How to prepare callas for wintering: step-by-step instructions

The perennial calla flower, which many consider to be a houseplant, thrives in open ground and decorates many garden areas. Unfortunately, this plant is not resistant to cold weather and cannot overwinter in the ground. Therefore, flower growers dig up these flowers for the winter. But in order to see flowering next year, you need to know how to store callas in winter at home. We'll talk about this today.

Selection of planting material

A high-quality, healthy tuber is the key to the normal development of the plant. Therefore, the choice of planting material must be approached very responsibly. The tuber should not be soft or show signs of disease or mechanical damage.

The size of the tubers plays an equally important role. The larger they are, the faster flowering will begin, and the more inflorescences there will be. The number of inflorescences in a plant with a large tuber can exceed 20 pieces.

Before planting in the soil, the tubers are washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then rinsed with clean water and dried.

Problems with indoor calla lilies and their solutions

Preparation

In order for the wintering of plants to be successful, they should be dug out of the soil at a certain time. Harvesting tubers too early will lead to the fact that the plant, whose growing season has not yet ended, will not be able to survive wintering normally. And if you wait until severe frosts to dig it up, the flower may die from the cold.

In the climate of the middle zone, calla lily tubers are collected with the onset of the first night frosts (the first days of October). And in more southern areas this can be done a month later: in early November.

With the arrival of the first frost, plants need to be pruned. Dry leaves are cut so that they are visible 5-7 cm above the ground.

You should dig up the rhizomes very carefully, using a garden fork, so as not to harm the plants. The flower is dug up at a safe distance from the roots, after which it is pryed up with a pitchfork along with a lump of earth.

Root tubers need to be cleared of soil residues. To do this, they are placed in a container with water, after which they are gently washed under a small running stream.

When the tubers are cleaned, they are carefully inspected. Planting material that has damage, rotten areas and signs of disease is discarded.

Small damaged areas can be removed with a sharp knife, and then treated with brilliant green or crushed coal.

Drying the tubers

The next stage of preparation is drying the tubers. This should be done in places with good ventilation, away from sunlight. In such places it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature within +20°C - +25°C.

Drying of planting material should continue for at least 2 - 3 weeks , after which calla lilies can be stored all winter.

Remnants of dry leaves must be completely removed from the tubers. This is done a few days after the start of storage. After which, after about a week, the roots are removed. By this time, the roots will separate easily. This must be done so that the flower does not begin to grow prematurely without spending enough time in “cool dormancy.”

During this period, small tubers (babies) have not yet formed a special film that allows them to “live independently.” Therefore, it is impossible to separate them from the mother tubers. This should be done in winter, when they are already stronger. Then it will be a full-fledged planting material.

If the babies were separated from the tubers ahead of time and were damaged, they can be treated with brilliant green (coal dust) and dried. Calla lily bulbs should be stored in winter until the last days of March.

Is it necessary to dig up garden calla lilies for the winter?

These flowers, despite their southern origin, are not too capricious even when grown in more northern climates. But it is recommended to dig up the tubers for the winter - a small disadvantage, not to mention severe frosts, can easily destroy the plant. Plus, for tuberous calla lilies to bloom, a mandatory period of “cool dormancy” is required; this also applies to many indoor varieties.

In the southern regions, some gardeners leave rhizomes and tubers to overwinter in the ground, covering it well with mulch. But this technique usually does not bring anything positive. It's like playing roulette. In recent years, winters have been unpredictable even in the south. It is safer, and more effective, to remove calla tubers for the winter. Moreover, this agricultural technique allows you to examine the bulbs after digging and identify the onset of diseases in time. The harvesting of plants from the garden itself takes place in several stages.

Under what conditions should it be stored?

Conditions for storing calla lilies in winter are as follows:

• constant temperature within +5°C - +10°C;
• ensuring ventilation in places where planting material is stored;
• low level of humidity to prevent mold from forming;
• storing rhizomes at some distance from each other, sprinkled with sand, wood shavings or covered with moss and peat;
• regular inspection of planting material for timely identification of diseased tubers.

The container in which the rhizomes are located can be placed on an insulated balcony, in a cellar, basement, cool pantry, or refrigerator.

Common mistakes made by newbies

In order for the flower to grow actively, you must adhere to certain recommendations. However, most novice gardeners often make mistakes, which later lead to disastrous consequences and the plant cannot achieve the desired result.

