Gerbera garden (it is also called the Transvaal chamomile) is an amazing flower that, in appearance and structure, really looks like a chamomile, but unlike it has various colors. Gerbera has won the love of many gardeners. The plant was discovered about a century ago by Reman (a botanist from Holland) in South Africa. To date, there are about 100 varieties of gerbera that can be grown on suburban area, and in the apartment.
Gerbera: general rules for growing
Gerberas can be grown from seed as spring arrives (but many gardeners plant the flower all year round, regardless weather conditions). For planting seeds, choose a good substrate (leafy soil, sand, perlite and peat mixed in equal amounts are ideal) and a container (boxes or pots). The soil is loosened, the seeds are laid out on the surface and sprinkled with earth. You can make shallow holes and plant seeds in them. By the way, seeds can also be planted in peat cups (this method is suitable for those who are going to transplant gerberas on open ground). The soil is moistened, and the seed container is covered with glass or film to create greenhouse conditions, not forgetting to ventilate from time to time. It is better to provide good drainage from sand, pebbles or clay shards for growing gerberas (so no water will accumulate on the surface of the soil). a large number of water).
Despite the fact that the gerbera is a heat-loving plant, its seedlings do not tolerate direct sunlight. It is better to provide the plant with diffused light. When growing seedlings in winter, it will be necessary to provide additional lighting with the help of special lamps (duration daylight hours for gerberas, a ten-hour day is optimal). Temperature regime in a room with gerberas, they are maintained within the room temperature (optimally 20 degrees). Seedlings at proper care they will germinate in 2 weeks, and when the first leaves appear, you can transplant the sprouts into open ground.
Gerberas: flower transplant technology
It is possible to transplant a plant into open ground only after the completion of frosts (end of spring), when the first leaves appear and when the roots have already grown and began to dry out. For comfortable growth, gerberas need sunny place and slightly acidic soil. But keep in mind, these flowers do not like frequent replanting, otherwise the plant may die. During transplantation, the plant should not be planted very deeply, otherwise the roots may rot, and the gerberas themselves may be affected by fungal diseases.
Transplanted gerberas need regular and abundant watering. After transplantation, the flowers will bloom in 10 months from the moment of sowing the seeds, and garden gerberas will delight you with their beautiful and bright flowering for 4 months. By the way, after artificial pollination, it will be possible to find boxes with seeds on the flowers, which are perfect for planting new plants.
Garden gerbera: planting and care
This is perennial will delight you with its flowering throughout the summer. In winter, gerberas need to be covered by digging up a flower along with the ground in the fall and stored indoors, the temperature of which does not fall below 7 degrees. During storage, the gerbera must be periodically watered and ventilated. Some gardeners do not dig up the plant, but cover it right on the site with a thick layer of straw or dry leaves.
Garden gerberas love sunny and sheltered areas. In general, the main criterion successful growth for flowers is precisely proper lighting. Optimal light can prevent stretching of the plant. The substrate should be warm and well-drained, and be sure to apply inorganic fertilizers before planting. Florists recommend that before diving gerberas, thoroughly disinfect the soil from fungal diseases. During the flowering period, the plant is provided with abundant watering, and during dormancy and winter storage it is minimized. Remember that just as waterlogging the soil harms gerberas, so does drying out. Water for irrigation is used room temperature, filtered or settled. Watering is carried out strictly under the root of the gerbera. If water gets on the leaves, it will drain into the leaf socket and provoke rotting and death of the flower. Top dressing during the growing season is carried out once every 14 days, using mineral fertilizers.
Gerbera garden - original plant, which will become a bright spot on your site. Since it is undemanding in care, anyone can grow a flower. The only difficulty in growing is finding quality seeds, which are quite problematic to find. The fact is that most gerberas are grown in special nurseries, providing artificial conditions, such a flower does not live long. If you are still lucky enough to find a good garden gerbera seed, wait for the seed boxes to appear and save them for the future.
Gerbera garden (lat. Gerbera) - perennial herbaceous plant family Compositae (Asteraceae). The plant is very popular in home and garden floriculture.
Bushes are compact, sheet plates neatly assembled in a basal rosette. The leaves are pinnately dissected with pointed tops, the length is about 35 cm, the surface is leathery, iridescent. In some leaves, the base of the leaflets and petioles may be strongly pubescent.
