Calla Lily Seed Germination

Seed-Starting Mix

• Start calla lily seeds in pots filled with a seed starting mix. Use a commercial seed-starting mix or make your own. Seeds require a sterile environment, support and good drainage to germinate successfully. To make a seed-starting mix at home, combine equal parts horticultural grade vermiculite or perlite, sterilized soil or compost, and peat moss. To sterilize soil, put it in a baking pan in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 F. Mix the materials in a bucket and dampen slightly until loose and crumbly.

Containers

• Use 3-inch pots to start calla lilies. Most plastic starter pots have holes in the bottom but check to be sure. Holes provide critical drainage. When seeds sit in wet or waterlogged soil, they tend to rot before germinating. Start calla lilies in a greenhouse or indoors where you can control the temperature. Consider using a heating pad designed for starting seeds to help keep the temperatures consistent and to provide bottom heat.

Planting the Seeds

• Place one seed in each pot. Cover the calla lily seeds with 1/8 inch of damp seed-starting mix. Planting the seeds too deep suffocates the seedlings before they can emerge. Keep calla lily seeds between 70 and 75 F for optimal germination. Dampen the soil when it feels dry. Mist gently with water to avoid disturbing the developing seeds or place the bottom half of the pots in a water bath. The seeds germinate in two to three weeks.

Early Growth

• Grow the calla lilies in the 3-inch pots until they develop the second set of true leaves. The first leaves to emerge are called the seed leaves. True leaves emerge after the seed leaves. Plant calla lily seedlings out in the garden in spring or summer. Calla lilies take two to three years to flower when planted from seed, according to England's Royal Horticultural Society.