How to care for a potted Calla lily
Today, I will introduce to you how to care for a potted Calla lily and some small experiences in green plant maintenance, including the maintenance guide for potted Calla lilies. Next, the editor will provide an introduction.
The Calla lily is a bulbous plant belonging to the Araceae family. Its most distinctive feature is its cup-shaped flowers, while the leaves are ovate and relatively large. The overall flower is cup-shaped, with a spathelike inflorescence at the center of the flower bud, which can produce tightly adhered small fruits after successful pollination.
The Calla lily is native to Africa and is cultivated in areas such as Yunnan and Sichuan in China. The flower colors of Calla lilies are rich and diverse, including common white, pink, red, and also some hybrid varieties that may produce orange or black flowers.
The flowers of the Calla lily are very suitable for use as cut flowers in vases and are popular worldwide.
The bulbs of the Calla lily are best planted in spring, and they will bloom from early summer to mid-summer. The blooming period can last until the early summer, and they have good ornamental value. Now, you can still find potted Calla lilies in bloom in the market.
These are Calla lilies planted in the botanical garden.
The Calla lily prefers a tropical climate and enjoys a consistently moist environment. In areas such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Hainan in China, it can be directly planted outdoors.
How to care for a potted Calla lily
One point that needs to be reminded is that the Calla lily is a typical Araceae plant, and its stems and leaves (whole plant) are toxic, so they should be avoided from ingestion. The sap from the stems and leaves can easily cause skin itching when it sticks to your hands (similar to taro).
1. Suitable Environment
When maintaining a potted Calla lily, it is essential to provide a warm environment and ample sunlight, except for appropriate shading when the temperature exceeds 33 degrees Celsius in summer. In other seasons, full sun can be provided.
In hot summer weather, appropriate shading should be applied during noon and afternoon. If the weather is cooler in summer, the plant will grow better.
2. Suitable Potting Soil
Maintaining a potted Calla lily also requires providing fertile, loose, and well-draining soil. The potting soil should have moderate water retention capacity and can be made up of common peat, fine coconut fiber, and coarse coconut fiber (or a mix of leaf mold, peat, and perlite), blended in a ratio of 5:3:2. Some bark or perlite can be mixed in appropriately.
The Calla lily prefers moist soil, especially in outdoor environments, and it's important to ensure the soil does not frequently dry out, but it should not accumulate water and should have good aeration to avoid root rot.
To increase the nutritional content of the soil, it's necessary to add more soil rich in organic matter, including common peat and leaf mold.
3. Watering Considerations