Are you wondering if calla lilies come back every summer or just once?
Do you toss your Calla Lilies when the blooms are done?
For many people, that’s exactly what they do because they assume the flowers are annuals, and specifically used for spring decorating.
Calla Lilies bring bright enjoyment to a garden.
However, how do they care for themselves and come back every year?
In essence, Calla lilies are perennials that can grow all year round. With the proper care, you can save the potted plant and let it bloom again next year.
Growing Calla Lilies Outside
When growing your calla lily plant outside, it can tolerate colder temperatures. But if you live in an area where the winters are extreme, you may need to keep them indoors.
The plants need to die for 2 or 3 months each year to recover and bloom more abundantly the following year.
You can help the calla lilies survive this time of year by digging them up and storing them in a cool place or in a greenhouse.
To plant your calla lily plant in a pot, you must keep it dry. They don’t tolerate wet soil. You should fertilize the soil with manure or compost when planting them. You can also place them in a shady spot.
You should also provide ample ventilation in the area where you plan to plant them. They don’t tolerate drought conditions and prefer rich, moist soil.
If you are looking for a beautiful flower that will bloom throughout the year, you can grow a calla lily as a perennial. They are not hardy in colder climates, but they can survive a few years in a row. During their spring bloom, calla lilies are great additions to any garden. They also make great indoor cut flowers.
Calla Lilies: Blooming season
After blooming, calla lilies require a dormant period before they can flower again. To prepare for this period, calla lilies should be watered less frequently and stored in a dark, cool place for two months.
Once the plant returns to the light, it will begin to bloom again. Then, they can be repotted and replanted.
Depending on the type of flower, the blooming season of calla lilies can begin as early as the end of January and extend to the middle of April.
It is important to be cautious, however, since some areas are dangerous due to the presence of poison oak, which invades the valley after spring rains.
Be sure to wear closed-toed shoes and wear long pants, because the poison oak is highly poisonous. The blooming season of calla lilies is stunning all year long, so you should make the effort to visit this beautiful region.
The best time to visit the valley is during the spring or early summer. The calla lily’s blooming season typically runs from late January to mid-April.
The flowers in the valley will not be plentiful if you visit early in the spring, but if you visit later, you will find that the flowers have faded and are heavily wilted. A visit to this beautiful garden will be a memorable experience.
Best Time to Care for Calla Lilies
Winter is the best time to care for your Calla Lily. Its outer skin needs to be protected so that it can survive the cold months.
Deadheading is an essential part of caring for this flower. To prevent rot and disease, you can trim the stems to about an inch above the soil every 2 weeks. However, if the rhizome becomes completely rotten, you can remove it with a sharp knife and replace it with new one.
White calla lily tubers should be stored in a dark box filled with coco coir fiber or peat moss. If you are storing the tubers in a pot, you should remove the entire plant before storing it.
Spider mites feed on the juices of white callas and turn the foliage gray. To kill them, spray the plant leaves with water or use a predatory insect.
Choosing the right potting soil is essential for calla lilies. Soil that is too wet will rot the roots of the plant. Choose a potting mix that drains well. Calla lilies like light, well-drained soil. Some soils can become too wet and heavy.
If the soil is too heavy, the plant will struggle and eventually die. If you choose a heavy soil, you should mix it with compost or gravel.
Deadheading Calla Lilies
It may seem counter-intuitive to cut off calla lily flowers, but deadheading is a crucial part of calla lily care.
Deadheading removes spent blooms and buds, which can stunt the calla’s blooming process.
Dead blooms aren’t harmful to the calla lily, but they do ruin the look of the plant. You can keep the dead blooms from clogging your flowering spouts.
Calla lilies are mostly grown outdoors, and if you are growing them in a pot, be sure to place it in a sunny spot.
This is important because calla lilies prefer direct sunlight. Deadheading is simple: remove withering flowers from the base of the plant. This leaves the plant with no blossoms for the following season.
Once the flowers have fallen, move the calla lily to a warm, sunny location and deadhead. Do not move the plant during the winter!
Once a calla lily’s flowers have faded and have begun to fade, you can prune the remaining stems to prevent further decay.
You should trim the flower stalks to about two inches from the ground. Do not prune the stems of the plant directly.
The sap can irritate sensitive skin. If you’re unsure about the deadheading technique, you can use disinfected pruning shears to cut them at the soil level. Deadheading your calla lily will ensure your plant will grow again in the spring.
Fertilizing Calla Lily Plants
Fertilizing calla lily plants every year can help them grow healthier, and bigger, as well as resist diseases and pests.
A fertilizer with a higher phosphorus-to-nitrogen ratio is the best for calla lilies. Typically, this fertilizer is found in flowering plant fertilizers. Higher ratios can also be found in fertilizers for vegetables.
Before planting calla lilies, prepare the soil by adding organic matter to the soil. This will help the plants to retain moisture.
Add a few inches of organic matter to sandy or rocky soil.
You should start fertilizing calla lilies early in the spring, after the soil is thawing out after the last spring frost, and you can stop fertilizing when the plants begin to bloom. If they dry out before the end of the growing season, they will die.
In spring, fertilize calla lilies by planting a few sticks in the soil. Be sure to push the sticks deeply into the soil, or lay them on the surface and water the plant.
Remove the fertilizer as soon as the foliage turns yellow or burnt. Once the flowers have bloomed, discontinue fertilization. If you continue fertilization, the bulb may rot.
Cold-hardiness Zone for Calla Lilies
The hardiness zone for calla lilies varies from Zones 9 to 11, but most will overwinter outdoors, provided they get plenty of water during the winter.
However, planting them in a zone below that range can cause problems. This article discusses the cold-hardiness of calla lilies. You’ll also discover when to plant them. If you’re worried that they won’t survive the winter, plant them in a pot. They’ll need at least 4 inches of soil.
Planting callas requires a well-draining soil, and the best place to grow them is in a sheltered spot that stays at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In these zones, calla lilies are usually grown as annuals.
For fall planting, remove the plant from its container and store the rhizomes in a moist, lightly damp peat moss. Then, when the weather is warm, plant them in a well-drained soil.
Calla lilies are tender perennials. They grow from rhizomes in USDA zones eight through 10 and are ideally grown in areas with similar climate conditions.
For best results, plant them in a location that mimics their natural habitat as closely as possible. Cold-hardiness of calla lilies varies by variety, but most are hardy. To find out how cold-hard your calla lily is, read on!
Calla Lilies: Diseases and Threats
When you have calla lilies, they are beautiful, and delicate, but they can also become vulnerable to disease.
There are several types of plant diseases, including bacterial rhizome rot, gray mold, and bacterial soft rot.
While most of these diseases are preventable, you can still help to avoid them by identifying and preventing symptoms. Listed below are some of the most common problems associated with calla lilies.
One of the most common diseases of calla lilies is slugs, which feed on the foliage. Another disease affecting calla lilies is whiteflies, which suck out the plant’s juices.
If you see these tiny white bugs, you should shake the plant to get rid of them. You can even identify them by their fine webbing.
Conclusion
You can also make sure that the temperature is warm enough for calla lilies.
Calla lilies prefer temperatures of 50 degrees or higher. However, they will curl if temperatures drop below these minimums.
Avoid placing them near drafts, as this can cause worse problems.
In areas with cold temperatures, you can turn up the heat.
Just make sure that the temperatures don’t fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 55 degrees.