How do you propogate calla lily seed?

Answer 1

First, just keep an eye on the flowers. If your calla is happy, then in my

experience about half the flowers will self-pollinate and begin to develop.

Cross pollination is I'm sure possible, but I don't know the natural vector

for that. Look down into the flower, and you'll see little kernels forming

along the stamen. Wait a couple weeks, and if the flower seems to be fading,

and these little kernels have failed to further develop, go ahead and cut off

the flower.If they are developing, and you'll be able to tell, as they grow

larger and plumper, and the whole stamen will begin to resemble a small cone,

or pineapple shape. Just be patient, it can take up to several months for the

cone to mature. Eventually, the cone can get as long two to five inches, and

as thick around as an ear of corn. You'll notice as the cone matures, it's

increasing weight will naturally bend the stem until the cone is resting on

the ground. Keep an eye on it, and you'll see the kernels begin to turn

yellow and become mushy to the touch. It appears it's beginning to "rot" but

this is all part of the natural process.At this point, the cone is mature,

and each one of those "kernels" contains at least one or two seeds, and up to

four or five seeds, each resembling a miniature tuber, about 2 mm in size.

Harvesting the seeds is a bit messy, but take the cone, place it on a plate,

and gently squish out the individual seeds. The whole cone can easily net you

50 seeds or more. If you want to post-pone seed harvesting, just place the

cone someplace warm & dry, and eventually you'll have an ugly, desiccated

dark brown cone with roughly the firmness of a dried piece of apricot. The

seeds never really dry out completely, they're protected within the flesh of

each kernel.
When you're ready, plant the seeds no more than say, 1/4", or 1 cm deep, and

if you can, space them about 1/2" apart. Don't worry if can't separate all

these sticky seeds. Just spread a bunch of them in the pot, cover with dirt,

and keep them warm, sunny & moist. The resultant seedlings are pretty tough,

and can be separated later after they've grown two or three leaves.
Germination time can vary quite a bit. I've had some pots of seeds come up

within four or five days, and other pots seemed to take a month or more. But

these seeds are quite viable, and they will come up eventually. Treat the

seedlings mostly the way you would adults. Just keep the warm, moist, not

soggy, and lots of sun, avoiding the hottest midday sun if possible. Repot as

needed for size & space.
If you're growing the colorful cultivated types of callas, they shouldn't

need a dormancy period their first year, or until the tubers have grown to

about 1 to 1 & 1/2 cms in size, at which point you can treat them as adults.
Under optimum growing conditions, you might get a bloom in their second year,

otherwise, expect something in their third year.

Answer 2

Callas can indeed be grown from seed, and if you're not careful, you could end up with hundreds of these little darlings.

First, just keep an eye on the flowers. If your calla is happy, then in my experience about half the flowers will self-pollinate and begin to develop. Cross pollination is I'm sure possible, but I don't know the natural vector for that. Look down into the flower, and you'll see little kernels forming along the stamen. Wait a couple weeks, and if the flower seems to be fading, and these little kernels have failed to further develop, go ahead and cut off the flower.

If they are developing, and you'll be able to tell, as they grow larger and plumper, and the whole stamen will begin to resemble a small cone, or pineapple shape. Just be patient, it can take up to several months for the cone to mature. Eventually, the cone can get as long two to five inches, and as thick around as an ear of corn. You'll notice as the cone matures, it's increasing weight will naturally bend the stem until the cone is resting on the ground. Keep an eye on it, and you'll see the kernels begin to turn yellow and become mushy to the touch. It appears it's beginning to "rot" but this is all part of the natural process.

At this point, the cone is mature, and each one of those "kernels" contains at least one or two seeds, and up to four or five seeds, each resembling a miniature tuber, about 2 mm in size. Harvesting the seeds is a bit messy, but take the cone, place it on a plate, and gently squish out the individual seeds. The whole cone can easily net you 50 seeds or more. If you want to post-pone seed harvesting, just place the cone someplace warm & dry, and eventually you'll have an ugly, desiccated dark brown cone with roughly the firmness of a dried piece of apricot. The seeds never really dry out completely, they're protected within the flesh of each kernel.

When you're ready, plant the seeds no more than say, 1/4", or 1 cm deep, and if you can, space them about 1/2" apart. Don't worry if can't separate all these sticky seeds. Just spread a bunch of them in the pot, cover with dirt, and keep them warm, sunny & moist. The resultant seedlings are pretty tough, and can be separated later after they've grown two or three leaves.

Germination time can vary quite a bit. I've had some pots of seeds come up within four or five days, and other pots seemed to take a month or more. But these seeds are quite viable, and they will come up eventually. Treat the seedlings mostly the way you would adults. Just keep the warm, moist, not soggy, and lots of sun, avoiding the hottest midday sun if possible. Repot as needed for size & space.

If you're growing the colorful cultivated types of callas, they shouldn't need a dormancy period their first year, or until the tubers have grown to about 1 to 1 & 1/2 cms in size, at which point you can treat them as adults.

Under optimum growing conditions, you might get a bloom in their second year, otherwise, expect something in their third year.

Hope this helps

Answer 3

That is a hard one to call. I am going to pout my suggestions here and allow you to read through them and see if something stands out which you might not be doing. That could hold the key as I cannot sit here and say it is definitely this or that, but fertilizer and water come to the forefront in my mind. read on:

Plant in a 6" or larger container filled with potting soil. Sink the only rhizomes 1-2" deep in the soil. Otherwise, flowering will not happen. Then, moisten the planted container until water runs from the bottom. Set the pot in a saucer and allow the excess water to collect and be available for plant use. Part of the secret to calla care is to keep the growing plants moist.

Grow the plants with morning sun and afternoon shade or a full day of filtered sun. Water when the surface of the soil just begins to dry. Feed lightly with a 20-20-20 or similar fertilizer solution every other week. Protect from winds that could damage the foliage and blooms. Control chewing insects as needed with natural treatments.

Most calla lilies bloom in 8 to 10 weeks from the planted rhizomes. Some may need two years of culture to produce their first flowers. The blooms and foliage usually decline by early summer. Keep the rhizomes in their containers and on the dry side until ready to grow again during the fall and winter months. But, in Canada, you need to dry the pots, remove the rhizomes, shake off excess soil, cut off the dead brown tops and lay in a single line in a box in a cool, dark, dry place all winter, as a partially heated basement.

In the spring, the green buds will start to show. Plant them again outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. I plant mine directly in a garden bed and get blooms in the fairly early summer and then not much from thereafter until the next year. there are newer hybrids on the market which are more everblooming, so check garden catalogs for a variety well-suited for Canada. After a few years, callas no longer are very viable and it is best to replace them, or buy new ones each year.

Answer 4

after your flowers have died off wait for a while and the outer crust of the flower was will produce seeds . they are fairly hard but if you pick them and take the edge off with a file or sandpaper and plant them in a seed tray you will find that they will strike and you can repeat the procedure on and on
the seeds are pretty hardy and will last just stored out of damp conditions . good luck .

Answer 5

after the plant has produced its seeds , take a nail record or emery paper , to disclose area of the husk ( they are tremendously not undemanding ) after which plant in potting mixture in a seed container or pot with the uncovered area you filed off , to the right ; provide it a drink of water and in approximately 4-6 weeks it could have sprouted . sturdy success p.s water in simple terms minimally as quickly as each week .

Answer 6

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