Perennial herbaceous plant of the aroid family. Analog names are found - Callas, Aronnik, Zantedesia. Translated from Greek means "beautiful."
Calla is home to the African continent, so it is also called Ethiopian. Widely distributed in South America. In the wild, grows on swampy soils, reaches a height of 2.5 meters. Domesticated for a long time, indoor calla has its own agrotechnical features of growing.
Description of room calla
The leaves are large, glossy, from light to dark green in color, are singly located on long stems, in shape resembling a heart or a leaf of a waterlily marsh. Width up to 25 cm, length up to 40 cm.
Blossoms, releasing a long arrow-peduncle. The flowers are small, collected in an inflorescence - an ear in the shape of a cylinder, wrapped in a sheet-veil, that is, a bract that looks like a funnel. This leaf is often mistaken for a calla flower. It lasts a very long time - up to 4 weeks.
Traditional varieties have a white funnel leaf. In modern floriculture, many species with different colors are bred. A photo of calla flowers proves their diversity and the beauty of the colors.
White callas have powerful rhizomes, while colored ones have medium-sized bulbs. Depending on this, the care of plants varies somewhat.
Types of indoor callas
A diverse palette of calla flowers. From snow-white and lemon yellow, to pink and purple.
However, botanists distinguish only eight species, and only three of them are found in indoor floriculture:
- Classic - Calla Ethiopian, white. The plant is quite large, peduncles and stems grow up to 1 meter. The leaves retain a bright color and do not die off even during dormancy. Instead of a bulb, a powerful rhizome.
- Calla remana is a compact plant no higher than 70 cm. It can be easily distinguished by the characteristic red, pink and purple colors of the bedspread.
- Callu elliott is characterized by the large size of the leaves, which are mottled in color. The color of the bedspread varies on the outside and the back. Above, the flowers are usually bright yellow, below - greenish.
Growing and caring for calla at home
Caring for calla at home only seems complicated. In fact, it is enough to create conditions as close as possible to the natural habitat, and adhere to this regime.
The plant is afraid of drafts, prone to decay. Withered leaves and inflorescences must be removed on time, cutting off with a sharp knife to inflict as little damage to the stems.
If you leave a faded ear, seeds - berries will begin to form on it. But this is not recommended, as seed ripening takes a lot of energy. And their reproduction is a very complex and lengthy process.
The juice of the plant is poisonous, so transplant, remove peduncles and wilted leaves need gloves. Observe precautions if there are children in the house.
Also read an article on caring for calla in the open.
Lighting
Calla home is very demanding on light indoors. In the daytime it should be scattered, and in the evening - direct. For it to bloom, daylight hours of 12 hours or more are needed.
During the rest period, 10 light hours per day are sufficient, but not less than 8.
Watering
Calla flowers need abundant regular watering and high humidity, which can be achieved if the plant is periodically sprayed. It is important to ensure that moisture does not get on the bract cover. It may become stained and lose its beautiful appearance.
You can increase humidity by placing the pot on a pallet with wet sphagnum moss or raw expanded clay. For the same purpose, the leaves are periodically wiped with a damp soft cloth or sponge.
Do not allow the soil to dry out in a pot. During flowering, watering is enhanced, and during dormancy, reduced to a minimum.
It is necessary to take into account the difference in the care of rhizome and bulbous varieties. White callas with rhizomes need a lot of continuous watering. Even during dormancy, they do not completely drop leaves. Painted callas are less demanding on the water regime.
The plant is a natural barometer. It is very responsive to changes in air humidity, and dew drops appear on the tips of the leaves before rain.
Air temperature
Calla is thermophilic. The optimum temperature for it is + 20 ... +25 ° C. In summer, the flower can be taken out to the balcony, but you need to remember that cool air below +8 ° C can destroy it.
If a flower has lost all its leaves, this does not mean that it has died. It’s just that the period of rest has come, the pot needs to be taken out to a cool shaded place, watering should be stopped until the length of daylight increases and the first shoots appear.
