i goofed ... now what? ... help!

18 years ago

i posted this picture on the perennial forum; but now i realize this is maybe the forum i *should* have posted it on ...

o.k., here's the deal ... on march 1 i started (on a heat mat in a sunny window) my elephant ears (they are about 1/2" tall) ... so i figured, why not the calla lilies too ... some of them are now 7 1/2" tall!!!

i now realize i started them way too early, but i don't know what i can (if anything) do about it now ...they are also way too crowded, in a 4" pot there are 10 sprouts! in the other there are 5 sprouts ... could i separate them now without killing them?

last summer i planted (for the 1st time) them in the ground right in the original pots ... dug them up in the fall & overwintered them in the basement (still in their pots, soil & all) & when i brought them up i just watered them (without taking them out of their original pots)

NOW i *know* i should have kept them sleeping longer (chicagoland z5)& i am presuming i also should have split up the bulbs ... are they goners?

thanks, phyl

{{gwi:8968}}

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Comments (6)

Nell Jean
18 years ago
Wrap them carefully in bubble wrap and mail to me at... oh, wait, you want to know how to keep them.
Just repot the whole clumps in bigger pots.

Nell
phyl345
Original Author
18 years ago
allrighty then nell, what's your address? ..*snicker*

now i realize the northern chicago suburbs & the ga/fl zones are just a wee bit different ... however, do you know when i *should* have brought them up from the basement?? ... i want to do it right next yr...

thanks from phyl, who is off the do some repotting ...
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jules127
18 years ago
What kind of elephant ears?? They may make it in the ground pretty soon. I have 2 Upright el. ears in my kitchen!! I live in KY. You can probably plant those soon. Or repot them.
I don't know anything about Calla lilies. I have the bulbs. Now what?? Can you helpme with that? Thanks!!
rubyshoes_gw (z5a IL)
18 years ago
Hey Phyl, I'm in Chicagoland also! I found a dormant pot of "something" I had brought in to overwinter. Couple months ago I just set it on the plant stand under the lights and I got the sprouts that look just like your picture. I finally figured out it was the Calla lilly. The leaves are so long and floppy now that I just stuck it in a basket in my living room where it is acting as a "spiller!"

I'll be interested to read any other responses you get on this thread as I am wondering what's going to happen with my "mistake!"

Cindy
phyl345
Original Author
18 years ago
hey ruby, did you experience the thunderstorm that just passed thru? ... our backyard looks like a mini lake michigan!

i *fear* our calla lilies are not going to do well ... have you ever over-wintered them before this year? ... mine are already unfurling ... that can't be good ...

jules, if you're still around, obviously i wouldn't be able to give you advice since i don't know what the heck to do myself! (grin) ... plus, your kentucky conditions would be quite a bit different than mine, right?

phyl
rubyshoes_gw (z5a IL)
18 years ago
Hi Phyl, I heard a couple thunder rumbles and we had lots of rain. Almost overflowed my little pond. I'm in south suburbs. I've never tried to overwinter callas before. This was a grocery store potted plant I received as a gift. It was brought in at the last minute (while I was outside in the cold late at night digging stuff out of my garden to bring in, which BTW I said I was not going to do!). The plant got moved around several times while it was still "live" but then I just set it on one of the tables under lights when it was dormant and forgot what it was. The shoots came up in January and I couldn't figure out what it was. Now the leaves are over 2 feet long and just hang down, so its basket filler for now.

Cindy