Calla lilies: when to dig up and how to store in winter at home

Callas are graceful perennial flowers that can effectively decorate a garden or summer cottage. Gardeners grow them not only at home, in a pot culture, but simply in the open field. To preserve a tender plant that does not tolerate winter well, every grower should know the basics about calla lilies - when to dig them out, where and how to store them safely until spring.

Do I need to dig up a garden calla for the winter

These flowers, despite their southern origin, are not overly fussy even when grown in more northern climates. But it is recommended to dig out the tubers for the winter - a small minus, not to mention severe frosts, can easily destroy the plant.Plus, for the flowering of tuberous callas, a mandatory period of “cool dormancy” is needed, this also applies to many indoor varieties.

In the southern regions, some gardeners leave rhizomes and tubers to winter in the ground, covering it well with mulch. But this reception 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 efficient, to harvest calla tubers for the winter. Moreover, this agricultural technique allows you to inspect the bulbs after digging, in time to identify the onset of diseases. The very same cleaning of plants from the garden takes place in several stages.

When to dig up callas from open ground in autumn

For successful wintering, tubers must be dug up on time. If you dig up a still vegetative plant early, it will not be able to successfully overwinter, and delaying the timing before the onset of frost can simply destroy the flower.

Depending on variety

In nature, there are 8 types of calla lilies. They are divided into 2 main subspecies - rhizomatous and tuberous. Tuberous callas include Elliot and Remani. These species shed their leaves during their dormant period. The Ethiopian calla belongs to the rhizomatous, which does not shed foliage during the “hibernation” period and does not have a pronounced dormant period.

The tuberous calla lilies, which are more susceptible to low temperatures, are the first to be dug up. But rhizomatous plants can tolerate a small minus. But you shouldn't delay digging them up either.

Depending on the region of growth

The timing depends on the region of cultivation and on how early the cold comes in autumn. Usually, digging is carried out in the southern regions from the beginning of October, and in the Middle lane, including the Moscow region, from the second half of September. And in the more northern regions, preparations begin at the beginning of the month.

Steps of preparation for wintering

Calla lilies need to be prepared for digging in stages. The gardener, in order to preserve the plant in winter, must clearly know what to do and when.

Preparation of the flower and the digging process itself

The start of frost signals the flower about the end of the growing season and preparation for hibernation. After frost, all dried leaves are cut off, leaving only petioles 5-7 centimeters long. Autumn is the time of rains, so be sure to protect the flowers from unwanted moisture. Usually they build light shelters from sheets of iron, slate, greenhouse film. Gardeners stop watering callas 2-3 weeks before digging.

When digging itself, it is best to use a pitchfork. When using glanders or a shovel, there is a high probability of damaging, cutting or leaving part of the tubers in the ground. In order to get the bulbs as safely as possible, they dig a hole a little larger in diameter than the size of the calla root.

Dry the tubers

After digging, the tubers are cleaned from the soil. The best way is to place them in a container with liquid, and after a short soak, rinse under a gentle stream of water. It is necessary to clean the dirt in this way carefully so as not to break off poorly formed babies.

After cleaning, the tubers are inspected, spoiled, sick, rotten are rejected.

In case of minor damage, the tubers are cut to elastic, he althy tissue. Cleaned places are powdered with charcoal, and all the bulbs are placed to dry. The tubers are laid out in a thin layer in small cardboard, foam or plastic boxes. The bottom of the boxes is lined with newspapers or old agrofibre, which absorbs excess moisture well. Drying is carried out in a dark, cool, well-ventilated area.

It is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of +20 C, +25 C degrees, only then will they dry thoroughly. The tubers are dried for about 2, maximum 3 weeks. After the bulbs are dry, they are placed in permanent storage until spring.

The dormant period of tubers continues until the end of March. During storage, periodic inspections of planting material are carried out. This will help to detect diseased, rotten bulbs in time and protect all the rest from damage. In the case of rhizomatous callas, they are placed in a cool place along with pots. When digging out of open ground, they are sprinkled with a moist substrate and also placed for wintering in a cool place.

Necessary conditions for wintering plants

For a proper and prosperous wintering, several conditions must be met. Moreover, the fulfillment of these conditions by the gardener should be mandatory.