The flower-bearing stalk is extended by 30-60 cm, and large basket inflorescences bloom at the top. The flowers themselves look like daisies, reach a diameter of 12-16 cm, can be simple, semi-double or double.
The shy gerbera captivates with hypnotic beauty, and planting and caring for the plant is not difficult.
Originally from hot Africa and Madagascar, some species can be found in the tropics of Asia. By the way, other beautiful daisies were also brought from Africa - garden flowers similar to gerberas - .
When does the gerbera bloom?
Gerbera flowers bloom from early spring and end their beauty parade with the onset of severe autumn cold.
Cut gerbera: how to do it right
Gerbera flowers remain fresh for a long time after being cut. But they should be cut correctly, or rather, the flower-bearing stem is carefully twisted out of the nest. If you cut off or leave part of the peduncle on the bush, this threatens with complete decay of the plant left like that.
Growing garden gerbera from seeds for seedlings
When to plant
To get strong flowering bushes this season, you need to grow gerbera seedlings from the fall. Gerberas should be sown for seedlings in October-November, so that gerberas planted in open ground will bloom in July-August.
If you sow gerberas in January-March, you will not see flowering this season. Do not be upset: plant the finished seedlings in the garden, and in the fall transfer them to pots and keep them until next spring (more on this below).
How to plant
- We take seedling cassettes, fill them with loose nutrient soil mixture (there is special formulations for growing seedlings), we lay out the seeds one by one in a cell, helping ourselves with a toothpick, we deepen no more than 3 mm.
- Spray with a fine mist sprayer.
- The optimum air temperature for seed germination is at least 18°C to maintain required level humidity and temperature, cover the crops with glass or film on top.
- The germination process takes about 2 weeks, then grow without film cover.
- Maintain diffused bright lighting for at least 12 hours (be sure to arrange additional illumination with phytolamps), do not forget to ventilate, spray crops if necessary.
- We transfer the grown plants to more spacious pots.
- When real warmth sets in with nighttime temperatures above 12°C, transplant your gerbera outdoors.
Keep in mind that flowering will come in 10-11 months, so do not be surprised that flower stalks do not appear in the first year if you are late with sowing seedlings. Also, during seed propagation, varietal characteristics may be lost if cross-pollination has occurred.
Site selection and planting garden gerbera
Light and soil
For a heat-loving gerbera, be sure to select an open sunny area without drafts, flooding and stagnant moisture are contraindicated, with close occurrence ground water you need to make the bed elevated.
Regarding the soil: it should be loose and nutritious, good drainage is important.
Transplanting
We transplant into open ground when the soil warms up enough and real heat is established. Dig up the site, make planting holes according to the size of the root system and transfer the bushes along with the earthen clod, the root collar should be 1.5-2 cm above the soil surface. Keep a distance of about 20 cm between individual plants.
Gerbera is susceptible to fungal diseases, so it is advisable to treat the soil with special preparations before planting.
How to care for garden gerbera
Cute appearance and bright long flowering- not the only advantages of the plant, the gerbera grows and develops rapidly, it is notable for its unpretentiousness in care.
How to water
During the period of active growth, regular and plentiful watering is necessary, during the dormant period (when transplanting into a pot), water moderately. In watering, keep a balance, drying out of the soil negatively affects the condition of the plant, as well as waterlogging. Use water at room temperature, bring it in carefully, trying not to get on the leaves, the leaf socket should in no case be blocked.
Loosening and weeding
Pull out weeds, periodically loosen the soil.
To maintain growth and flowering, apply complex mineral fertilizers in liquid form every two weeks.
Gerbera garden in autumn
AT natural environment Gerbera grows in mild warm climates with long and hot summers. AT middle lane In Russia, it is grown seasonally, i.e. planted in open ground for the warm season, can be grown as an annual. In regions with warm winters (air temperature not lower than + 10 ° C), the plant is left to winter in the open ground, covered with straw or dry leaves.
