Arbor,
Callas are not nearly as rot resistant as Colocasias and also grow well at much lower temperatures. I would skip the plastic bags and plant them in the pots that you would like them to flower in to avoid root disturbance in just a few weeks.

12 weeks is the maximum dormancy time you need for aethiopicas and all the others to flower well. It may do more harm than good to store small tubers a lot longer. I can easily store large tubers completely dry for 9 months here in the humid south.

When potting up, I water them in with water soluble fertilizer about 1/4 strength and then just keep moist, but not wet til they are up and growing, about 3 weeks at 68F. They will flower in about 10 weeks, but this is variable according to ambient temperatures.

Keiko

Keiko - I just bought some aethiopica tubers at HD for the fun of it, but haven't planted them out yet. They are hardy here in Oklahoma. Should I winter them over in the fridge, though? I am afraid it is too late to get much growth before cold temps set in.

Thanks,

Susan

Hi Susan,
I wouldn't put them in the fridge. While hardy in the ground here, they don't need or want any kind of cold treatment.Their natural habit is to grow during the rainy season in the Natal and then to go dormant for several months during the dry summer.

If you have room you could pot them up. They do well in a bright window during the winter. When blooming I move them to the dining table where they will hold for about 2 weeks without much natural light at all. When they finish blooming I let them go dry for about 3 months again. Mine are just never at their best growing outside at 100F during the summer.

Yesterday it was an amazing 87F here just down the road from you. It's hard to guess what this winter will be like:)

Keiko

OMG - I can't believe how warm it has been. Tomorrow it is going to be a chilly....brrr...60*. Whine. My plants can't figure out whether to go dormant or grow. I was checking my Blue Oat Grass the other day and it has new growth sprouting from the bottom, as though it were spring! Geez. I should have planted those darn EE's, but who knew it would be warm this long? Even 60 degrees is great in November in OKC.

BTW, I lived in Dallas for a couple of years, and my fav. gardening center was North Haven because the guy there was a member of the Begonia club and grew some very nice ones for purchase.

Susan

I second what Susan said about Northaven. The head of their greenhouse is the president of the local begonia society (well, somebody told me that). Their selection is wonderful and very reasonably priced. I LOVE that nursery. Never miss going there when I'm in Dallas.

Don is his name - I've forgotten his last name; he's won many a national show with his plants (not the ones he sells). But he propagates the begonias that he sells from there, so they are not shipped in.

They used to have a very nice, large herb collection, too, but I don't know if they still do. I have saved their list of butterfly nectar/host plants/bird food/habitat plants. It is 11 pages long! I thought they were a GREAT nursery.

Susan

Northaven is one of the best of the old Dallas institutions. When we built this house I had small children, the front yard looked like a cow pasture and we just let them do their thing. Somewhat conservative, it had a very natural and pleasing look. I've left it alone all these years and do all my crazy aroid stuff in the back :)

Keiko

Now I remember his name - Don Miller. Even has a begonia named after him. Well, so did I, but it's probably not in stock any more.

Keiko - are you actually in Dallas or Ft. Worth?

Susan