Calla Lily Care Guide

In warmer climates (zones 8-10), calla lilies grow well in partial shade (4-6 hours) to full sun (6-8 hours). In cooler climates (zones 3-7), they enjoy full sun.

Keep your Calla Lily consistently moist but not in soggy soil. Use filtered, bottled, or tap water that is sitting 24 hours to release the chemicals and water enough to discharge out of the drainage holes. Once the water is fully drained, replace it into the cache or decorative pot.

The Calla Lily enjoys and thrives in average humidity.

Comfortable room temperatures will help the Calla Lily to thrive.

Outside: Place in bright, indirect light if grown in a greenhouse and flowering so the leaves don't burn. Inside: Set in bright, indirect light.

Rhizomes planted in containers: Apply a liquid fertilizer especially formulated for flowering bulbs at half strength every two weeks in a container. Rhizomes planted in the garden: Add an organic fertilizer such as bone meal rich in phosphorus, calcium, and a trace of nitrogen. These nutrients will help the roots establish. A soluble bulb fertilizer like 3-5-3 can also be apart of the soil amendments to give your bulbs a good start. As the foliage emerges, repeat the bulb fertilizer application each month until they start blooming. Stop when the Calla's start flowering to help extend the life of the bloom.

Cut the leaves back after the first frost when the foliage turns yellow. If you are in a cooler zone (3-7), remove the rhizomes from the soil with an inch of stem attached. Knock off all the soil and lay them on newspaper in a dry place for a week. Do not wet or wash the rhizomes. Sprinkle them with powdered sulfur to protect against fungi while they're in dormancy. Lay on a single layer screen or in a mesh bag so air can circulate around them. Store the rhizomes at 50°F-60°F. When all chance of frost has passed in the spring, plant in the garden at a depth of 3 to 4 inches deep and 12 to 18 inches apart after the last frost in your planting zone. Place your rhizomes in a horizontal position, so the eyes are facing upward. Add compost or soil conditioners and mix in with the native soil.. Depending on the warmth of the soil, it usually takes 60 days to bloom. If growing in a planter container, use a well-draining potting soil with perlite to aerate the soil. Add amendments to clay soils in the garden to aerate the soil and allow for good drainage.

Cut the leaves back after the first frost when the foliage turns yellow. Trim back faded flowers to the base of the stem.

Divide the rhizomes in the spring after the last frost in your planting zone. Plant each rhizome (type of root system) in a deep container at least 3-4 inches deep with soil underneath it for rooting. Set the growing tips facing upward. Cover with well-draining soil (add amendments to heavy soil in the garden). Wait until the plant is producing new green leaves before starting to fertilize. Stop fertilizing when buds form.