Garden gerbera: how to save in winter
If you want to save the plant for the winter, dig up a bush in the fall and plant it in a spacious container (its size is commensurate with the dimensions of the plant). At the bottom, lay a drainage layer consisting of expanded clay, for example, ordinary small pebbles, clay shards will also be used. For winter maintenance, the following soil mixture is perfect: two parts of leafy soil and peat and one part of sand. When transplanting, place the root neck a few centimeters above the soil surface.
Winter gerbera care is as follows:
- Keep the gerbera container in a cool (7-8°C) and well-ventilated area.
- It is not necessary to feed, occasionally spray the surface of the soil, provide diffused lighting.
Diseases and pests
Unfortunately, the bright garden gerbera is quite often exposed to diseases and pests, but the root cause lies in improper care. The culture is affected by a fungal infection, leading to rotting of the root system. This is caused by prolonged waterlogging of the soil, perhaps the soil was already infected. Water moderately, lay drainage, and for prevention, treat the soil with an appropriate preparation before planting.
From high humidity powdery mildew occurs. Treat the plant with a fungicide, but keep in mind that if the solution gets on the leaves, ugly spots will remain.
If the humidity is high and the bushes are poorly ventilated - ideal conditions for development powdery mildew. It will require treatment with a preparation containing sulfur.
Dangerous pests of gerbera are spider mites, aphids, thrips. The plant will have a depressed appearance, the leaves will begin to turn yellow, whitish cobwebs can be found on their surface (traces of vital activity spider mite), various punctures and dark dots (these are the “tricks” of sap-sucking insects), aphids can be seen with the naked eye. First, treat the bushes with a soapy solution, in extreme cases, resort to treatment with an insecticidal preparation (anabazine sulfate, nicotine sulfate and others are effective against aphids).
How to propagate garden gerbera
Vegetative propagation of gerberas is the most common method, which involves dividing the bush. Wait until the bushes reach the age of 2-3 years, the division procedure should be carried out in April-May.
- We carefully divide the bush into several parts, each of which should contain a part of the rhizome with growth buds and 2-3 leaves, the roots should be cut to a length of 10 cm.
- We plant them in the holes at a distance of 25-30 cm and grow them all summer in open ground.
Of course, growing gerberas in the conditions of central Russia involves some troubles, but in return we get neat bushes that bloom all season. These large, multi-colored flowers, reminiscent of daisies, will decorate not only the garden, but also the windowsill.
Gerbera in landscape design
Compact gerbera bushes are used for framing garden paths, in curb landings, you can use plain color scheme or play with shades.
When grown in containers or garden pots gerbera becomes mobile (portable decoration): place on the balcony, veranda, in any corner of the garden.
Gerbera is so pretty she doesn't need neighbors. It goes well with, calendula,.
If desired, combine with ornamental leafy plants (for example, geyhera, geyherella, cereals and conifers.
Garden perennial gerberas: varieties with photos and names
The view was discovered by Carl Linnaeus, and varietal diversity added to the Dutch botanist-breeder Reman.
There are more than 100 varieties, which allows you to fill the garden the brightest colors according to your taste. The most popular red shades are Robin Hood, Ruby Amsterdam, Saskia and others. Yellow, white, cream, pink gerberas are in great demand, and purple ones are no less charming.
Large-flowered varieties with narrow petals:
- Migar - a pleasant pink shade of inflorescences;
- Vega - inflorescences of a sunny orange hue;
- Algol is a rich cherry shade of inflorescences.
Gerbera variety mix Gerbera ‘Sweet Collection’ photo
Large flowers of medium petal type:
Mars - flowers of a rich red hue;
Gerbera cultivar Gerbera ‘Sweet Dreams’ flower photo
Large flowers with wide petals:
Vera, Peter, Almak, Romeo, Saturn, Delios.
Gerbera garden variety Sweet Surprise photo
Small-flowered with narrow petals:
- Aldebaran - inflorescences of a rich pink hue;
- Alcor - inflorescences of a dense cherry shade.
Double and semi-double flowers with narrow petals:
Kalinka, Viola, Sonya; the same type, but with wide petals: variety Iskra - the shade of flowers is dark deep red.
Separately, I would like to note the Wright variety, which is the best suited for landscape design and bouquet compositions.
5541 03/08/2019 6 min.Gerbera is a perennial flowering herbaceous garden plant belonging to the genus Compositae. The gerbera family has several dozen varieties.Most of the species are localized in the territories of the African continent. Individual varieties can be found in the tropical regions of Asia.
