need support and a garter.... However, if the calla has reached an impressive size or is very elongated, you can neatly tie it to the support. This will prevent the pot from tipping over and injury to the flower.
Diseases
Calla lilies are susceptible to some infectious and fungal infections. Of these, the most common are gray rot, root rot, wet rot, and anthracnose.
With gray rot, a dirty gray bloom appears on the affected areas of the plant. All parts of the plant are ill. You can fight this disease only by using special antifungal drugs (Vitaros).
The development of root rot is facilitated by stagnant water in the soil, poor drainage... The tubers of the plant rot, and the ground part withers. The plant should be transplanted into another soil, improved drainage, treated with fungicidal preparations.
Wet rot affects rhizomes, peduncles, leaf bases, which darken and become soft. No cure has been developed for this disease; diseased plants are destroyed.
Insecticidal preparations are used against pests
Anthracnose is manifested by the appearance of brown round spots on the leaves of the plant, which grow and lead to the death of the leaf. The ground part must be treated with a fungicidal preparation, and its diseased parts must be removed.
Calla lilies infect aphids and red spider mites... These pests are destroyed by insecticidal preparations.
Problems
Sometimes it is not possible to achieve flowering of a plant for a long time. There may be several reasons for this. The most common is the absence of a dormant period. It should be remembered that for the beginning of flowering, the plant must rest for at least 2 months.
Calla lilies may not bloom due to lack of feeding... On the contrary, abundant fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers leads to blackening of the edge of the leaf plates.
Low light is another common cause of missing flowers. A plant that begins to bloom may stop blooming if the humidity is very low.
But even at high humidity, if the air temperature is above 27 ° C, the leaves and peduncles of the plant can begin to dry out and wither.
Reproduction
calla lilies by babies that form on the tuber of the plant. They are separated during transplantation. To grow young plants, you need a shallow container in which you need to make good drainage.
An earthen mixture is poured into a container and young tubers are planted in it.... The distance between them should be at least 10 cm. The cuttings should not be deeply planted in the ground, their upper third should be on the surface. Young plants are watered abundantly, and the temperature is maintained within the range of 20-14 ° C.
Growing calla lilies from seeds at home is very troublesome, but it helps to preserve and improve varietal characteristics.
Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 5-6 hours in potassium humate - a growth stimulator. Then they are laid out in a container with a damp towel, covered with it and placed in a warm place for a week.
It is important to ensure that the seeds do not dry out at this time.... After germination, the seeds are sown in moist soil and placed in a warm place. Watering is carried out regularly. The grown seedlings are transplanted into individual pots.
Transfer
Calla to a new land after the end of the dormant period. It could be in early spring or early fall.
The tuber of the plant is removed from the pot, the soil is removed along with the old roots... If children have formed on it, they can be separated and planted in separate pots. Then the tuber is planted in the same pot in a new earthen mixture.
It is imperative to fill in a drainage layer of fine expanded clay. The tuber of the plant is buried in the ground by about 2/3 so that all growth points remain on the surface. After transplanting, the plant is rarely watered - once a week until new shoots appear. After that, abundant watering is resumed.
Calla - flower of death
Sometimes you can hear that calla is. Where did this statement come from?
One of the reasons is that in European countries there is a custom to bring white flowers to the funeral. And often these are calla lilies. Also, this plant can sometimes be found on the graves of the dead. However, other white flowers such as lilies, roses, carnations or chrysanthemums are also brought to the funeral.
Some argue that calla lilies do not look like natural flowers, but rather like wax figures. Their yellow ear resembles a candle, and their white bracts are like a burial shroud. However, such statements are purely subjective opinions, not supported by well-founded facts.
Today, almost no one remembers that calla is the flower of death.... This myth has not been confirmed. Now kallidari for various holidays are used to create bouquets, including bridal bouquets! it universal flowers that can be gifted to both women and men.
Calla is a very beautiful, graceful flower that exudes a delicate pleasant aroma. It helps to increase immunity, eliminate stress and depression. Gives vigor and improves mood!
Description of the plant and species
Calla is a flowering representative of the Aroid family, which is considered to be the birthplace of South Africa... The plant delights with its strict amazing beauty and many colors.
The calla houseplant has bare stems with large leaves that look like a heart or arrowhead. Tall peduncles at the top turn into a one-petal flower, which consists of an ear and a bracts in the form of a funnel.
Many varieties of calla lilies of various colors have been bred, including even black. Popular types:
Now you know everything about growing calla lilies in a pot and caring for a flower at home.