Calla Lily

Hello,
I was reading in the plant files that calla lilies are for zones 8 and up,
My questions are. (I have 6 bulbs I bought from WalMart)
1. How big of a pot should I plant these in, in the spring?
2. Can these be winter sown?
3. Should I cut these back in the fall and place the pot in the garage to keep from freezing, or can I just put the pot in the house with out cutting them back?
I do not have a green house....

Any info will be greatly appreciated.
CG

Are these bulbs purchased this year that still have not been planted and you're not planning to plant them til next spring?

Yes, Not unless I can plant them now and bring them in when the frost and winter comes, cg

my bulbs stay in the ground yr round. I think you could bury them in sawdust or some similiar stuff and put them away till spring. I dont think they need potting unless you want to force them to bloom for Christmas then you should pot them and keep in a sunny window. Feed and water occasionaly and they should bloom for you by christmas. Fran

If you can't plant those this year, I don't think you'll have something to plant next spring. Bulbs aren't like seeds, you can't hang onto them, they have to be planted and grow so they store energy for the next season. Hat to see you lose your bulbs :-( That's why they go on clearance at the end of the season, you're not likely to plant them that late and get a bloom, but you can grow them out, they'll store energy and you'll have them for next year.

azreno, in my zone 5, the freezing weather we have would kill them. I have 6 of them, I think I will plant 3 out side and mulch really good. Then plant the other 3 in a pot and bring in the house. They didn't cost very much, so it will be an experiment. Live and Learn :o)

Thank all of you for your advice. cg

If I were you I would plant them all in a pot and grow them inside now and not plant any in the ground- they're sold as florists plants all the time, right? Good luck!

You're *very* likely to lose the ones outdoors even before they have a chance to get started. Even so, it's too cold in zone 5 to expect them to make it. Maybe, if they were really really deep and mulched and not wet in the winter, they could make it--but that's really just like storing them in a cool place for the winter isn't it.....

I'd pot them all up and grow them indoors. As azreno was saying, they'll just dry up into hard nothings by next spring--I would think they've dried out somewhat already by now anyway, spring was sooo long ago.

Give them as much light indoors as possible. Careful not to keep too wet especially at first or they may rot. They could bloom this winter.........

Robert.

I'm a little confused by the infomration in this thread. To overwinter callas, should I:

(a) withhold water and leave them in a cool dark area (like my garage)?
(b) withhold water and leave them in a warm dark area (like a closet in my house)?
(c) keep them actively growing an a window of my house, watering sparingly as needed?
(d) something else?

I'm technically zone 7a, but usually lose marginal plants I try to overwinter outside.

Thanks so much!

CG~ I overwinter my calla lilies in the garage, those that are potted, I remove the yellowing foliage after frost and leave as is in the garage. Those grown in the ground, I dig up the rhizomes, rinse and let air dry for a few hours to dry to touch, then store in an opened paper bag covered with peat moss. In Spring, plant the rhizomes in a rich organic enriched soil, they'll bloom in Summer, they do like moist conditions. In Spring, I bring my pots out, enrich with rich organic matter and water well. This works well for me. You can also grow them as suggested indoors, after blooming is complete, you can then store the pot in the garage or basement then replant / repot outside in Spring either way , they are easy to grow. My neighbor grows hers in their pond and overwinter the pots in the basement. But if your outdoor method works with the heavy mulch, please let us know. I like experiments and new methods! ;0)

Happy~ Last winter, I did not water my calla lilly rhizomes in the pot or the bag in my garage and they fared very well this past Summer. I haven't grown calla lilys as a houseplant for several years...

Thanks! So it is ok to leave them outside for the first frost?

Also -- I have some "White Giant" callas -- http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/142855/. They don't look anything like my other callas, which look ready for dormancy. The White Giants look incredibly healthy and robust. I am a little anxious that they are not ready for dormancy. Has anyone had any experience with these? Should I just let the frost kill the foliage and stick them in their pots in my dark garage for the winter?

This message was edited Oct 28, 2007 10:32 AM

Happy~ you're welcome! I personally would wait till frost kisses the foliage, then place the pot in the garage after trimming off the foliage. That process works very well for me.

Ok, garden 6 -- I'll hold my breath and do it!

Happy~ LOL! if the calla lily doesn't make it .. I'll send you one of mine...just let me know!! ;0)

happy, last fall I left several large white callas and a few of the smaller colorful callas in the ground to overwinter here in zone 6 as an experiment. They all survived beautifully, so I'm just going to mulch the ones in the ground well. In your zone I think they should be just fine. I also noticed the large white callas start getting lots of new growth in the cooler weather of fall, then get frozen to the ground, but were apparently unharmed. The small callas are all going dormant.

pepsidrinker, I've purchased callas in fall, stored them through winter, and planted in spring successfully. The bulbs were among the other fall bulbs, so they weren't left over from spring. But, if the bulbs were discounted because they were left over from spring, they definitely need to start growing. I know of another zone 5 DGr who has a protected microclimate from a brick courtyard where she grows and overwinters callas successfully. Even if you do have such a situation, marginally hardy plants seem to have a better chance of survival if they've had a summer of growth in the spot where they are to be overwintered (I guess because they're well rooted and settled in).

Best of luck,
Neal

Garden6: You're a doll, thanks! Sounds as if I won't need to take you up on your offer, from what you've been saying!