Appearance and features of the flower
Outwardly, gerbera inflorescences are very similar to daisies. Their leaves have an elongated pinnately dissected shape, with pointed tips. The length of the leaf reaches 35 cm. Some types of flowers have heavily pubescent stems and leaf bases. Peduncles are also pubescent and reach a height of up to 60 cm. Inflorescences, like most asters, are collected in baskets, mostly single in diameter from 4 to 15 cm, in hybrid varieties, the diameter of the basket can be 30 cm.
The inflorescence itself is round, the marginal petals of the flower have a reed shape and a uniform color, closer to the center the petals are tubular and slightly smaller than the marginal ones. The core of the inflorescence has the shape of a convex brown button.
The main feature of gerberas is their color - it can be almost anything except blue. Gerber of blue color does not exist in nature.
Today, garden gerberas are grown almost everywhere - in greenhouses for arranging bouquets, on garden beds, in landscape design compositions. Sometimes you can find them as houseplants.
Main types and varieties
The modern botanical reference book has more than 80 species of garden gerbera. Among them, the following are the most popular:
- Wright's gerbera- grown for cutting and creating gift compositions of bouquets and can be used in landscape design. Its flowering lasts almost the entire spring-summer period, right up to the first cold weather, which attracts the attention of gardeners;
Gerber Wright
- green leaf gerbera;
Gerbera green leaf
- gerbera jamson This species can be classified as indoor varieties often referred to as the ancestor indoor gerberas, grown mainly in greenhouses and greenhouses for cutting;
Gerber Jameson
- abyssinian gerbera- under natural conditions, the species is found in Ethiopia and looks very similar to medicinal chamomile.
Gerbera abyssinian
Many varieties of gerberas are obtained by crossing the green gerbera and the Jameson gerbera. Today there are more than one thousand of them. These include terry plants, with various types coloring, with small, large, and sometimes giant inflorescences, with narrow petals. Among garden gerberas The following varieties are especially popular:
- small-flowered and narrow-leaved varieties, such as "Alcor", which has a rich dark cherry color of inflorescences, and "Aldebaran" with bright pink flowers;
- narrow-petal large-flowered varieties american type - "Vega" with orange and yellow flowers, "Migar" with pink inflorescences and "Algol" with cherry flowers;
- large-flowered mid-leaf varieties: "Mars" with bright red color of inflorescences;
- large-flowered varieties with wide petals- "Almak", "Delios", "Peter", "Romeo", "Vera", "Saturn";
- terry and semi-double varieties with narrow petals:"Kalinka", "Sonya" and Viola";
- terry, semi-double varieties with wide petals:"Spark" from a dark red hue with semi-double petals. But you can understand how the Azalea flower looks and how it reproduces by reading this
Breeding methods and features of growing gerberas
Gerberas can be propagated in several ways: from seeds, cuttings or seedlings. The simplest is the seedling method. It is important to remember that the flowering process of a plant directly depends on the planting period. Planting gerberas in open ground begins in March-April, after the end of the period of night frosts.
In greenhouse conditions, you can start growing seedlings in the fall.
Watering should be carried out only at the root, trying to avoid falling on the foliage.
Speaking about how to care for gerberas, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the region. It is possible to use this flower as a perennial plant only in those parts where summers are hot and winters are warm and mild. Then on winter time it is enough to cover the plant with a thick layer of straw, dry leaves or spruce branches.
Gerbera, or Transvaal daisy, as it is also called, is a flower of extraordinary beauty, widely used to create bouquets. Belongs to the Compositae family, grows up to 30 cm in height, and the flower diameter can reach 15 cm.
Gerbera strikes with a variety of varieties, which differ in the type of inflorescence, color, size and doubleness of the flower. Bright flowering garden gerbera lasts throughout the summer. However, it is not so easy to grow it on your own: it is quite demanding and capricious. Which variety is better to choose? What subtleties and nuances should be taken into account when planting and caring for a plant?
Consider in detail the planting and care of gerbera in the garden.
Types and varieties of gerberas for the garden
About 80 species of garden are known. The most popular of them are:
- Gerbera Jameson is the most common species. Resistant enough to street conditions. It has a short stem and a powerful root system. As a result of crossbreeding, many varieties have been bred.
