Growing of garden callas is carried out, basically, in winter gardens and rooms. However, even on the open ground of the central strip of our country, these exotic flowers can feel fine if they are provided with proper care.
There are many species of callas, but the most common in our country is Calla aethiopica L., Zantedeshia aethiopica Spreng or Calla Ethiopian. Its leaves are monochrome, large, with long petioles. All the charm of a wonderful snow-white inflorescence lies in the covering sheet of the cob.
Successful attempts at reproduction and cultivation of Ethiopian calliams on the open ground led to the fact that gardeners began to popularize two more species of this plant - the Zantehedchia of Elliott and Zantedeschia of Remani. The first one has heart-shaped leaves with white specks and a yellow-green inflorescence, and the second - inflorescences of all shades of lilac, pink and red. During the rest period, these kinds of callas drop leaves, so wintering is tolerated quite safely.
Optimum conditions for growing callas
These flowers prefer sunny places with a stable microclimate. An openwork shadow also fits. The main thing is to avoid drafts. The garden fertile soil for callas is suitable, but with a high content of organic in it, flowering can slow down, so the soil should be enriched with sand and peat, turning it into a light loam.
Unfortunately, reproduction of calla with seeds is almost impossible, since the germination of seeds, and then plant growth, requires more time than the domestic climate allows. With tubers, such problems do not arise. So, planting callas in the spring is usually carried out in the first decade of May in the warmed soil to a depth of 5-10 centimeters. It depends on the diameter of the tuber - the bigger it is, the deeper it is necessary to place it in the ground. After planting callas in the soil, it should be watered abundantly.
It is worth noting that in domestic stores most often sell imported planting material. Such plants will adapt for several years to our conditions. If you have the opportunity to buy tubers grown in our latitudes, give preference to them.
This plant is among the unpretentious, so the planting, and care for garden calla difficulties will not cause. The only important condition is abundant watering in hot weather. For better blooming, callas can be fed with fertilizers during the growth period. Diseases and pests prefer to bypass this plant side. Occasionally calla attracts whiteflies , but they do not cause significant harm.
Tubers: excavation and storage
In September, before transplanting callas, which have already faded, you should gently cut off the ground portion of the plants. Tubers, differing fragility, take out very carefully from the ground! Then the tubers are washed and placed in a cool room for two weeks. it
After that, the tubers can be stored in a refrigerator, placed in perforated paper bags. If there are many tubers and there are not enough places in the refrigerator, you can wrap each several layers of the newspaper and store it in a cardboard box in a cool place.
It was not possible to ensure the tubers coolness and dryness, and they sprouted ahead of time? No problem! They should be planted in pots, and with the emergence of sprouts treated with ferrovite. Next to the sprouts should be looked after as usual garden callas, that is, to provide watering and light. In May they must be transplanted into the ground. They will be blossom, but not so abundantly.