How to grow and care for calla lily in water? Tips to improve your success rate with water culture

How to grow and care for calla lily in water? How to improve the success rate of water culture for calla lily?

Calla lily, also known as arrowhead flower, water taro, and Guanyin lotus. It belongs to the genus Zantedeschia in the family Araceae. Calla lily is a perennial bulbous herb. The plant height is 25-50cm, and it has a thick fleshy rhizome underground. The rhizome grows roots downward and stems upward. The leaves are basal, arrow-shaped or lanceolate, with entire margins, bright green, and some cultivars have white or yellow spots on the leaf surface; the petioles are long with sheaths at the lower part. The ornamental part is actually the rolled funnel-shaped spathe and the prominent spadix protruding from the spathe. This flower type is called a "spathe". Its colors include white, yellow (golden yellow, light yellow), red (pink, purplish red, orange-red), green, etc. Inside the spathe is a yellow or pale green cylindrical spadix. The flowering period is winter and spring, with spring being the peak.

1. Water culture method

(1) For calla lily water culture, a commercially available flowering plant nutrient solution can be used.

(2) In the early growth stage of calla lily, the nutrient solution concentration can be controlled at 1/2 of the specified concentration; in the middle and late growth stages, it can be appropriately increased to the specified concentration. Throughout the entire growth period, the pH value of the nutrient solution should be adjusted to 5.6-6.5.

(3) It is sufficient for 1/2-2/3 of the root system to be immersed in the nutrient solution. The picture shows a calla lily in water culture.

2. Care guide

(1) Temperature and light The suitable temperature for calla lily growth is around 20°C. If it is below 0°C, the rhizome will freeze and die. Calla lily needs sufficient light in winter, and appropriate shading is needed when the summer sunlight is too strong.

(2) Water changing Change the water once every 2-3 days in the early stage. Root rot is likely when water culture is first started, so rotten roots need to be removed promptly, and the roots should be washed when changing the water. After water roots have grown, changing the water about once every 7 days is sufficient.

(3) Watering During the growth period, spray water on the leaf surface more often to keep the leaves moist and clean.

(4) Fertilizing Calla lily bulbs contain a large amount of nutrients. For short-term water culture, no nutrient solution needs to be added: if long-term water culture is needed, then adding nutrient solution once every 30 days is sufficient.

(5) Pest and disease control Calla lily in water culture is not prone to disease, so it is only necessary to make sure the bulb selected is healthy and disease-free.

How to improve the success rate of water culture for calla lily

Calla lily roots have difficulty adapting to a water culture environment, so switching from soil culture to water culture is quite difficult. To improve the survival rate, bulb water culture is generally the preferred choice. The bulb should preferably be healthy, disease-free, bright in color, and have plump buds, with a bulb diameter of 3-5cm being suitable. Correctly selecting the bulb is the first step to successfully growing calla lily in water.