- Gerbera Wright - suitable for cutting and creating bouquets. Blooms until cold.
- Green-leaved gerbera - the original form with narrow-leaved pink inflorescences.
- Abyssinian gerbera - outwardly similar to medicinal chamomile. The inflorescence is white with a yellow center.
Almost all modern varieties are obtained by crossing the Jameson gerbera and the green leaf gerbera. There are already more than 1000 of them, and they are united under the common name Gerbera hybrida. They can be small-flowered and large-flowered, simple, semi-double and double, with narrow, medium and wide petals. Some of the most popular varieties are:
- Wega - a large-flowered variety with narrow petals, a pink-yellow flower, its diameter is up to 13 cm;
- Aldebaran - small-flowered variety with narrow petals, has pink flowers;
- Hollywood - has large inflorescences with wide petals of pale pink color;
- Mars is a large-flowered variety with medium red petals. Flower diameter - up to 13 cm;
- Viola - has semi-double and double narrow-petal inflorescences with a diameter of up to 11 cm;
- Golden Serena is a large-flowered variety with orange-red flowers up to 12 cm in diameter.
Planting gerberas in the garden
Gerbera is very demanding on growing conditions, loves heat and moisture, does not tolerate cold and frost. In view of this, landing in open ground is carried out only after the threat of frost has passed and the earth warms up well. Experienced gardeners recommend planting gerberas together with heat-loving vegetable crops such as eggplant and tomatoes. Most often this is the end of May - the beginning of June. If you plant a plant later, it will not please flowering for long.
Gerbera prefers a well-lit, quiet place.. Therefore, it is better to land it near a fence, an earthen hill or a wall so that the cold wind does not blow it.
Also, the site should be well lit by the sun throughout the day. You can choose a shallow hollow for a flower, but on condition that water does not accumulate in it.
The soil for gerbera needs light and nutritious. Suitable mixed leaf turf, peat and sand in equal proportions with a small addition of crushed pine bark. Also suitable forest soil with great content rotting leaves.
A layer of drainage should be laid at the bottom of the hole. The soil must contain nitrogen and other minerals. For abundant flowering it must contain sufficient amounts of manganese, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.
Gerbera care in the garden
Gerbera is very demanding both on the watering itself and on the quality and temperature of the water. The latter should be soft and warm, otherwise the plant will get sick and rot. Watering - plentiful during the growth of leaves and buds. It should be carried out under the root, but not with a strong stream, so as not to wash off the soil and not expose the roots.
Water should not fall on the rosettes of the leaves, as this is fraught with their decay. During flowering, as well as after it, watering is significantly reduced. Gerbera does not tolerate both the drying of the earth and its waterlogging, so it is important to monitor the regularity of soil moisture.
Gerbera prefers well-lit places in the sun. In this case, the bushes will be powerful, compact, and flowering - plentiful and large.
The flower loves warmth very much, so if a severe cold snap occurs in summer, it should be covered. For this, a frame of arcs is prepared, and at night the plant is covered with covering material.
Air humidity with regular and sufficient watering for gerbera is not very important. However, in the shade and dampness, it is likely to rot. In rainy and cool summers, it is better to treat it with a fungicide.
This article is often read:
For lush and long flowering, gerbera needs regular top dressing. From frequent organic fertilizers the bush is stretched, and the flowers become smaller. Therefore, feed the plant with a diluted solution cow dung recommended 1-2 times per season. In this case, mineral fertilizers should be applied 1 time in 2 weeks. For this purpose, complex dressings for decorative flowering plants are suitable.
Propagation methods and seedlings of gerbera
Gerbera is propagated in 3 ways: cuttings, dividing the bush and seeds.
cuttings. It is necessary to form young shoots on an already existing adult bush. To do this, he digs root system washed, the rosette of leaves is cut off. Then the rhizome is planted in a greenhouse. After 10-14 days, new young shoots will appear from the axillary buds, which serve as the basis for the cuttings. When they get stronger, they are separated and planted in a flower bed. The advantage of this propagation method is the good survival rate of cuttings and minimal care for them.
The division of the bush. This is the main breeding method for gerberas.
