In this article, I’ll provide you with a detailed guide on burgundy calla lily care for optimal growth and radiance.
Calla Lily is one of the most beautiful ornamental plants out there. Interestingly, Callas are not actual lilies, they still grow beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in a wide range of colors, including dark burgundy!
This plant, scientifically known as Zantedeschia, belongs to the Araceae family and is native to Africa, particularly from the South. If you want to know more about this beautiful plant and how to care for it, keep on reading this guide!
How Many Color Varieties of Calla Lily?
The most popular color for calla lilies is white, known as “crystal blush” or “crystal clear”. However, this plant also comes in a wide range of colors, including:
- Deep burgundy, known as “Night Cap”
- Dark blue, known as “Night Life”
- Bright yellow, known as “Acapulco Gold”
- Golden yellow with red tips, known as “Fire Dancer”
- Reddish pink, known as “California Red”
- White with touches of pink, known as “Pink Melody”
- Off-white, known as “California Ice Dancer”
Although different colors belong to distinct varieties of the plant, they still share the vast majority of the plant’s characteristics, such as care requirements and propagation methods.
How Big Can a Burgundy Calla Lily Be?
The burgundy variety of the plant is one of the most impressive, thanks to its deep wine red colors and dark leaves. The flowers have an outer waxy appearance and are surrounded by arrow-shaped leaves.
Thanks to these dark shades, these calla lilies appear slimmer than others, although they’re about the same size.
Ideally, you should expect the burgundy calla lily to reach as high as 15 to 20 inches (about 38.1 to 50 cm) and around 10 to 20 inches wide (20 to 50 cm), provided that it comes from a healthy specimen and gets all its care requirements fulfilled.
When Does a Burgundy Calla Lily Bloom?
The exact time of blooming of calla lily will vary from one variant to the other. For example, some species of calla lily, such as the white and white-pink ones, will bloom in late winter or late spring.
However, the burgundy calla lily belongs to the species “Zantedeschia rehmannii”, which blooms in summer like the majority of calla lilies.
Are Burgundy Calla Lilies Easy to Care for?
Calla lilies, in general, are pretty easy to care for, as they’re considered a low-maintenance plant that doesn’t need consistent attention.
Additionally, the plant grows relatively slow, so you won’t need to worry about pruning the plant continuously.
Luckily, burgundy calla lilies are no exception to this rule, as they’re also very easy to grow and care for once you pick a healthy plant and are provided with all the necessary care requirements, which we’re going to tackle in the next sections!
What Are the Care Requirements for Burgundy Calla Lilies?
Now that you know more about calla lilies in general and the burgundy variety in specific, it’s time to find out more about the essential care requirements of the plant to keep it healthy and well-nourished:
1. Soil
Choosing the right type of soil is one of the most important factors of caring for your calla lilies. This is because proper soil will allow the plant to take all the necessary nutrients as well as prevent some common calla lily problems, such as root rot and fungal infections.
Calla lilies’ natural habitat is around swamps. That’s why you need relatively moist soil that also has excellent draining.
The soil also needs to be nutritionally rich and contains essential elements like nitrogen, iron, magnesium, and zinc. That’s why a potting mix with some perlite and calla lily fertilizers should be an excellent combination for the plant.
Additionally, the soil needs to be relatively acidic to allow the plant to absorb nutrients, so you might want to use a soil pH tester to keep its level between 5.5 and 6.0.
To achieve this acidity, you can add 1 tablespoon of vinegar for every gallon of pure H2O while watering the plant.
2. Watering
If you’ve recently planted a calla lily, you should allow the plant to establish the rhizome by giving it very little water once a week.
Once the plant starts growing, you should water the soil so that the topmost 1 inch of the soil is moist or a little more if you live in a relatively warm area.
3. Light
Since the plant is originally from Africa, calla lilies are well adapted to exposure to direct sunlight.
However, it’s usually better to allow the plant partial shade, especially if you live in an area where the UV index is pretty high in summers.
4. Temperature
Calla lilies are classified at a hardiness zone of 8 to 10 and typically thrive in warm climates, so you should worry if temperatures in your area reach up to 70 or 80 degrees F.
On the other hand, burgundy lilies can’t tolerate cold temperatures, as they will immediately enter a state of dormancy when temperatures drop below 50 degrees F.
Freezing cold may irreversibly kill the plant, so you might want to dig the plant up and repot it indoors to protect the plant through the winter.
The ideal temperature range for the plant is somewhere in between, which is around 65 to 75 degrees F. (18 to 24 degrees C)
5. Humidity
There’s no special requirement when it comes to humidity. However, if you want your burgundy calla lily to bloom in the summer, the humidity in your area should be between 65% to 75%.
6. Pruning
Calla lilies don’t require much pruning, so you don’t have to worry about the plant overgrowing. Yet, it’s always a good practice to remove unhealthy or wilted parts, such as flowers and leaves.
This allows the plant to redistribute its nutrients among its healthier parts and grow new leaves and flowers in place of the removed ones.
What Are the Most Common Pests to Watch for with Calla Lilies?
A major part of the calla lily care is to keep an eye out for any pests or infections that might affect your plant.
The plant is prone to various bacterial, viral, and fungal infections, but luckily, there are plenty of cures to control and prevent these diseases. Here’s a quick look at some of the most common pests of burgundy calla lily:
Fungal Infections
These kinds of fungus will cause rotting of the plant. The most common one is root rot and it happens due to overwatering or poorly draining soils. In that case, the leaves are usually plump and mushy with yellowing around their edges.
Viral Infections
These viruses, such as dasheen mosaic and spotted wilt are usually carried by various insect vectors, such as aphids and thrips respectively.
These infections cause morphological changes of the leaves, such as developing mosaic patterns on the leaves or white spots all over the flowers and leaves.
Can You Prevent Them?
Good care practices can help you avert many problems that can help fungal infections thrive, such as using well-drained soil and avoiding overwatering. Additionally, you can spray neem oil on the plant to keep various parasites and insects at bay.
Chemical solutions include using copper fungicides, which are used exactly as directed on the label (usually diluted in water and sprayed over the plant every 7 to 10 days.
The Bottom Line on Burgundy Calla Lily Care
This wraps it up for today’s guide that shows you how to care for burgundy calla lilies. As you can see, this plant doesn’t only add a touch of elegance to your indoor or outdoor garden, but it’s also pretty easy to grow.
In the end, always make sure that you start with a decent variety of the plant and pick the best specimens possible for optimal growth and health!