Comments on: Calla Lilies

By: yveoro

yveoro — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:50:06 +0000

Soft slimy spot on tuber
I was recently given a large calla lily bulb. I finally got the chance to plant the bulb. During the planting process I noticed that one side of the bulb was white and slimy and I did see small worms around it. Is this normal? What can I do to get rid of that part?

Hi Yveoro
I’m not sure what the worms are but if the tuber has a soft slimy spot then it is infected with some type of rot which they are often susceptible to. You can try to cut off the soft area and dust it with a fungicide and hope it will heal before you plant it. It may not be worth the effort as the bulb is in a bad state to begin with and you don’t know how much of the tuber is infected. In the end you will be dissapointed with the results. The other option is to throw it out and get a new healthy bulb.

By: Littleone_da

Littleone_da — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:59:02 +0000

I’m in Northern CA East Bay region and the calla bed is mostly sunny. They were doing great until recently, similar to Kimberly’s situation.
However, at the base of the split stems are tiny black “dots” of bugs. What are these bugs and how do I get rid of them?
I’m a beginner as well and need some help. Thank you in advance!

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:19:37 +0000

I’m in San Francisco and just moved into a new place with a cluster of calla lilies growing in a shadier corner of the garden. They had long, weak stems and were lying sideways, on the ground. Half the stems were brown and dead (like the attached flowers), and the other half were still bright green – but many were split at the base, or slimy inside. I pulled out all the dead brown strands – and went ahead and cut off the flopped-over stems which were slimy inside.

What do you make of it? Some sort of rot? I am a gardening novice, so would love your advice as to next steps. (And was I too hasty in trimming off the flopped stems?) Do we need to dig up & rest the bulbs in San Francisco? Or are these bulbs likely rotted anyway? Shall I try to replant them in a sunnier part of the garden?

Thanks so much for your help.

By: Rita

Rita — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:32:43 +0000

Sacramento,CA

I have a total of six calla’s with white spotted leaves and white flowers (not blooming now, just leaves)

1. They are growing in large clusters. I was wondering if they will eventually branch out to fill my flower bed or do I need to separate the bulbs and plant some elsewhere to fill in the gaps.

2. Three seem to be growing well (about 2-3ft tall = X) but two are very small (~six inches tall = *). Not sure why the two on either end of the flower bed are so small. Can someone tell me why? (I have two outdoor cats that may be using these parts of the garden as a littler box, but I’m not sure.)

layout of the calla’s in my garden:

* X X X *

Thanks!

By: CJ

CJ — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:15:05 +0000

My Mother received a potted calla lily in May of this year. I now have it and the green, thin, whispy leaves were all laying to one side of the plant It does have 4 burgandy colored blooms. I replanted it this August and and braced the leaves with a wire halo. I don’t know “zip” about this flower…can someone walk me through its total care? Help…

By: Jolie

Jolie — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:51:41 +0000

I live in Northern California coastal area. All my neighbors have beautiful calla lillies that grow year round and bloom throughout the summer. They don’t die back in the winter and they seem to spread and cover more ground every year. The callas I have planted die back every year and come up in the late spring, with a single bloom in the summer (if I’m lucky). Do you know what variety I should be buying or if there is something in the care and maintenance that I am missing?

I currently have them planted in full sun with moderate watering. In the past, I had them planted in partial sun with lots of water and they died off completely and never came up again.

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:00:50 +0000

I have had calla lillies growing in my garden for about 5 years now. I planted a variety of colors, but only the white survived. I live in Georgia with mostly clay soil and have never dug them up. They are very dense right now and I was wondering if I should dig them up this fall and divide. If so, can I add in some of the colored ones also to add variety or will they just not grow again? Once planted, I really have not done anything to them in the way of fertilizing, and they have done very well.

Hi Liz
The white callas seem to be dominant and most likely will take over again.Why not make you separae beds? It’s a good idea to divide your callas but wait until early spring to do so. Divide when the buds start to swell.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:29:19 +0000

Calla hardiness
This is my first year that I have planted Calla Lillies. They have bloomed beautifully. Do I need to dig up the bulbs for winter or can they stay in the ground like my tulis?

Hi Marilyn
Calla lilies are hardy in zone 7-10, otherwise they need to be dug up for the winter.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:22:07 +0000

Hi
I bought my yellow calla lillie from Costco in At the beginning of May. It had many blooms and was thriving well. I planted it in the ground in full nice and water it daily. I am on the West Coast near Vancouver BC.
the blooms stopped opening around mid June and would go limp. The leaves are doing well still, no yellowing or turning brown as with the blooms. They’re just not opening. I just don’t understand what’s happening. Should I be cutting the blooms that are drooping and not opening?
Thanks

Hi Cathy
Warmer temperatures can cause the stems to elongate and flowers to droop. For best bloom, callas prefer cool temps and bright light. Be careful not to overwater them. In many cases flowers fail to open when the plant is under some kind of stress. I would cut off the drooping flowers and put them in a vase. See what happens.

By: Annie Wolf

Annie Wolf — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:47:36 +0000

I have the same problem at Karen. I purchased severl Calla lilies from Lowes.
In your answer to her above you stated that it could be some kind off bacterial/fungal disease. What would be helpful is if you told us how we can fix this problem.
With warm regards,
Annie

Hi Annie
Calla lilies are susceptible to many pathogens. Thrips and aphids as well as bruising or injuring the bulbs can open a path for disease. Once the disease enters the bulb it is difficult to elliminate. If the bulb is soft and mushy, then there is nothing your can do to save it. Many growers pre-treat with a broad spectrum fungicide (a combination of fungicides) when planting callas as a preventative. You would have to check at your garden center for which ones are available (Kocide, ChampII flowable) and how they are applied.