A Detailed Guide to Calla Lily Propagation Methods, Easy for Beginners Too

  Propagation is mainly by offset division. After the plant enters its dormant period, peel off the small corms around the tuber and plant them separately. It can also be propagated by seed, sowing the seeds in pots as soon as they mature. The optimum germination temperature is around 20°C.

  Calla lilies are usually planted as corms after autumn. For bed planting, the row spacing is 25cm and the plant spacing is 10cm. Use fertile soil that is slightly clayey, for example: 2 parts garden soil, 1 part rice husk ash, plus a little bone meal or barnyard manure; you can also use a soil mix of 2 parts finely crushed pond silt, 1 part leaf mold (or compost), with an appropriate amount of superphosphate and rotted cow manure added. After planting, cover with 3-4cm of soil, and sprouts will emerge in about 20 days. During the growing period, calla lilies like plenty of moisture, so water the leaves and ground frequently, and keep the leaves clean. Apply liquid fertilizer once every half month. After fertilizing, immediately rinse with clean water as a precaution, and move the plants into a greenhouse before frost, keeping the room temperature above 10°C.

  During the care period, to avoid too many leaves affecting light exposure, the outer leaves can be removed, which also helps the flower stalks emerge. February to April is the peak blooming period, and watering should gradually stop after flowering; after May the plant begins to turn yellow and wither, so attention should be paid to ventilation and keeping it dry to prevent the tubers from rotting. When the plant is completely dormant, the tubers can be taken out, dried and stored, then planted again in autumn.

  Cultivation techniques: Calla lilies are suitable for planting from late August to early September. For field planting, which is used for cut flower production, plant 3 robust rhizomes as a group in fertile soil, and they can bloom and be supplied to the market around New Year's Day. For pot planting, plant 2-3 large corms or 1-2 small corms per pot, and the potting soil can be garden soil plus organic fertilizer. After planting, place in semi-shade, then move into sunlight after sprouting; when frost comes, move them into a greenhouse and keep the room temperature above 10 degrees.

  During the growing period, keep the potting soil moist at all times, usually sprinkling water on the leaves and ground to increase air humidity. Apply liquid fertilizer once every half month. Before flowering, it is advisable to apply fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus to control stem and leaf growth, promote flower bud differentiation, and ensure flower quality. When fertilizing, never let the fertilizer water flow into the leaf stalks, so as to avoid rot. If there are too many leaves during the growing period, a few outer old leaves can be removed to help the flower stalks emerge; February to May is the period of abundant flowering. After the weather turns hot in late May, the plant begins to turn yellow and wither, so watering should gradually stop, with moderate shading to prevent waterlogging.

  Potted plants should be moved to a ventilated, semi-shaded place and the pots laid on their sides to avoid collecting rainwater, so as to keep them dry and encourage dormancy. After all the leaves have turned yellow and withered, the bulbs can be taken out, dried and stored in a ventilated, cool place. Before planting in autumn, cut off the aged part at the bottom of the bulb and replant. Large bulbs flower, while small bulbs are used to grow seedlings. Pests and diseases: the main disease is soft rot. Control methods include removing diseased plants, disinfecting the planting holes with 200-fold formalin; avoiding continuous cropping as much as possible; draining water promptly; keeping the air well circulated; and spraying Bordeaux mixture when the disease occurs. The main pest is the red spider mite. It can be controlled with 3000-fold trisulfophosphorus solution.