When shooting skeet it is easy to determine the time to pull……..PULL…………..BANG…….but when it comes to plant rhizomes it is a different story. Last year the calla lilies were hit by a light frost and the time appeared right to pull them. It was their first year and they spent their winter vacation in a cool container of peat moss and vermiculite. zzzzz……zzzzzz…….zzzzz As the spring time temperatures called for plants the lilies sent forth new shoots……It’s time said I. Into the calla lily patch they went. Mind you I do live in the ‘woods’ and sunshine is a premium, so I selected a spot where several perennials spend their summer months basking in the dapple sunlight. Is it better to wait till the frost hits and the vegetation dies back or should I pull them now and cut the vegetation back? Living on a hillside the valley gets frost and we usually experience several nights of ‘almost frost’ before it finally creeps up the hill and says “Frosty is here!!”. While I realize I have to pull them eventually, do I gain anything from the rhizomes not experiencing a frost? Jerry
Based on how our weather is here where I live, I would most definitely lift the canna's now and get them into their protective place for the winter. Survival chances will be better than waiting until the freezing work of the frost begins to take its toll. When they die-back that way, the stem above the bulb can begin to rot and that can slip down into the bulb and ruin it. The key word is : can", but I am not one for taking chances with treasured plants. Good luck, mate.
Thank you Sjoerd. As the crisp fall air nips at the last vestiges of summer, I will dig the rhizomes out and put them in their winter home. The geranium gang round-up is next. Jerry
I bring my Calla's in and let them sit in a cool, dark place until spring. I let the leaves die back before I cut them off. Even with that, I didn't get a bloom this year. I did plant them late though.
