When to dig and how to properly store callas at home in winter

Callas are elegant perennial flowers that can effectively decorate a garden or summer cottage. Gardeners grow them not only at home, in pots, but also simply in the open ground. To preserve a delicate plant that does not tolerate winter well, every gardener should know the basics about callas - when to dig them up, where and how to store them safely until spring.

Is it necessary to dig up garden calla lilies for the winter?

These flowers, despite their southern origin, are not too capricious even when grown in more northern climates. But it is recommended to dig up the tubers for the winter - a small disadvantage, not to mention severe frosts, can easily destroy the plant. Plus, for tuberous calla lilies to bloom, a mandatory period of “cool dormancy” is required; this also applies to many indoor varieties.

In the southern regions, some gardeners leave rhizomes and tubers to overwinter in the ground, covering it well with mulch. But this technique usually does not bring anything positive. It's like playing roulette. In recent years, winters have been unpredictable even in the south. It is safer, and more effective, to remove calla tubers for the winter. Moreover, this agricultural technique allows you to examine the bulbs after digging and identify the onset of diseases in time. The harvesting of plants from the garden itself takes place in several stages.

When to dig calla lilies from open ground in the fall

For successful wintering, tubers must be dug up on time. If you dig up a vegetative plant too early, it will not be able to successfully overwinter, and delaying the deadline until the onset of frost can simply destroy the flower.

Depending on the variety

There are 8 types of calla lilies in nature. They are divided into two main subspecies – rhizomatous and tuberous. Calla lilies Elliot and Remani are called tuberous. These species shed their leaves during the dormant period. Refers to rhizomatous Ethiopian calla, which does not shed leaves during the period of “hibernation” and does not have a pronounced dormant period.

Tuberous callas, which are more susceptible to low temperatures, are dug up first. But rhizomatous plants can tolerate a slight disadvantage.But you shouldn’t delay digging them up either.

Depending on the region of growth

The timing depends on the growing region and how early in the fall the cold weather arrives. Typically, excavation is carried out in the southern regions from the beginning of October, and in the central zone, including the Moscow region, from the second half of September. And in more northern regions, preparations begin at the beginning of the month.

Stages of preparation for wintering

Callas need to be prepared for digging in stages. To preserve a plant in winter, a gardener must clearly know what to do and when.

Preparing the flower and the digging process itself

The onset of frost signals the flower about the end of the growing season and preparation for hibernation. After frost, all dried leaves are cut off, leaving only petioles of 5-7 centimeters. Autumn is the time of rain, so be sure to protect flowers from unwanted moisture. Typically, lightweight shelters are constructed from sheets of iron, slate, and greenhouse film. Gardeners stop watering callas 2-3 weeks before digging.

When digging itself, it is best to use a pitchfork. When using a glander or shovel, there is a high probability of damaging, cutting or leaving some of the tubers in the ground. In order to get the bulbs as safely as possible, dig a hole slightly larger in diameter than the size of the root calla.

Drying the tubers

After digging, the tubers are cleared of soil. The best way is to place them in a container with liquid, and after a short soaking, rinse them under a gentle stream of water. It is necessary to clean the dirt in this way carefully so as not to break off poorly formed babies.

After cleaning, the tubers are inspected, spoiled, diseased, and rotten ones are rejected.

If the damage is minor, the tubers are trimmed back to elastic, healthy tissue.The cleaned areas are powdered with charcoal, and all the bulbs are placed to dry. The tubers are laid out in a thin layer in small cardboard, foam or plastic boxes. The bottom of the boxes is lined with newspapers or old agrofibre, which absorbs excess moisture well. Drying is carried out in a dark, cool, well-ventilated area.

It is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of +20 C, +25 C degrees, only then will they dry thoroughly. The tubers are dried for about 2, maximum 3 weeks. After the bulbs are dried, they are placed in permanent storage until spring.

The dormant period for tubers lasts until the end of March. During storage, periodic inspections of planting material are carried out. This will help to detect diseased, rotten bulbs in time and protect all others from damage. In the case of rhizomatous callas, they are placed in a cool place along with pots. When digging from open ground, they are sprinkled with a damp substrate and also placed in a cool place for the winter.

Necessary conditions for wintering the plant

For proper and safe wintering, several conditions must be met. Moreover, fulfillment of these conditions by the gardener must be mandatory.

