Hi lily people,
I have some calla bulbs that I want to pot - I'm not ready to put them in the ground.
Can anybody tell me how deep to put them in the potting soil?
Thanks. Steve
Potting Calla Bulbs
I believe 1 to 1 1/2 inches, but you might have better luck asking in the Bulb Forum.
I have planted calla lilies successfully the last few years using the 4 inches deep method.
http://www.callalilyshop.pacificcallas.com/planting.htm
Thanks, both of you.
Steve
Hi Steve, I plant mine with about 3" of compost on the top of the bulb. They will pull them selves down later when they get big and multiply, but probably not in the first year.
I took Majestic Red and Cameo out of their pots not long ago, I had potted them into larger pots last year but the MR pot wasn't quite as deep as the one I had Cameo in.
They had both gone to about the same depth, around 8" or more, MR was practically sitting on the stones I had on the bottom with 4 huge and 4 smaller corms all fitted together and with roots. Many of the roots were contractile roots, so they were ready to pull themseves down again.
Ok I have a question.... I have my buggycrazy callas and also some from another source. What is the minimum size pot I need for best growth? I have a couple of nice glazed pots but they are only about 6" across by 6 or 7" deep. Too small? Feel free to give me a good excuse to go pot shopping...
I used pots about 1 foot deep and about 8 inches across when I have potted them up for the deck, they get a bit tall for a smaller pot, I think. So leave it to me to tell you to have fun pot shopping ;0). Wait a minute, that might sound bad.... How about container planter shopping ;0) lol!
LOL magnolia:) Sooo... are those dimensions for one tuber in that size of pot?
Keep in mind, I am no expert (my usual disclaimer) , but I wouldn't do more than two. My first year potting them up, the amount of foliage really surprised me, and I think I did three and they were very crowded, or that's at least what I thought. I ended up moving one and the couple left seemed much happier to get some air.
I too, bought some this year from Buggy Crazy. I am going to do a couple in a pot and use some on in front of some of my lilies. What do you think? I bought yellow. The prices she had them for were really great. I think I have 10 to work with.
Any other calla ideas?
It depends a lot on the size of your bulb, if it's fairly small then a 6" pot is fine for at least the first year for one bulb. Bear in mind that they will increase, and I leave mine in pots in a cold greenhouse for winter, they really are best not dried. I potted mine on for 3 of years, but they were small for a start, ending up in a large pot.
The big ones I got from them are bigger than any I have seen, to 3.5" across and deep. They had long roots too, I repotted the extras in smaller cut flower buckets I get cheap from the supermarket. They are probably 9" diam and 10" deep, the roots wrapping around the sides at that.
Cameo corms from one, this did take a few years as the first winter was very cold and only one new corm lived out of 4 made, it was fairly small.
I think they are fine in front of lilies. I had a couple in front of lilies last year, planted directly in the garden. They didn't do well in the ground for me though. I got one bloom on one and none on the other so that is why I am going to try pots. I can place them where they will get more sun.
I just found a wood planter I have never used. It is 11" by 6" by 9" deep so I think I will try my 2 Majestic Reds in it. I think I will put caladiums in my two small ceramic pots. I sense a trip to Home Depot in the very near future.
Your 11 x 6 x 9 will be perfect for 2 corms pard.
I think the advantage of growing in pots is you can use a good compost mix, and keep them properly watered as well as give an occasional liquid tomato feed. They like leafy compost, see how well mine have done. I can't say for sure how big the pot is, but it must be close on a foot deep and 10" diam.
I only got 2 flowers but those leaves are worth it, some varieties make more flowers. If I had left them all in a huge pot together then this year there would have been lots more flowers but they were crowded, I would expect the really large ones to do quite well this year.
Maybe pots are are the way to go. Perhaps I'll just try a couple in the bed I was thinking of and the rest potted up. One does have more control over potting mix, so it makes sense.
Your wood planter sounds perfect. You'll have to post it in bloom this summer. Oh how I look forward to the pictures of blooming season.
Magnolia-- I'll surely post pics this summer. I hope they all bloom!
Thanks for the advice, wallaby. I assume they like a somewhat rich soil then (as compared to my icky clay)? I am determined to get these to bloom this time!
They like lots of leafy compost with a very free draining gritty soil, but kept moist all the time.
Many of the corms have been treated with a hormone to promote flowering when you first buy them, but some varieties do make more flowers. The cnb site gives good info.
http://www.cnb.nl/zantedeschia/english/catalogue/start.htm
This article suggests that the white callas should be handled differently from the colored callas:
http://hort.ufl.edu/floriculture/Crops/ENHFL04-001%20Callas%20GPN.pdf
That depends on which white ones, Z aethiopica is a very different type of plant but there are some white Zant hybrids too, with similar breeding to the coloured ones..
The ordinary Z aethiopica is not very successful here, it really needs to be kept in growth over winter to flower but some of the newer hybrids of that are easier, such as Pink Mist.
If you're going to plant the giant white aethiopica I would suggest a tub the size of a bathtub. This is one bulb planted last December and it is rootbound already. They seem to grow a whole lot of roots !
