Elegant calla is one of the most exquisite representatives of the Aroid family on the planet. The unusual shape of the flower and the variety of shades with which nature generously endowed the plant made it a kind of symbol of beauty, chastity and greatness. This is confirmed by the high popularity of the flower among florists - it is indispensable when creating wedding bouquets. Calla's homeland is South Africa, which is the cradle of many exotic species of the Aroid family. Translated from Greek, this name means "beautiful." It is difficult to come up with a more expressive term for the emotions that this plant evokes. Let's talk about the features of the flower and its preferences, listen to professional tips for growing calla lilies. We learn about the most optimal ways of propagating culture.
Calla: description of the type of plant, content, care
Poets of all time sang the beauty and tenderness of calla lilies. Regardless of the plant’s breeding characteristics, the flowers are characterized by long straight stalks and broad basal leaves growing from a thick rhizome. The inflorescence, consisting of a cob and a bedspread, is located on a leafless stem - "arrow". The coverlet is a luxuriously bright, funnel-like bract that surrounds a small cob entirely covered with small flowers. Single bright green leaves in the shape of arrowheads reach 8-15 cm in length and 5-10 cm in width. The color of the leaves is even, some species are characterized by bright blotches. Growing callas in the garden or at home brings an amazing sense of touch to the creation of a small miracle - a magnificent plant.
Growing calla lilies
Despite their high decorativeness, these flowers are not very demanding, but certain conditions dictated by the plant must be met to obtain truly magnificent healthy specimens. Unpretentious and hardy culture grows on any soil, but prefers light, breathable neutral sandy sandstone or loam. Well-fertilized with organic matter, fertile soil is the key to a successful and fast growing culture. Breeding callas is possible by vegetative methods (dividing the bulbs) or seeds.
Bulb planting
Growing callas from the bulb is the easiest way to get a beautiful flowering plant that perfectly survives in the garden. Callas breed well by rhizome division. The bulb, not being the root itself (the correct name is the rhizome), when accumulating a sufficient supply of nutrients, releases a sprout, which, as it develops, turns into the same stem on which the elegant flower blooms. Like many bulb plants, callas multiply due to the formation of new bulb children. Under good growing conditions, feces can spread over a significant area of the site. This is how calla grows in the wild. The native land of the plant is the South African savannah, instilled in the Kalam incredible endurance and high ability to reproduce. Therefore, you can’t start this process on the garden plot, you need to periodically dig out extra bulbs, otherwise the culture will divide constantly, and the flowers will fade and lose decorative qualities over time.
Calla: all about the plant, the rules of care and growing
Planting calla lilies with bulbs is a simple process. They are unpretentious and root in any soil, provided that it is well-drained. Rhizomes are susceptible to decay, so breathability is necessary for the proper development of the plant. Requirements for the landing site: the place should be sunny, slight periodic shading is possible, it is calmly carried out by the culture. Bulbs are planted in a row strictly horizontally with the bottom down, and sprouting shoots up in the prepared small hole up to 10 cm deep with an interval of 0.15 m from each other. Landings are generously shed to facilitate rooting. The birthplace of any culture determines the conditions for its growth. So is calla. The homeland of the plant is the hot tropics, therefore, all calla species are southerners, poorly tolerating the most insignificant frosts, and moderate Russian latitudes, where the air temperature drops below 0 ° C, are inappropriate for planting these crops.
Seeds and Seedlings
Planting seeds for planting calla lilies precedes their germination: this is the best way to speed up the process of obtaining seedlings. It's simple: on a flat plate or saucer in a folded wet paper towel, place the seeds and put them in a cool dark place. It is necessary to maintain a certain level of moisture in the wipes, avoiding drying out or excessive wetting, which can lead to rot. Seeds should show signs of growth after a few days. Having chosen the hatching seedlings, they begin to sow.
Planting seedlings
Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in small pots or containers. If gardening land is not prepared for planting, you can buy ready-made soil at a gardening supplies store. It is considered optimal to sow a pair of seeds in one container (with a depth of 1 cm). Abundant watering is unacceptable - at this stage the danger of decay is still great. Therefore, moisten the soil should be moderate. And it’s better to do this through the holes at the bottom of the pot. The emergence of sprouts is the second stage on the path of growing callas.
To obtain healthy plants, strong shoots are left, and weak and non-intensely colored sprouts must be removed.
Transplanting seedlings to a permanent place
Seedlings that have grown and gained strength can be planted in a prepared place on the garden site. Planting seedlings is almost no different from planting with bulbs, only the holes should be slightly deeper, since the roots will require more space to accommodate.
Before planting, each seedling is examined, for better rooting, experts recommend treating the root system with a solution of a biostimulator. This should be done carefully, trying not to injure the roots or cause any other damage to the fragile sprout. When transplanting, pour calla seedlings. In water for irrigation, you can add a solution of peat-humic fertilizers to avoid the occurrence of diseases and other complications in a new place.
How to care for a flower?
The basic rules for flower care are regular weeding, surface cultivation and watering. Due attention should be paid to watering a flower such as calla lilies. The birthplace of the plant - South Africa - left a mark in the structure of the plant. The culture will undoubtedly require a significant amount of moisture and will not put up with dry periods or the neglect of the gardener to watering - the main aspect of competent flower care. Water the plant should be regular, especially in the summer heat. If a small pond is located on the garden plot, the best option, as well as a successful decorative move, is to break flower beds with callas on the banks of the reservoir.
Top dressing
Growing callas and caring for it requires the need for periodic dressing. In the southern regions of Russia, professional gardeners achieve year-round flowering of culture. A similar effect can be achieved by phased planting, the use of competent technology and rational feeding. It is believed that calla should receive fertilizer once a year, but this is not enough for constant flowering. Monthly dressing with any organics with the addition of mineral fertilizers will ensure regular flowering of calla lilies. It is important not to overfeed the culture and closely monitor the condition of the leaves: the blackening of the edges will tell you about an excess of nitrogen. Now, knowing how to properly care for callas, we learn about the intricacies of breeding a culture at home.
Indoor calla lilies
Despite its exotic origin, calla (the native land of the plant is the South African tropics) perfectly adapts to life in pots on window sills. Culture preferences do not change with changing growing conditions: calla growing at home needs more abundant watering than free garden species, but the system of transplants and top dressing changes dramatically for such a plant as indoor calla. Care, its features are as follows. The home plant will have to be transplanted into new soil every year: soil depletion in pots can provoke the opposite effect of fertilizers applied. Indoor callas are responsive to monthly top dressing with liquid solutions of complex fertilizers, in the summer you need to feed more often - 2 times a week. To maintain the soil in good condition and to avoid diseases, it is necessary to use peat-humic fertilizers, which must be used in accordance with the instructions attached to the tool.
Kinds
Calla lilies are conditionally divided according to color tones into such varieties: white, red, pink, yellow, blue, violet and black. Symbolizing purity and purity, surprisingly elegant calla white.
A plant is a flower, care, cultivation and features of the content of which are not as burdensome as it seems at first glance. Calla gratefully responds to care and pays a hundredfold, creating a bright holiday, incredible and amazing.