1. In winter, when storing tubers, the temperature should be in the range from +5 C to +10 C degrees.
2. Carrying out humidity control. Storing tubers and rhizomes in dry rooms will prevent the appearance of rot and possible death of plants.
3. Storing plants in well and regularly ventilated areas.
4. Periodic sanitary inspections help keep planting material healthy and detect the onset of the disease in time.
5. When storing calla rhizomes in a substrate or pots, it is necessary to monitor its moisture content.
6. For rhizomatous callas, care comes down to periodically lightly moistening the substrate.
7. In tuberous callas, to prevent premature growth, the leaves and roots are removed.
8. The tubers must be properly dried before storing. The safety of planting material in winter depends on this.

For successful wintering, it is advisable to sprinkle the tubers (bulbs) so that they do not come into contact with each other with one of the following materials:

• peat;
• small wood shavings;
• sphagnum moss;
• sand.

Methods for storing plants after digging at home

There are several ways to store calla tubers until spring. An important point is that before planting for the winter, all roots are cut off, otherwise the flower may begin to grow.

Contents in the basement

Boxes with tubers are placed in the basement. Successful storage depends on maintaining the correct temperature, which ranges from +5 C to +10 C degrees. Under no circumstances should the temperature be allowed to increase; this will lead to premature, early germination of the bulbs.

High humidity is detrimental to planting material, so storage must be “dry”. The basement itself must be ventilated, with a constant flow of fresh air. Otherwise, the bulbs will simply be sprayed.

Winter accommodation on the loggia

This storage method is suitable for gardeners growing calla lilies in pots. In the fall, watering is gradually reduced, and after the first frost and the leaves die off, the pots are transferred to a glazed balcony or loggia. There the callas remain until spring. It is important to control the temperature - in severe frosts it is advisable to additionally cover the pots. And vice versa - it is advisable that there is no heating on the balcony, otherwise the callas will grow.

How to store calla bulbs in an apartment until spring

If there is no other choice, but it is necessary to preserve the bulbs, then you can use an ordinary apartment as a storage place. With this method, the box with tubers is placed in the coolest place, near a window or balcony door.

But it is necessary, if possible, to isolate the bulbs from the warm air of the room; it is important to place them away from radiators. At temperatures above +20 C degrees, the tubers can overwinter, but they will dry out and wrinkle, and this will affect the health of the plant in the future and the abundance of flowering. And at elevated temperatures and high humidity, the tubers will quickly grow.

In a refrigerator

If there are only a few tubers, you can use a regular home refrigerator for storage. The bulbs are wrapped in paper or newspaper, sprinkled with sawdust, and then placed in the lower compartment of the refrigerator, where vegetables are usually stored. With this type of storage, periodic inspections of the condition of the tubers are also necessary.

Spring planting of tubers

After winter comes the favorite time of gardeners - spring, the time of planting seedlings and seedlings. Calla lilies are no exception. Planting begins after the threat of severe frost has passed. In the central zone, callas are usually planted in early May, in the southern regions - from mid-April.

Before planting, a preventive inspection is carried out after storage. Tubers should be healthy, dense, elastic. All diseased, severely rotten, dried out tubers are discarded. If the damage is minor, the sore spot is cut out to healthy tissue, and the cut site is crushed with charcoal.

Before planting, it is advisable to disinfect the planting material. Use a pink solution of potassium permanganate, where the bulbs are placed for 30 minutes. You can use special preparations that are usually used to treat planting potatoes.These are the already proven Prestige and Maxim.

The bed is first dug up and granular complex mineral fertilizers are applied, 25-30 grams per 1 square meter. The depth of the planting hole is 5-10 centimeters. The distance between plants is from 30 to 50 centimeters, depending on the growth vigor of the variety. There should be enough space around for calla lilies to grow. It is advisable to plant in shaded areas; they should be protected from direct, scorching rays of the sun.

Directly when planting, the tuber is placed in a hole, covered with soil and watered well. If there are no sprouts, there is no need to worry prematurely and try to dig up the tubers - the first sprouts of calla lilies appear only after 2-4 weeks.

First, their root system begins to grow, and then the above-ground part begins to actively grow. Some gardeners first plant the tubers in pots. In March and early April, callas are placed in pots with a substrate, and then in May they are transplanted with a lump of earth into open ground.