CUT FLOWER PLANTS
Cantedeskia etiopska, kalla — Zantedeschia aethiopica
Zantedeschia is commonly known by the wrong name of calla.
During winter and early spring, calla lilies provide valuable material for bouquets and wreaths.
Multiplication, Zantedeschia is reproduced at the end of May and in June by dividing strongly developed plants. If we have a large number of rhizomes to choose from, stubs should not be planted, which weigh less than 8 dkg, because plants grown from small rhizomes bloom very poorly. After cleaning the rhizomes and slightly shortening the roots, they are placed in frame boxes at the spacing 25 X 30 cm. In the initial period, in order to accelerate rooting, it is recommended to cover the frame boxes with windows and shade during the sun day.. Water moderately until the leaves appear, but as it grows more and more. At the end of July or the beginning of August, the surface between plants is recommended to be covered with a layer of well-distributed manure. If there is no manure, feed it with slurry every week.
Further nursing. The plants should be well-developed by the end of August or the beginning of September; then we transplant them to a moderate greenhouse or to pots. Calla lily is planted in the greenhouse at intervals of approx 40 cm on beds raised approx 30 cm or tables covered with a layer of earth.
Zantedeschia requires a soil rich in organic matter and nutrients, so we mix it with 3 parts of the frame or compost soil, with 1 parts of peat; The pH should be around 6.
Plants planted in pots with a diameter of 16-18 cm are placed back in the frame boxes, po 12 pieces in the window, in which they remain until the first days of October. When the nights are cold (the temperature drops below 5 °) the calla lily is moved to the greenhouse. The most appropriate temperature for the plants in the greenhouse is 12-15 °, which can be raised to 15-18 ° to accelerate the development of buds. During the period of growth and flowering, calla lily is watered abundantly and co 10 days it fertilizes with slurry diluted in the ratio 1 : 20.
If the plants were planted in May, the first flowers should appear in November, and full flowering will be in January-February. The production cycle in this case lasts 8-10 months. If the rhizomes were planted in June, the main flower harvest will take place in February-March, so after 9-10 months.
We do not cut the Calla Lily flowers, but tear them out, we do this when the flower vagina finishes developing. Kept at 10-12 ° C, they can survive for approx 10 days.
In March or April, when only a few flowers are knocked out, we stop watering and by drying off we force the plants to rest. The rest period should last 2 months from the end of watering, after which a new production cycle begins.