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Droopy Calla Lily

4 years ago

Hi! I bought a Calla Lily in February, it was a beautiful deep purple and looked great. a week after bringing it home it drooped to the level you see in the photos.

I have tried; more water, less water, repotting to a bigger pot, more light, less light and finally binding it with a stick and a ribbon so the whole plant is forced to stay upright. None of this has worked and I fear I’m just stressing it out more with all these experiments.

More recently it’s lost it’s purple colour and I’ve just noticed as I was taking the photos it’s developed a bug infestation since Sunday, on which I have begun a treatment of special plant bug spray from my father.

This plant is really not happy!! Please could someone set me on the correct course for my pretty plant?

TIA Emily x

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

4 years ago

Callas are not really houseplants. It wants to be outside :-) However, the brightly colored hybrids are not winter hardy in most areas and need to be grown as an annual or the tubers lifted and stored over winter.

How to grow callas.

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Comments (7)

Emily Bee
Original Author
4 years ago
Emily Bee
Original Author
4 years ago
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Hi Jim, If you are giving the plant sun/water and it does not show signs of another blight on its leaves... my thought is that it is showing signs of soft rot. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do for the plant. Due to the leaves still appearing healthy it may be early in the progression of the disease. You could try a fungicide to address the issue, but it may be easier to just start over with a new plant. -Brian
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Susan, Brent and Becky's and McClure & Zimmerman both have good prices on healthy tubers. Parks/Wayside has newer varieties that are very reasonable when they put them on 50-70% off clearance in May or June. Lowe's has them really cheap in spring, but those tiny tubers need ICU to grow, usually won't bloom the first year, and then they are almost always mislabeled as to variety, so I think that's a major bummer. Often Krogers has 6" Azalea pots crammed full of dwarf hybrids in flower that can be cheaper & more reliable than ordering dormant tubers if you like those kinds. Didn't have to wait for the Wednesday cold front here. My whole backyard jungle froze and turned to mush last night. Time to start piling leaves over everything. Keiko
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Calla lilies are technically an 'Aroid' so you would get a better answer in the ariod forum rather than asking us lily nerds here in the lily (lilium) forum. It is highlited in 'red' above. However, it sounds like your plant is going thru transplant shock (somewhat the normal thing). Also, I'd question whether the office fluorescent lighting is providing enough of the correct light wavelength and whether it's intense enough. Be careful not to over water at this time (just keep moist) and don't fertilize until it is actively growing again. But again, ask those people over there in the Aroids forum. Lots of Calla lily experts over there.
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Oh, and a post script- Callas grown from seed take sometimes 2, but usually 3 years to build a big enough tuber base to want to flower. Don't be surprised when you just get leaf mass the first year. I typically grow mins in an aquaponic coconut coir grow bed indoors for almost a year under my favorite blend of T5HO aquarium bulbs (standard florescent grow bulbs are garbage) on a 24 hour light cycle to maximize growth, then dug up the bulbs up a few months before planting time to let them be dormant for a bit. That way, they always bloom when I put them in the ground.
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Emily Bee
Original Author
4 years ago
It also has this peculiar little hole, could this be an issue? It’s had this since I got it.
Emily Bee
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you for responding so quickly! I’m in the UK - would this make any difference to it wanting to be indoor/outdoor? It’s marketed and sold as an indoor plant here. Although saying that, I tried to grow cyclamen indoor a few years ago and they all died on me, so marketing for plants is a load of nonsense I find!

Thank you for the advice and the link, I’ll check it out! :) x
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years ago
Not really :-) And depending on where in the UK you are located, it might also be possible to grow these long term outside. Certainly the tall whites (Zantedeschia aethiopica) should be able to be grown there year round.

IME, a great many flowering plants sold for indoor use are not intended for long term indoor use - mini roses, azaleas, hydrangeas, campanulas, callas, etc. are all sold more like long lasting cut flowers. If they cannot be transitioned to the outdoors (where they belong), then just toss after flowering is completed. Getting them to rebloom or even stay healthy under indoor conditions is best for those with glass conservatories :-) Or greenhouses.
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Judging by the number of leaves, there are way too many plants in that pot to keep alive long term. Look HERE.

tj

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