Callas - planting and care in the open field

Callas are delicate beautiful flowers that are increasingly found in flower beds in garden plots. This plant is native to warm countries, but with proper treatment and care, it blooms profusely in temperate climates. The flower is quite unpretentious, but in order for calla lilies to grow quickly and bloom profusely, you need to follow a few simple rules for growing them.

Garden callas - what are these flowers

Calla lilies are also called wedding flowers, since the shape of the flower resembles a bride's outfit. This long-term newcomer to gardens is unpretentious to maintain. It is important to pay a little attention and provide suitable conditions of detention. Callas will delight the eye with beautiful foliage and large unusual flowers.

Abundantly flowering calla lilies

Regardless of the variety of calla lilies, planting and care in the open field is not difficult, but it is worth taking a closer look at all the nuances.

A brief description of what they look like

This plant has large glossy leaves of various shades of green, thin, fast-growing stems. During the flowering period, which falls on the warm season, flower stalks appear.

If planted in a garden, over time, a large bud forms on them, and then a flower with a bizarre petal and a large anther blooms.

Main characteristics of garden calla lilies

It is important for a novice gardener to remember that calla lilies, growing in the garden is impossible without observing some rules:

• calla lilies prefer heavy, muddy soil;
• they need a sufficient amount of free space, because the stems and foliage of calla lilies grow quite quickly;
• if you grow a flower in a shaded place, you can achieve abundant flowering;
• if calla lilies grow in well-lit areas, they will develop lush foliage.

Calla lilies with lush foliage

The main types and varieties of calla lilies

The appearance of the plant, its size, the shade and shape of the leaves, the color of the petals, may vary depending on the variety. In temperate climates, only a few species are considered most common, which are suitable for growing in such conditions.

Calla Ethiopian (Calla aethiopica)

With proper care, the plant is capable of reaching 1 m or more in height (depending on the species). The Ethiopian calla lily has large, bright green leaves that have an elongated shape. Large flowers are white or light green.

A distinctive feature of this variety is that in winter, when other crops shed their foliage, this plant only slows down growth. It is best planted outdoors in moderate light.

Calla rehmannii

Belongs to the category of undersized varieties, well suited for breeding both in the open field and at home. The plant has elongated leaves, pointed at the top. In the cold season, they fall off, and the calla lilies themselves fall into a state of rest.

During the flowering period, rather large flowers are formed on the plant. A distinctive feature of this variety is the unusual color of the petals: from light pink to bright purple.

Calla elliottiana

A low-growing variety of calla lilies with rather small dark green leaves and large flowers. The shade of the petals is heterogeneous, variegated. At the base, it is greenish, closer to the edge of the petal, it changes to another, depending on the variety, it can be yellow, purple, white.

Calla Elliott

A plant planted in open ground is dormant in winter, and those crops that can be grown at home slow down a little in the cold season, but do not shed their leaves.

Features of growing garden calla lilies

In order for the plant to please with abundant flowering and an attractive appearance, the cultivation of calla lilies requires adherence to certain care rules:

1. It is best to put flowers outdoors, there is more room for the development of the plant's root system.
2. When planting and caring for garden calla lilies in the open field, they like moderate lighting: they need a sufficient amount of sunlight, but the rays should not be direct, scorching.
3. The plant requires abundant watering, you can feed it with fertilizers.
4. Flowers need to be cared for regularly as they grow in fertile, nutrient-rich soil.
5. An excess of fertilizer is no less harmful than a deficiency.
6. It is necessary to plant plants in the ground in the spring, when stable warm weather is established.

Planting calla lilies in open ground

There are various ways of planting a plant. Planting garden calla lilies in open ground is possible with tubers or seeds; planting by dividing the bush is also a common method.

Planting by dividing the bush

Planting tubers

To grow a viable plant, you need to select and prepare the right tubers. They are usually purchased from specialized flower shops some time before planting. It is important to pay attention to the appearance of the bulb. It should have a uniform shape, a light brown tint.

After the purchase, the bulbs are laid out in a thin layer on a wide tray, stored until planting in a cool and dry place, turning them regularly to prevent decay.

Before starting planting, the soil must be thoroughly loosened. After that, make small indentations (up to 10 cm) at a distance of about 40 cm from each other. Dip one bulb of the plant into the resulting holes, sprinkle it with earth, and then water it abundantly.

It is important to remember here that you do not need to press the bulb into the soil, this can damage the tuber, as a result of which the calla will not grow.

Planting by dividing the bush

This method involves the separation of the root collar from the root of the mother plant. The daughter crop must be planted in a large container, where it is located before the start of the planting season. Store these containers in a cool room with high air humidity and moderate lighting.

Calla sprout

Planting seeds

This method is also considered to be quite popular. The method includes several stages:

1. The seeds must be placed in a solution of potassium humate for several hours.
2. Lay them out on a wide surface with sides, after covering it with a damp cloth.
3. Spread the seeds evenly in a thin layer.
4. Cover with another damp cloth.
5. Withstand several weeks, maintaining the required moisture level.
6. When the seeds germinate, they must be planted in a shallow container with loose soil.
7. Wait until strong shoots appear, and then plant them in open ground.

It is important to water the sprouts regularly or they will die.Also, you should not immediately plant the sprouted seeds on the street, you need to wait until the sprouts get stronger.

How to plant depending on the season

Care and cultivation of calla lilies in the open field involves planting a plant in early summer (in warm regions, you can do this at the very end of spring).

Calla lilies cannot be planted in autumn, the new plant will not have time to take root and will die in the cold. It is only allowed to grow at home, where a constant air temperature, a sufficient level of humidity and illumination are maintained.

Light and moisture for Calla

Rules for the care of planted plants

How to grow calla lilies so that they are strong, healthy, beautiful? Be sure to consider the following points:

• Top dressing. 2-3 weeks after planting the calla lilies, the first fertilizers are required to be applied to the soil. Further, this should be done at least once a month, with the exception of winter, when the plant is dormant. It is recommended to use potassium-based fertilizers, this promotes more active flowering. If you use nitrogenous fertilizers, all the forces of the calla will go to the development of foliage, while the flowers will be small.
• Watering. You need to moisten the soil quite often, but little by little. The earth should not be allowed to dry out, since the plant constantly needs moisture.
• Pruning. After the flower has wilted, it is recommended to cut it off along with the peduncle so that the plant does not consume its nutrients on it.

Plant wintering: how to store tubers and rhizomes

Growing calla lilies and other flowers is impossible without taking into account one more feature. Tuberous perennial does not tolerate cold weather. Therefore, before the beginning of winter, it is recommended to dig them up. In order to preserve the planting material until next summer, one cannot do without transplants, therefore it is necessary:

• Dig tubers and rhizomes out of the ground, rinse them carefully with running water so as not to damage the small shoots.
• Place the material in a dry and cool place (+5 .. + 15 degrees) for 2 weeks.
• Remove wilted roots and leaves.
• Wrap each tuber in paper.
• Place the material for long-term storage in the basement, cellar. If this is not possible, then the tubers are stored in the refrigerator with a minimum cooling mode.

It is important not only to properly preserve street calla lilies in the winter, but also to awaken them, to prepare them for planting after wintering. The technology is as follows: expand each root, carefully treat it with a fungicidal solution (for example, potassium permanganate), dry it. After that, you can separate the daughter tubers, which can also be used for planting, for example, in the country or in a pot.

When new flower lovers acquire calla lilies, cultivation is difficult at first. But as you gain experience, the florist realizes that leaving is not as difficult as it seemed at first. By following all the recommendations, you can easily keep callas both at home and in the garden.