1. In winter, when storing tubers, the temperature should be in the range from +5 C to +10 C degrees.
2. Carrying out humidity control. Storing tubers and rhizomes in dry rooms will prevent rot and possible plant death.
3. Store plants in well and regularly ventilated areas.
4. Periodic sanitary inspections to help keep the planting material he althy, to detect the onset of the disease in time.
5. When storing calla rhizomes in a substrate or pots, it is necessary to monitor its moisture content.
6. In rhizomatous callas, care is reduced to periodic light moistening of the substrate.
7. In tuberous callas, leaves and roots are removed to prevent early growth.
8. Before storage, the tubers must be properly dried. The safety of planting material in winter depends on this.

For a successful wintering, it is advisable to pour the tubers (bulbs) so that they do not touch each other with one of the materials:

• peat;
• small wood shavings;
• sphagnum moss;
• sand.

Methods of storing plants after digging at home

There are several ways to store calla tubers until spring. An important point - before laying for the winter, all roots are cut off, otherwise the flower may grow.

Basement maintenance

Boxes with tubers are placed in the basement. Successful storage depends on maintaining the correct temperature regime, it ranges from +5 C to +10 C degrees. In no case should the temperature rise, this will lead to a premature, early start of germination of the bulbs.

High humidity is detrimental to planting material, so storage must be "dry". The basement itself should be ventilated, with a constant supply of fresh air. Otherwise, the bulbs will just spray.

Accommodation for the winter on the loggia

This method of storage is suitable for gardeners who grow callas in a pot culture. In autumn, watering is gradually reduced, and after the first frosts and the death of leaves, the pots are transferred to a glazed balcony or loggia. Callas remain there until spring. It is important to control the temperature regime - in severe frosts, it is advisable to additionally cover the pots. And vice versa - it is desirable that there is no heating on the balcony, otherwise the callas will grow.

How to store calla bulbs until spring in the apartment

If there is no other way out, but it is necessary to save the bulbs, then you can use an ordinary apartment as a storage place. With this method, a box of tubers is placed in the coolest place, near a window or balcony door.

But it is necessary, if possible, to isolate the bulbs from the warm air of the room, it is important to place them away from radiators. At temperatures above +20 C degrees, the tubers can overwinter, but they will dry out and wrinkle, and this will affect the he alth of the plant in the future and the abundance of flowering.And at elevated temperatures and high humidity, the tubers will quickly grow.

In the fridge

If there are few tubers, then you can use a regular home refrigerator for storage. The bulbs are wrapped in paper or newspaper, sprinkled with sawdust, and then placed in the lower compartment of the refrigerator, where vegetables are usually stored. With this type of storage, periodic inspections of the condition of the tubers are also necessary.

Spring planting of tubers

After winter, gardeners' favorite time comes - spring, the time of planting seedlings and seedlings. Callas are no exception. Landing begins after the threat of severe frost has passed. In the Middle lane, callas are usually planted in early May, in the southern regions - from mid-April.

Before planting, carry out a preventive inspection after storage. Tubers should be he althy, dense, elastic. All diseased, severely rotted, dried tubers are discarded.If the lesion is insignificant, the sore spot is cut out to he althy tissue, and the cut site is crushed with charcoal.

Before the landing itself, it is advisable to disinfect the planting material. Use a pink solution of potassium permanganate, where the bulbs are placed for 30 minutes. You can use special preparations that are usually pickled with planting potatoes. These are already proven Prestige and Maxim

The bed is preliminarily dug up and granular complex mineral fertilizers are applied, 25-30 grams per 1 square meter. The depth of the landing hole is 5-10 centimeters. The distance between plants is from 30 to 50 centimeters, depending on the strength of the growth of the variety. There should be enough space around for the calla to grow. It is desirable to plant in shady areas, they must be protected from direct, scorching rays of the sun.

Directly when planting, the tuber is placed in a hole, covered with soil and well spilled with water. In the absence of sprouts, it is not worth worrying prematurely and trying to dig out the tubers - the first sprouts in callas appear only after 2-4 weeks.

In the beginning, their root system grows, and then the aerial part begins to actively grow. Some gardeners first plant the tubers in pots. In March-early April, callas are placed in pots with a substrate, and then - in May, they are already transplanted with a clod of earth into open ground.

Recommended