1. You need to dig up the tubers carefully - the root system is very delicate, the slightest sudden movement will lead to damage.
2. If there are children on the roots, it is better to wait for them to separate on their own, then remove them from the main bulb.
3. If you do not remove the small roots from the tuber, they will germinate during the wintering period.
4. At the storage location, the temperature should be between 3-7 degrees above zero with a minimum level of humidity.

In the basement

Storing calla lilies at home is best done in drawers, in a basement or cellar. Good ventilation and constant temperature are a must. The optimal storage temperature for calla lilies is +5°C - +10°C.

If the room is warmer, the tubers may begin to germinate prematurely, so maintaining the correct temperature is very important. The air should also not be too humid. The development of fungus in this case will destroy the tubers. Therefore, calla lilies can only be preserved in a dry room in winter.

Spring planting of tubers

To obtain earlier flowering, calla lily tubers can be pre-germinated. To do this, at the beginning of March they are taken out and inspected for rot. If they are detected, the affected areas must be cut out and the wound surface cauterized with brilliant green.

If the tubers wilt during storage, they must be wrapped in a damp cloth for several days. When they become hard and elastic, and dormant buds appear on their surface, you can begin germination.

Before planting, it is advisable to treat the tubers in a fungicide solution; you can use preparations such as Maxim or Vitaros. This will help avoid outbreaks of fungal diseases in the future.

For these purposes, loose soil with a slightly acidic reaction is suitable. The planting depth should be no more than 5 cm from the top of the tuber. The optimal temperature for plant development is 15-20°.

Attention! Sometimes the roots of calla lilies are able to climb to the surface; in this case, you just need to add 2-3 cm of soil to the pot.

The pot must have drainage holes; calla lilies tubers do not tolerate stagnation of water very well, even short-term. Fertilizing with full mineral fertilizer once every 2 weeks gives good results when growing calla lilies.

When the soil outside warms up to a temperature of + 15°, the grown plants can be planted in the ground. During transplantation, care must be taken; the roots of calla lilies are very fragile and cannot be restored after damage.

Your brownie.

3 methods: Wintering callas indoors Wintering callas outside Replanting overwintered callas

Hardy is a variety of calla lily that is typically white and survives winters outdoors in many climates. Delicate varieties are usually colored differently and may not survive the winter outside. For this reason, many gardeners protect their calla bulbs during the winter months. You can do this by protecting them indoors or by trying to keep them safe outdoors. It's also helpful to know how to replant your calla lilies when winter comes.

Method 1 Overwintering callas indoors

1. Try removing your calla lily bulbs from the soil to overwinter them indoors.
   If you live in a colder climate but have calla lilies growing in the garden, consider removing the rhizomes or bulbs from your calla lilies over the winter to give them a better chance of survival. For this:
   • Wait until after the first frost. Cut the dried foliage back to three inches (about 7.5 cm) above ground level.
2. Dig up your bulb.
   Carefully dig up the calla lily rhizome. Be sure to dig a much wider hole than you think is needed. This will help you avoid damaging the bulb with the shovel.
3. Remove soil from the bulb.

   Gently knock as much soil away from healthy bulbs as possible without damaging the roots. Rinse the bulbs under cool running water (such as a garden hose) to remove any remaining soil.

4. Check your rhizomes carefully for rot or any signs of disease.
   You should not keep rhizomes that are diseased or damaged. Throw them away with the trash.
   • Avoid composting diseased plant material, as this may spread the infection to other plants.
5. Place the rhizomes on a tray and let them dry for a few days.
   They should be well spaced to allow air to circulate between them. Place in a cool, dark place such as a garden shed or garage. It's best to avoid keeping them in a heated house, as the high temperature can be a shock, which can lead to mold on your bulbs.
   • 60 to 70 degrees F (about 15.5 to 21 degrees C) is the ideal temperature for storing rhizomes. Try not to allow them to be exposed to sunlight.
6. Place the rhizomes in paper bags.
   After they have dried for a few days, place the rhizomes in paper bags with a small amount of dry peat moss or vermiculite. Having moss or vermiculite in the bag will help prevent one bulb from infecting another if it develops mold.
   • You can also use a cardboard box as long as you make some ventilation holes to allow air circulation. Don't let the bulbs touch each other and place moss or vermiculite between them.
7. Try to keep your rhizomes dry.

   Moisture and rot are a big threat to overwintering rhizomes, so try to keep them dry where possible and store them in a dark, dry place. However, they should not be completely dry. If the bulbs appear dry or wrinkled, spraying them with water from a spray bottle should prevent them from drying out too much.

