I don't know how else to describe these blooms other than contorted. (see pic) They never open - in ffact, as they age they seem to contort more tightly.
They have always been like this but I never cared bcs they were just for me. But now I want to contribute some blooms to my nephew's rehearsal dinner.
Please help!
I don't know what's wrong with them, but I think they look pretty that way!
I do too, lakeside. It's odd but interesting.
However,l for the party, I'd like them to be "normal" - just don't know what to do. Of course, it may be too late for this year's blooms.
Maybe try a bit of fertilizer. That's the only thing I can think of. Albomaculatas are often an ugly shape, a wholesale florist told me once that the white callas florists use are actually Crystal Blush, which are picked before they turn pink. They have a better "round" shape and a whiter color.
Very interesting. And come to think of it, I don't remember my other callas doing this.
I gave them a little fertilizer abt a wk ago. I'm waiting until the wedding is just a little closer before I fertilize full strength. I'll be interested to see if it does anything to the flower shape.
Here's a photo of one of my albomaculata that had an odd leaf and a semi- contorted flower- not as twisted as yours, though.
These are sort of wavy, but they do open at the top (sorry, sort of overexposed). Another suggestion I just thought of is once you see the flower bud, give the plant a good dose of water to help flush the flower open.
Yours are beautiful!! I would love for mine to look like that!!
Coincidentally, I gave them a good watering this morning (and we had rain yesterday) so all the green blooms I see should soon be white?
Your blooms are green??? Can you take a photo?
Well, green-ish - just when they first come up. Then they turn white. (Also, there is a very dark purplish blot at the bottom of the bloom around the stamen, if that's the right word)
Don't think you can tell much from these photos. On my computer, the emerging bloom looks very yellow but in reality, it is light green with white already showing.
Here's another pic.
Really, I shouldn't have said green "blooms" - by the time it is a full fledged bloom, it is white. But "bud" didn't sound. What *do* you call a calla lily bloom before it's bloomed?
I think they definitely needed a shot of water, to get the flower raised up higher.
Here's my lesson for today: The thing you called the stamen is called the spadix and the white cupped part (or colored part) is called a spathe. The stem is a petiole. You can remember "spadix" because it looks like a uh, male body part and remember the "dix" part of it. Now don't laugh folks, I always had a hard time remembering which was the spadix and which was the spathe until I thought of it that way.
That terminology holds true for all plants of the Aroid family, or Araceae. This includes Amorphophallus (voodoo lily), Anthuriums, Philodendrons, Arisaemas (jack-in-the-pulpit), Spathiphyllum, Alocasia, Colocasia and lots more. They all have blooms (actually called inflorescences) that look similar to a Calla Lily (Zantedeschia). Oh, and the spadix? Has both male and female flowers on it, they are tiny. The seed are formed there too.
Whew! I always wanted to be a teacher and sometimes once I get going it's hard to stop me, sorry!
Firstyard, I think your beautiful flowers will turn out just fine! I was a little concerned when you said green blooms because quite often people will miss their Callas blooming, and then spot them when they are closing. As you know, I'm sure, Callas get a green tint at the end of their blooming cycle.
But yours look just fine!
I've never even heard of a spadix! And thanks for the memory hint! That is one new vocabulary word that won't be forgotten!
The pics I took were of the just emerging flower stalks - the ones you have to move the foliage to be able to see. In a day or two, the spathe (thank you professor!) will be at the top of the plant and will be completely white.
lol. I knew I went too far! Too much sugar yesterday!! Ice cream with strawberries over it- yummo!
LMAO at 'dix' cuz sure nuf I'll never forget it now. My white ones are all lighter green as they emerge but not as light as lime though. Speaking of which if the darn monsoon would stop whites will be opening soon. Nothing from the reds or pinks though sigh but they don't do as well as the whites for me. Maybe I should have them in a different container than the whites? They have lots of space but the reds and pinks are much much smaller.
I think reds and pinks are naturally a little smaller. I had a nice whitish one open today, "starlight", I'll have to take a photo- not all that common.
Dahlia, still sort of early for you, isn't it? Do you plant in soil or pots?
One of my "other" callas bloomed today and guess what it is? Crystal Blush! I thought that name rang a bell (in one of the posts above) and when I saw the perfect cup shaped spathe today I just had to go find the pkg. I searched and searched thru all the drawers where I stuff tags and pkgs and sure enough - found a Crystal Blush.
Here's the pic.
Pretty! I got outside and started watering and forgot to take a picture..
Luvly firstyard!! Lakeside I'm a little sneaky about callas. Not many grown here because its so dry and of course they dont' winter over. I have then in a 22" container that I haul down to my cold room in the fall. They "wake" up when I raise the temp. to wake up my dahlias in March. Then the container is reworked ie. lifted, soil replaced, fertalized, replanted etc. and put out in the greenhouse. Container moved outside May/ early June depending, close to the house for ambient heat. Personally wouldn't do callas in the ground here because its so dry and the nights are so cool but there are some growing them in micro-climates in beds. So lakeside I'm sneaky... my whites are gonna bloom SOON! once the moonsoon ends sigh.
Boy, you must really love them to go to that much trouble!
There a few tender bulbs that I will work to have. Callas is definitely one because they have beautiful foliage as well as unique shaped flowers. I only have one container of them so doesn't take long to rework. Relative piece-of-cake compared to my dahlia op LOL
My flowers are opening but not emerging up out of the foliage drat! What would cause that? Its been raining and overcast for quite awhile now. Is it lack of sun? Thanks.
I've seen that happen a lot, sometimes one plant will have them not emerging and right next to it a plant with normal tall flowers. I'm not sure if it's lack of water at some crucial point, or if it's a fertilizer issue.
I've also seen it with Clivias, sometimes the flowers start down low, but if you give them a good drink of water the flower stalk will shoot up higher.
Thanks lakeside. They've been getting lots of rain but I watered last night anyway. I'll feed tonight too. Just 2 that are opening and 'stuck'. The rest still aren't open yet so hopefully they'll spring up.
Hi all,
Could someone tell me what size pot Calla's require. This is my first year with them and I put them in 10" pots. They are growing and one has a bloom. Are the pots big enough for the first year or should I repot? Also as long as I'm asking, how much sun should they have?
Good pot. full sun.
sorry for the short answer but gotta get out and plant!
Well white blooms from different plants are open and all are 'stuck' in the foliage. Nice size and colour just short stems. I think its the monsoon conditions as they haven't done that before. It least they aren't drowning and turning yellow like so many other things in my garden sigh. Maybe the red and pink who are behind will act normal.
I grow mine in the Pond Paul
Thanks for answering lakeside. They are doing real well, they get about 8 hours of sun with late afternoon shade.
