How to store callas in the winter at home after digging in the fall should be studied in detail by those who are a fan of these flowers. In order for the plant to winter well, optimal conditions should be created. Experienced gardeners help beginners to avoid common mistakes, share secrets on how to keep tubers until next spring.
Content
The main stages of preparation for winter
Experienced gardeners do not have a question whether they need to dig up callas for the coming winter. The plant is stored exclusively indoors, for this the necessary conditions are created. Tubers must be properly prepared for storage. The timing of these works is also different. You should focus on the onset of the first frosts.
- In the middle lane they occur in mid-October.
- In the southern regions, steady cooling sets in at the beginning of November.
How to dig callas
Digging of calla bulbs begins with the first temperature drops to minus indicators. They will not damage the plants. The process of ending the vegetative period will be launched. The nutrients of the flower will not be aimed at maintaining the leaves, the formation of new ones. Gardeners have several recommendations for the proper preparation of the plant before digging.
- Watering should be stopped approximately 2-3 weeks before the time of extraction of tubers.
- Leaves need to be cut, leaving them at the level of 7-8 cm. After the first frosts, this is easy to do with secateurs, scissors.
- It is better to dig tubers with a pitchfork. This reduces the risk of damage to the part that is underground.
- It is better to make a hole around the root system of a larger size. After the process is complete, carefully remove the soil from the tubers.
Dry Calla Lilies
Planting material needs to be thoroughly dried. Pre-tubers should be inspected, remove damaged tissue or parts. A healthy foundation should remain. To remove individual sections, it is better to use a garden shovel, a teaspoon. Healthy areas after removal of damaged tissue must be treated with a solution of brilliant green, sprinkled with crushed activated carbon. This eliminates the risk of developing diseases that affect the root system. Dispose of removed areas. They are not used for future fertilizer, which will be applied to the garden. So, the disease is easy to spread around the site.
Drying the bulbs is best in low cardboard boxes, plastic boxes that are used to store fruit. The bottom of the container must be lined with paper. Drying is carried out:
- in a dark and cool place;
- subject to free air circulation;
- in the absence of sunlight;
- the temperature in the room should be at the level of 15-20 degrees.
Gardeners prefer to place boxes of tubers of harvested calla lilies in the basement, a well-ventilated garage. After a week, it is already possible to remove all remaining leaves without problems. In a week, the roots from the tubers will completely recede. Young mothers should not be removed from the mother plant. They do not have a separate partition. When split, it is easy to injure the plant. This process is carried out in the winter, when the "kids" are already ripe.
If the mother plant is damaged at the time of separation, the injured area must be treated with brilliant green, sprinkled with charcoal. On average, the drying time of planting material takes from 2 to 3 weeks.
How to store
Selected material for planting in winter should be inspected periodically. This will not allow to skip the resulting rot, timely if necessary, remove damaged areas. Bulbs should be stored in cardboard boxes in a dry, cool place. They are at rest from October to April. Of course, these terms are shifted by region. Indeed, in the northern regions it is necessary to dig up plants in August, and to plant when constant heat is established. Gardeners believe that the best place to grow flowers is the Middle Strip, Southern regions.
Wintering potted plants
Callas have successfully become plants that are found in many homes. They should also be periodically at rest. It is artificially necessary to stimulate the cessation of the vegetative period of the plant. To do this, just put the pot in a dark, cool place. Reduced and watering the flower. Many doubt whether it is necessary to dig up callas from a pot for the winter and store according to the established technology. Experts say that this procedure is optional. Tubers are well wintered in a pot, container.
Choose a place to store
Proper storage will ensure further good flowering of the plant. For storage, you can put containers with tubers in the apartment, basement, refrigerator or on the loggia. Each place has certain features that are important to consider.
Basement Content
Such a place is the most common for wintering of planting material. This storage technique requires certain rules to be followed.
- It is important to observe the temperature regime. Boxes with bulbs should stand in the basement at a temperature not lower than +5 and not higher than +10 degrees.
- Exceeding temperature conditions can cause premature germination of tubers.
- The storage period should last until the end of March. After, the bulbs need to be transplanted into the soil, pots.
Accommodation for the winter on the loggia
Loggia is one of the common places where it is very convenient to store flower bulbs. This is a great way to grow potted flowers at home. For such a technique, the following conditions are required:
- by the onset of autumn, it is necessary to reduce watering, gradually preparing the plant for hibernation;
- when the leaves die off, the flower pot needs to be moved to the balcony (necessarily glazed) or the loggia. There they are stored until spring.
Location until spring in the apartment
You can store prepared tubers in the apartment for those who do not have the opportunity to place the plant in the basement or on the balcony. An apartment is a risky storage method. It requires certain conditions:
- the tubers should be in the coldest place of the apartment.For example, on window sills, away from the battery, near the balcony doors;
- It is important to ensure temperature conditions (not higher than +20 degrees). Even at this temperature, the tubers can withstand wintering, however, closer to spring, they will dry out and wrinkle. This can adversely affect the flowering process in the summer.
In the fridge
If you need to winter a small number of tubers, then at home a refrigerator is suitable for this. This is the second flower storage method after the basement. For him, two important conditions must be met:
- tubers must be wrapped with paper, placed in a separate compartment of the refrigerator, in which vegetables are usually stored;
- the temperature should be between + 5-7 degrees.
Wake up callas with the arrival of spring
The middle band completes the wintering of callas in early April, the southern regions with the onset of March. To do this, you need to get the roots, conduct a thorough inspection for damage. Then they need to be treated with potassium permanganate, fungicide - this will help to avoid the development of fungal infection. If before the winter the children did not separate from the callas, you can do it now. Then the flower is transplanted into a pot for further growth and flowering.
Newbie Common Mistakes
In order for the flower to grow actively, it is necessary to adhere to certain recommendations. However, most novice gardeners often make mistakes that later lead to disastrous consequences and the plant does not work out to achieve the desired result.
- Tubers need to be dug carefully - the root system is very delicate, the slightest sharp movement will lead to damage.
- If there are children on the roots, it is better to wait for their independent separation, then remove from the main bulb.
- If you do not remove the small roots from the tuber, they will germinate during the wintering period.
- In the storage location, the temperature should be within 3-7 degrees above zero with a minimum level of humidity.
Finally
Gardeners tell beginners in detail how to care for callas, dig them up for the winter and store. This information will help to preserve the plants, and with the arrival of heat, plant again and enjoy the delicate flowering. The implementation of simple recommendations will save not only beauty, but also the health of flowers, which is also important.