8. Give your rhizome time to recover before replanting it.
   Calla lilies need to rest for a few months before they grow again. Try planting them in mid to late spring once the threat of frost has passed and the ground is warmer.
   • Your calla lilies are more at risk of rotting from winter rain rather than frost, so avoid planting if the ground is waterlogged, even if the weather is mild.
9. Consider planting calla lilies in a pot.
   You can plant calla lilies outside in a container and move them inside during the winter. When planting, use decent quality compost and make sure the container has good drainage holes. Plant the rhizomes with their eyes facing up so that they are barely visible above the soil.
   • After the calla lilies bloom, stop watering your container of calla lilies and move the pot to a cool, dark place after the foliage has died down. A dark corner in a garden shed will do. Do not water your plant again for three months and avoid cutting back the foliage until it has dried out.

Method 2 Overwintering calla lilies outside

1. Consider keeping your calla lilies outside if you live in a mild climate.
   Calla lilies will survive outdoors through the winter in temperate climates that do not experience much persistent snow, deep freezing, or heavy, prolonged precipitation during the colder months. They can cope outdoors during the winter in zones 8 through 10.
   • This means that they can survive in temperatures that do not drop below 30 to 35 degrees F (-1.1 to +1.7 degrees C).
2. Help the plant survive.

   Once flowering is complete, refrain from watering and allow the plant to die out. Try to refrain from cutting the foliage until it is dry.

3. Give your calla lily some protection.
   If it overwinters outdoors, apply a mulch of about four inches (10 cm) of straw or evergreen branches. You can also place it under an upside down jar.
   • Do this in the fall before the ground gets cold.

Method 3 Transplanting overwintered calla lilies

1. Do not plant your calla lilies until you are sure there will be no more frost.
   Wait until the threat of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up a bit before planting the rhizomes outside.
   • Mid-spring is generally a good time to move calla lilies outside.
2. Choose a well-drained location in full sun.

   Keep in mind that if you can't find a super sunny spot for your calla, partial shade will do. It's a good idea to incorporate some well-rotted manure or compost into the soil to improve it before planting. Rich soil will help your calla lilies bloom.

3. Plant the bulb correctly.
   The bulb should be planted with its “eyes” facing up and they should only be visible in the upper part of the soil. These are the growth points that look like “eyes”.
   • Leave about 12 inches (30 cm) of space between each of your bulbs. Once they are in the ground, give them good soaking and then continue to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.
4. Water for your calla lilies.
   Callas need water throughout the summer. If you dig them up to overwinter indoors, they will need extra water. Remember, they need to be fed for two weeks during the growing season with a water-soluble fertilizer added to a watering can, but stop feeding once the calla lilies begin to bloom.
   • Continue feeding the grown callas throughout the flowering period.
5. Watch out for pests.

   Callas may suffer from pests, aphids or whiteflies. Watch for pests and spray with a general-purpose insecticide if necessary.

In the apartment

When there are no other options, you can store calla tubers in a city apartment in winter. To do this, boxes with planting material are placed in the coolest places. A vestibule, a pantry, a place near the balcony door, etc. are best suited.

To prevent the tubers from drying out and shriveling, they should be kept as far as possible from hot radiators and other heat sources. Even if planting material that has been exposed to temperatures above +20°C can maintain viability, flowering will not be as abundant as we would like. If the warm place is also damp, the flowers will quickly begin to sprout.

Flowers in pots

How to store calla bulbs, if they are indoor plants, worries many housewives. After all, these flowers also require a period of rest.

When flowering is finished, containers with callas are placed in a dark place with a low temperature so that their growing season ends faster. In this case, watering the plants should be reduced to a minimum.

You can store tubers of indoor calla lilies in winter directly in pots. Or you can dig up the bulbs, carry out the treatment as indicated above, and keep them in the general conditions for this plant.

Overwintering a potted plant

When calla lilies are grown as a houseplant, they also need a period of rest. To do this, the pot with the plant after flowering is moved to a cool and dark place in order to stimulate the end of the growing season. Watering the plant also needs to be reduced. You can dig up the tubers and process them using the above technology, or you can leave them to overwinter directly in a pot or container.

Premature growth

When one of the tubers begins to germinate ahead of schedule, it is planted in the soil and grown in a pot as an indoor flower. And with the arrival of spring warmth, it is transplanted into open ground. After which the calla lily will again become a garden plant.

To ensure that calla lilies bloom as early and luxuriant as possible, the tubers of this plant should be dug up every autumn at a certain time and stored in proper conditions. And those who decide to leave them in the soil may be left without this beauty in the new season.

Storing callas in winter is not at all difficult, you just need to follow the tips given in this article.