Growing Calla Lilies Indoors – How to Take Care of Calla Lilies in Your Home

Growing Calla Lilies Indoors – How many people are aware that they can cultivate calla lilies in their homes? Despite the fact that they have lovely leaves, the most of us will be planting them for their blooms. If you are fortunate enough to reside in USDA zone 10 or higher, you will have no trouble growing them in the open air.

Otherwise, the rest of us will have to cultivate calla lilies indoors, though they may be planted outside during the warmer months. The following are some essentials to know about growing calla lilies indoors in order to have success with these plants.

As a houseplant, calla lilies are beautiful.

First and foremost, calla lilies are marginal aquatic plants that like to grow on the margins of streams and ponds, where they may be seen growing in large numbers. This is a fantastic perk for individuals who like to over-water their lawns and gardens.

Maintain constant moisture levels in your indoor calla lilies and don’t allow them to dry out. It’s even okay to keep a little water in the saucer that it’s sitting in, as long as it doesn’t remain in standing water for an extended period of time.

Regular fertilization with a low-nitrogen fertilizer will be necessary during the growth season to ensure that your plants blossom properly.

PRO Tips for Growing Calla Lilies Indoors

When growing calla lilies in the house, they enjoy moderate brightness, but avoid direct sunlight during the noon sun, which can burn the leaves. This plant will thrive in an eastern window that receives morning sun or a western window that receives afternoon sun.

Calla lilies grown indoors require temperatures ranging between 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) for optimal growth. Make sure not to keep a growing plant any cooler than 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius), unless your plant is ready to go dormant.

It would be beneficial for your calla lily to spend the warm months of the year in the garden. When transferring plants from the inside to the outdoors, make sure to harden off the plants to prevent the leaves from burning. Allow your plants to stay in full shadow for at least a week until the weather is warm enough to bring them outside and gradually add more sunlight to their environment.

If you reside in a region with a lot of sun, it is advised that you use partial shade. Alternatively, you may safely use half-day or even full-day sunlight in other locations, so long as you remember to keep up with the moisture requirements of this plant.

Indoor Calla Lilies are in dormancy throughout the winter months.

Allowing your plant to become dormant in the late fall should be done near the conclusion of the growth season to conserve energy. Turn off the water and let the leaves totally die down before bringing your calla lilies indoors to a temperature that is above freezing but not more than 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).

If at all feasible, the environment should be dark and with low humidity levels. Keep them inactive for two to three months to allow them to recover. During that period, you may want to give the rhizomes a mild watering once or twice to keep them from shriveling.

Depending on how long your calla lily rhizomes have been dormant, you may wish to re-pot them into fresh soil and into a larger container if necessary. Replacing your pot in its original growth position will let you witness the cycle begin all over again.

Additional Tips

Here are some more tips of growing calla lilies indoor that will help it thrive and produce beautiful flowers:

When it’s time to re-pot your plant, simply dig it out of the soil, rhizome and all. Re-pot the rhizome in the new container. It shoots up. Make sure it’s at least 3 inches deep in the soil. Fill it with soil and water once. Before you water your plant again, make sure you see new growth.

It is not difficult to propagate your Calla Lily. If you fertilize the plant, it will produce small black berries. Simply dry them out and plant them 3 inches deep in potting soil. These berries will sprout new bulbs. Another method of propagation is to cut the rhizome and remove a section of it. Allow it to dry for a few days before planting it in the soil. Just make sure the non-smooth side is facing up. Alternatively, after the plant has died in the fall, simply dry the entire bulb. Plant the bulb about 3 inches deep in the soil the following growing season. It should bloom in about three months.

There aren’t many pests that attack Calla Lily. It is occasionally attacked by small insects. If this occurs, treat your plant with a plant-safe spray or insecticide soap.

Certain diseases can affect Calla Lily plants. Rhizome rot, gray mold, and bacterial soft rot are the most common.

Allow your Calla Lily to die back for several months each year. This will benefit your plant by allowing the flowers to rest. The bloom will be richer and stronger the following growing season when the flowers reappear.