To do this, a large mother bush is divided into several small shoots, each of which should have several leaves.
Young specimens are planted so that the rosette rises 1 cm above the ground. This will speed up rooting. This division should be done in early spring.
seeds. Considering that a gerbera grown from seeds blooms 9-10 months after germination, then in order to enjoy its flowering in early summer, sowing should be done in the fall.
For this, boxes or peat pots are used. The soil should consist of a mixture of leaf and sod land with the addition of sand and humus.
For disinfection, the soil is shed with a hot solution of potassium permanganate before sowing.
Seeds are sown to a depth of 0.2-0.3 cm. After that, the containers are covered with glass. Regular ventilation and, if necessary, watering is necessary. After 7-10 days, when the first shoots appear, the container is transferred to a well-lit place, but without direct sunlight.
May need additional illumination, since the recommended daylight hours should be 10-12 hours. If the seedlings have 3-4 leaves, a pick is made. In the spring, when the threat of frost has passed, the gerberas are planted in open ground.
Garden gerbera care in winter
Since the gerbera does not tolerate frost well, its year-round cultivation in open ground is possible only in the southern regions of Russia. At the same time, for the winter, she needs shelter with hay, straw or fallen leaves. In the spring, the covering material is removed when the weather outside becomes warm enough.
In conditions harsh winter gerberas should be dug up for the winter and transplanted into a pot together with an earthy clod. Until spring, it is kept in a cool, dry place.
A basement is ideal for this purpose. If it is not there, then you can put the pot in another dark place, for example, under the balcony door.
In winter, the gerbera should be watered several times, while slightly moistening the ground. Transplanting gerberas back into open ground is carried out in the spring, when warm weather sets in.
Also in the middle and northern latitudes, gerbera can be grown as an annual plant.
Knowing about the peculiarities of planting and caring for a garden gerbera, you can successfully grow this marvelous Transvaal chamomile and enjoy its lush bright flowering for a long time!
You can learn about caring for gerbera at home.
The material of this article will be devoted to the cultivation of garden gerbera. Gerbera is an perennial flower, which is grown both at home and in the garden. The color of the inflorescences can vary from white to purple. In this article, we will dwell in more detail on the main points of growing a garden gerbera.
Planting and caring for garden gerberas are simple operations. It is important to follow according to the specifics. You can follow the instructions below for this.
When to plant?
Most good time for planting a flower in open ground - after the threat of frost has passed. Short-term cold can kill the plant. Experienced gardeners recommend determining the time of planting with planting dates thermophilic plants, such as:
- Tomatoes;
- cucumbers;
- Eggplant.
Usually, these are the last 10 days of May and the first decade of June. When planting a plant at a later time, perhaps a short flowering.
Location selection
The choice of a place for planting a gerbera is one of the important criteria, since in the absence or lack of lighting, the plant does not bloom. Provide Gerbera required amount bright light:
In order for the flowering of the gerbera to be accompanied by large and bright inflorescences, the following criteria must be followed when choosing a landing site:
- Light areas of growth;
- Places closed from the wind;
It should be warned that in the open field gerbera grows only in the south of our country or in the middle lane with a mild climate. Otherwise, prepare a greenhouse for the plant.
How to plant. Step-by-step instruction
Flowers obtained from seeds may lose the signs of the original specimen.
Preparing seedlings:
- From January to March, you can sow seeds for seedlings;
- The soil is prepared by mixing turf and leaf soil with humus and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1;
- Place the seeds 2-3 mm deep in the ground and wait for germination for 2 weeks;
- After diving:
- When 2-3 true leaves appear, they are planted in boxes;
- When 4-5 leaves appear - in pots.
Transplanting seedlings in open ground is carried out taking into account these features:
- The time of night frosts has passed;
- Planting in a sunny place;
- Ensuring regular watering.
Gerberas bloom after 10 months from the date of sowing. Flowering time depends on the type of flower.
Care
Care benefits:
- love fresh air;
- draft resistant.
You need to know that this flower is demanding on:
- moderate humidity;
- bright illumination;
- average temperatures;
- fertilizers.
Watering should be done small, but often. During the period active development watering abundantly, after flowering - more than moderately, watching the moisture at the roots.
