I am in zone 5 and I dig my calla lilies anytime from September to November. I think you could let the frost kill the tops if you want. Let the bulbs dry and the stalk will pull off. I store them in anything dry. I have used peat moss or dry composted manure. I store them at 40-50 degrees until about April when they may begin to sprout. The bulbs should get bigger each year with little bulbs forming around the edge of the bulb. They can be planted separately but will take a few years to be big enough to bloom.
I set them out sometime in late April.
Good luck.

I am in 5 too and agree- bring them in to the basement- I've tried bare bulb and in peat moss and either way is fine for storage. Not sure why they didn't bloom unless they were smaller than a inch across? Walmart sells them tiny- an inch across- and even they bloom.

Some of mine are the size of a flatish potato and probably 1-2 pounds including offsets. I decided to plant some in very shallow box like planters- they looked so cool.Also threw smaller ones in the dirt to grow( no bloom).

What were the planting conditions- what plants nearby did well? How deep did you put them? How big were the bulbs?
Karen

Thank you for the info! I ordered the bulbs from a catalog and they were pretty small. The soil is not great and probably more clay-like where they are. It took them a while to sprout and the leaves were always spindly and not too dark. Maybe they need acid? Maybe they just need to get bigger. I was told the catalog company is a very good one. Actually they replaced a bulb that was molded. Other plants right by them that did well were my Agastache's. I'm not liking this early cold weather!

Can you keep them in a pot indoors - as a house plant? I have two calla lily plants and I didn't plant them in the ground for fear that I would forget to or never get around to digging them out, but I don't think I'm doing something right because they aren't thriving in the pots. One completely died off and the other is struggling, and neither never bloomed (almost did). I love these flowers, but I think they are hard or something. Should I take them out the dirt and store them for next year?

I'm in zone 7--Oklahoma City, and I recently bought 3 tubers of Zantedeschia aethiopica. They are still in the bag, because I can't decide whether to plant them here or not. They are supposed to be hardy in Oklahoma. There is a lady in 6b who grows them year round in the ground.

However, since it is getting pretty late, I didn't know if I should go ahead and plant them or not. They are pretty good sized tuber, based on what Karen said. They look more like a small sweet potatoe shape to me, though. About 4" long and 3" around.

If I plant them, how deep? Don't they like pretty moist soil during their growing season, but drier during dormancy?

I am reluctant to leave them in that plastic bag, despite the "breathing holds" in it. Do you think, if overwinter them inside, that I should at least store them in dry peat?

Susan

Susan,
I know they can be left in the ground here in Oklahoma over the winter - I grow some pink, white, reddish, and yellow ones. They came back this year with no problems. They are planted in a S facing bed with mulch and cannas.
I can't attest to storing them, this is my first year doing that (since I am digging this bed to redo it).