Dutch
Captain Calla
February Year 1 - Sowing
The seeds are sown in trays. When the first leaf unfolds in mid-April and the leaf size is approximately 1 cm2, the first selections are made. Based on the quality of the leaves we can determine the growth quality of the tuber. A Calla that undergoes a poor growth curve will never become a Captain Calla.
February Year 2 - Harvesting
After the seeds have matured in October/November into ‘small’ tubers, the trays in which they appear are stacked and stored under controlled conditions (+/- 11°C). In February, these tubers are then harvested and prepared for the new growing season.
February/June Year 2 - Planting and Selecting
The big elimination race has begun; the first selections are held in February/March where only the finest tubers from the seedlings are planted. From the end of May, these first seedlings start to blossom, they are then further rated by colour, size of the flower, production, etc. The seedlings are rated on more than 10 different items, but not all tubers are good enough to ultimately become a Captain Calla.
May/ June Year 2 - Cross- Fertilizing
This is the point at which new life is created. Like bees in nature, our breeders make new creations every day. As real artists, they mix the genes of the best Calla varieties to create even better, more beautiful and more unusual varieties. Each year we produce approximately 750 different Calla hybrids.
September/ October Year 2 - Seed Harvesting
These 750 different hybrids ultimately result in 150,000 seeds. Each seed has a unique DNA, but no one knows at this stage which seed will ultimately become a Captain Calla.
