How to Plant Calla Lilies in Pots

Calla lilies are perennials that grow on thick, green stems reaching heights of 3 feet. The mottled green leaves are wide and up to 1-1/2 feet long. The plant produces showy blossoms in a wide spectrum of colors. The flower measures more than 6 inches in diameter with a distinctive, elegant trumpet shape. Potting calla lilies is simple; placing them in bold colored pots and displaying them in direct sunlight provides elegant splashes of color in small spaces. Placing plant dollies under the larger pots makes them easily moved to stay in the sunlight.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Planter pot
• Soap
• Bleach
• Peat moss
• Perlite
• Rhizome
• Slow acting fertilizer

1. Wash the pots and tools in soap and hot water, rinse them in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water and air dry. This process will kill any pathogens.
2. Fill the pots to within 1 inch from the top with sterile soil or soil-less growing media, such as peat moss and perlite, available at the plant store. The growing media must be well-draining. Gently tamp down the soil in the pot.
3. Plant one rhizome per 1-gallon pot, two to each 2-gallon pot and three for each 3-gallon pot. Bury the rhizome at a depth of twice its width. Make certain the points on the rhizome are facing up and the rhizome is completely covered.
4. Water the plant thoroughly until water runs out of the drainage holes. Place the pots in the shade and wait about two weeks for roots to develop. Keep the soil mildly moist, but do not overwater.
5. Move the pot to a location where it receives direct sunlight for at least six hours daily.
6. Feed the plants when the pot fills with roots and growth on the top is well underway. Use a slow-acting houseplant fertilizer at half strength. Fertilize once every spring.

Tips & Warnings

• Bring calla lilies indoors in the early fall, withhold water for two to three months and repot again for the spring.

• Mulch potted callas lilies with up to 3 inches of marbles, moss or other organic material.

• The calla lily is poisonous. Keep the plant away from small children and pets.