Re: [aroid-l] Calla lily

Replying to Dan's original message is one of many things I've meant to do
lately and found I hadn't ...

I don't claim much knowledge, but I've germinated open-pollinated seeds of
some my zantedeschia hybrids several times. It seems to be pretty easy -
as Susan said, clean off the pulp, then sow, no rest period or
stratification required. I don't know that drying will kill them, but it
seems (in my few experiments) to retard and reduce germination, so I don't
let them dry out.

The biggest problem for me is that they want to germinate and grow
immediately, which - when sown in the fall - is winter, requiring
greenhouse space which I need for other things. (I grow all my
zantedeschieas except aethiopica outdoors year-round - they're fairly
hardy - but they've never self-sown for me.) I've found that even small
seedlings can be gently led into dormancy, popped into some damp sand, and
stored cool (35 F, 1-2 C) until spring (or even the following spring,
should you overlook a few).

Steve

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003, Cooper, Susan L. wrote:

> Hello Dan, I've never germinated my seeds (successfully).  I've been
> hoping someone more knowledgeable would have answered, but I'll give it
> a shot! The calla lily (Zantedeschia) seeds should not be dried.  Using
> gloves, remove the fruity part of the seed to expose the inner seed.
> The pulp can be irritating....  A person I know who germinated
> successfully put the seeds in a moist paper towel and put into a ziploc
> bag until the seeds germinated.
>
>  I hope this helps!  I don't know about the rest period- I don't think
> they need that. Susan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Daniel Jackson [r*@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 11:00 AM
> To: aroid-l@lists.ncsu.edu
> Subject: [aroid-l] Calla lily
>
> Can anyone tell me ,
>
> When are my calla liliy seeds ready to be planted, do they turn brown or
> what?
>
> Will hybrid seeds sprout at all?
>
> If they will sprout, how do I plant them, do they need one of those
> refirigeration rest periods?
>
> These are millinium gold seeds which the bees were kind enough to pollinate
> for me.


-- Steve Marak
-- samarak@gizmoworks.com
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