Transplant and soil selection
Kalam, like many onions, needs a spacious container. They will not bloom in a cramped pot.
Separate varieties in order to bloom, you need to plant in a pot one by one. Choose a container made of porous materials so that the roots can breathe. The diameter of the pot for six-centimeter tubers is at least 20 cm, the optimal volume is 3 liters.
At the bottom of the tank you need to pour a large drainage layer, about 5 cm high, so that there is no stagnation of water.
A transplant should be carried out in April as bulbs grow. After enough times a year, replace the topsoil in the pot.
It is better to take mixed soil for growing callas at home: humus, sand, peat and garden soil in equal parts. Care must be taken that the soil does not oxidize, which may interfere with the natural circulation of moisture.
Breeding
When the bulb reaches vegetative age, it will sprout. They can be carefully separated from the adult plant and transplanted into a separate container, being careful not to damage the delicate roots.
It is important not to deepen adult tubers more than 5 cm so that they do not rot.
If it is not possible to separate, it means that they are not yet old enough;
Top dressing
Feeding for calla at home requires moderate care. It is enough to fertilize it for a month immediately before distillation and during flowering.
During the dormant period, additional nutrition can cause the plant to “ripen”, that is, it will produce many leaves, but will not bloom.
It is best to use complex liquid top dressing and add it to water when watering once a week. During the formation of the flower arrow, growth stimulants must contain nitrogen. When buds appear, they switch to potash-phosphorus fertilizers.
Problems with room calla and their solution
| Problem | Cause | Decision |
| Stems are pulled. | Not enough light, very warm. | Change location, install additional lighting, lower the room temperature. |
| The plant does not bloom. | The rest period is not sustained. | During wintering, stop watering, reduce lighting. Before flowering, fertilize. With a large growth of the rhizome, divide or seedlings of tubers. |
| Fragility of petioles. | Lack of nutrition. | Every week, fertilize with fertilizers containing nitrogen and superphosphate. |
| Plaque on the leaves. | Fungal disease powdery mildew or gray rot. | To process leaves with a solution of potassium permanganate or soda ash with soap. Spray with fungicidal preparations: Fundazol, Vekta, Topaz, etc. |
| Non seasonal leaf drop. | Root rot. | Reduce watering, replace the soil. |
Calla lilies in floristry and folk signs
Breeders have bred many varieties of calla lilies in a wide range of colors, which gives unlimited possibilities for use both in mono-bouquets and in prefabricated compositions.
Beautiful large dense buds, like porcelain or carved from ivory, stand for a long time in a cut. Therefore, they are used in the preparation of the most expensive and elegant bouquets.
Bouquets of callas are unchanged in the design of summits and important diplomatic negotiations. It is believed that they bring success in the conclusion of financial transactions.
A number of signs and superstitions are associated with this plant. Callas are considered the colors of death. There are several reasons for the establishment of such an interpretation in our minds. None of the versions can not be confirmed, not refuted.
- Appearance. The white veil resembles a shroud, and the flowers on the cob resemble a wax funeral candle.
- European traditions. Since the Middle Ages, calla bushes have been planted in cemeteries near the graves of the dead.
- Flowering period. The flower, as a rule, blossoms at night when otherworldly mystical forces are activated. Varieties growing in the open field, while still exude a delicate sweet fruity-floral aroma.
- National sign. Calla blooms to the dead man in the house.
- Poisonous plant. Its juice was used in the preparation of various potions, as an antidote in the treatment of venomous snake bites.
No less plausible look evidence that this flower carries a halo of divine essence. He is mentioned in the Divine Scripture - the Bible. A calla flower bloomed at the foot of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
With its perfect whiteness, beauty and perfection of lines, it symbolizes the purity and purity of the Virgin Mary. In iconography, it can be seen in the hands of angels who bring the good news.
In some regions of the country, the calla flower symbolizes innocence, from it make up the bride’s bouquet. In this case, they serve as a talisman, protect the owner from evil and envious glances.
