cala lily

[plant boy]

can anyone please help? i have a cala lily in a pot. i got it last year in flower already. this year it has grown considerably. the foliage is magnificent but not a single flower has shown. what am i doing wrong? it is kept well watered and is in partial shade. should i use a tomato fertiliser to encourage flowering? if so , at what time of year?

[Thunderbird+]

Hi plant boy,
The problem could be that you've placed it in partial shade, unlike the native arum that likes a shedy woodland, the calla lily comes from south africa and grows best in full sun in the UK.
It also likes moist humus rich soil.
Tomato feed should do fine, nothing too high in nitrogen.
Good Luck Tbird+

[plant boy]

thanks for the info tbird+. i'll move it today. fingers crossed

[nipperdipper]

I have Callas too and have one inflower and two more that are not........but be patient as they don't always flower till late August sometimes. It's true they need full sun and nitrogen / tomato feed once a week if possible, bur they are very robust and will survive year after year if you kep them very near a warm wall covered with straw or dried cuttings to protct from frost in the winter. Seperate after flowering and repot in repotting soil to multiply stocks too.
Anything else you ever need to know about gardening tips and problems can be found on the RHS online website, it's really useful!