Snow Storm Calla Lillies - issues

Hi all,

I got these snow storm calla lillies end of June. They were stunning and fully bloomed when I bought them at a gardening show. There was a thunderstorm and they got saturated at the start of July so I stopped watering them and let the soil dry out, but the soil never seemed to dry out completely.

The past few weeks, the lillies haven't been looking healthy; they've been drooping more and more and now some stems are going brown and dry. the soil is still damp so I still haven't watered out of fear of overwatering, but I checked the roots today. There are no signs of water suffocation, no root rot, the roots are white and strong, and there is plenty of room for root growth. I also checked the bulbs and they aren't damaged in any way from what I can see.

Does anyone have any advice? Am I underwatering? is the soil supposed to be damp or wet, or am I right to try to dry it out? Do I need to prune, and if so, how? I've attached a picture if it helps in any way.

this plant and my rose bush are the only ones I own that are having issues, all my other plants are thriving. I'm still new to plants, only started earlier this year, so any advice would be so much appreciated.

 

Hello ... and welcome.

I've never grown these, but just wanted to check that the pot has drainage holes. Hopefully someone with experience of calla lilies will be along shortly to offer more specific advice.

 

I was given one by a friend last year.
I'd never had one before.
From what I've read you should treat them rather like dahlias.
Mine flowered for several months last summer then started to die back in late autumn.
I put the pot in a frost-free shed overwinter. The compost in the pot was very dry.
Around March I noticed a tiny green shoot, so I watered it and put it somewhere with decent light and a little warmth.
I repotted it in March and it is growing very well, but no flowers yet.
It's in my greenhouse so I give it some tomato feed when I'm feeding my toms.

I suspect yours has been partially drowned.
Does the pot and compost have very good drainage? They really don't like being in wet compost for any length of time.
I'd let it dry out a bit then keep it just slightly damp and see how it goes.
All the existing growth will probably die back and when it has, cut it off and cross your fingers that you'll see some new shoots coming from the compost.
If not, then overwinter as I did with mine and see if it re-shoots in the Spring

 

Mine grow in the borders in ordinary clayish soil. They sit in a bog most winters and bake in hot sun every summer. They wilt and start to go over once they've flowered in June or July, but bounce back again the following year. Dead-head them, let the foliage die down and put them somewhere out of sight but not out of mind

 

They were in a pot with drainage holes before, but I had to size up and the only one at the time doesn't have drainage holes. I might have to repot if you think that's the best option?

 

So you don't think they're a lost cause? This is my first time with them and I just wanted them because they're so beautiful, I'll try dead heading and maybe repot them back into a pot with drainage holes to help. I have them on my balcony and check every single day (love the look of plants)

 

Definitely drainage holes are a must for any plant living in a pot.

 

ViewAhead's right...no maybe about repotting in a pot with drainage holes! ASAP...

 

Yeah, they got drowned a couple months ago when there were thunderstorms (I was at work so couldn't stop it happening). I haven't watered them since and the soils just been drying out overtime, I tried moving them to a larger pot with dry soil to soak up the excess water but this pot has no drainage so I guess it didn't work. I need to research how to prune them back properly for successful regrowth. The roots are fine, and the bulbs look good, so at least there's hope!

 

There's no pruning involved.
Once they have flowered the top growth dies back and it sleeps until Spring.
When all the growth has shrivelled up it should just pull away easily leaving you with nothing.
But it will reappear in the Spring from the bulb/corm that's just under the surface. Then you can start watering it again.

 

I hope that's right. I just repotted into a smaller pot with drainage holes and into some fresh dry soil, I took off a few of the brown and shrivelled bits that are definitely dead so it won't waste energy on them and I'll just keep my fingers crossed until spring

 

Have a look at this article that explains all you need to now about growing them in pots or in the ground.
They're not frost hardy, so will need to be kept frost-free overwinter.

Here's How to Grow Calla Lilies Indoors or in Your Garden.