Perform watering, observing the following rules:
- moderate watering, avoid stagnant water;
- water should not be allowed to enter the rosette of leaves and at the roots, and on the leaf plate;
- use of warm water:
- in winter - 16-20 degrees Celsius;
- in summer - 26-27 degrees Celsius.
Grow best on soils with low acidity, cultivated. It is done for the prevention against fungi.
Once every 2 weeks from March to early autumn, the plants must be fed, preferably with mineral fertilizers.
It is contraindicated to use organic fertilizers as dressings:
- compositions with the presence of chlorine;
- different types of manure: cow, bird, horse.
The above fertilizers adversely affect the growth and development of the flower, can lead to root collar rot, which leads to the death of the plant.
The flower is susceptible to fungal diseases, therefore, if rot or dark spots form on the leaves, you should:
- remove diseased leaves;
- treat the plant with a fungicide.
With proper care, gerberas will bloom for 3-4 months.
How to propagate? Ways
There are 3 breeding methods:
- Reproduction by means of seeds;
- Division of an adult bush;
- Cuttings.
Reproduction by seeds
To use this method, you need to buy seeds in a store or collect them from personal plants.
After artificial pollination, gerbera fruits appear - boxes with seeds. By collecting them, it will be possible to grow new flowers in subsequent years.
Under the most favorable conditions, the seeds ripen within 3-4 months after pollination. Germination is maintained for 6-10 months.
It must be taken into account that gerberas do not inherit varietal properties, which means they can have significant differences from their original forms!
This method can be carried out from January to March, but most current time breeding is considered the beginning of spring.
It is possible to sow both dry seeds and organize a small pre-sowing treatment in advance:
- Soak a napkin with epin;
- Spread the seeds on top;
- Place a napkin with seeds in a bag or other plastic container;
- Leave the container warm for a day.
Needed for sowing loose soil, consisting of high-moor peat or its mixture with sand. You can prepare the substrate using the same components as when growing seedlings.
- Seeds are placed 0.2-0.3 cm deep in the ground;
- The boxes are protected with a transparent cap and placed in a warm room;
- After the appearance of the first shoots, after two weeks, the film is removed, and the boxes are placed on a windowsill with good lighting;
- The plants are then left under for 1 to 3 months. artificial lighting, adhering to the duration of daylight hours up to 12-14 hours.
- Dive twice:
- In the phase of 2-3 true leaves.
- And when the fourth or fifth leaf appears.
Plants from seeds bloom after 10-11 months.
When the sprouts get stronger and 4-5 leaves appear, they must be planted in a permanent place of growth.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
This method is ideal for valuable species of garden gerberas. At the end of the process, maternal signs are not lost. As a bush for dividing, it is better to use plants aged 3-4 years.
This method is common at home. The division takes place in the summer.
After buying a gerbera, you must act in accordance with the following provisions:
- For half a month, plants are given the opportunity to adapt to new conditions;
- After that, you need to take a large one and fill it with pebbles or expanded clay;
- Before transplanting, you need to cut the flowers;
- Carefully transfer the gerbera along with a clod of earth and enrich with the substrate;
- Do not place the rhizome deep into the substrate!
After transplanting the plant, you should:
- Water the flower only in the pan or along the edge of the pot;
- Moisten the leaves every half a month.
If you took your old plant as a source of propagation, then you must:
- Remove top old layer land, exposing upper part rhizomes;
- Make an incision on the rhizome;
- Sprinkle it with a small amount of charcoal;
- Place a new layer of earth in the pot and place in a bright place.
After 3-4 weeks, you need to carefully remove the plant, divide the overgrown roots into two parts and transplant into different large containers.
cuttings
Shanks need to be covered with glass (jar)
Spend at home with the onset of spring. For this use healthy plants, not exceeding 3 years of age:
- Prepare warm, moist soil;
- Cut gerbera cuttings are planted in prepared soil;
- Covered with glass.
During the week, new shoots grow, which are planted in pots, getting new plants.
This method is the most inefficient and is not used by experienced flower growers.
Diseases and pests
Gerbera diseases:
Plants can become sick if the following operations occur:
- Too much watering. Under these conditions lower leaves start to rot, the plant will get sick with viral diseases. Phylophthora and fusarium develop.
- Lack of moisture and dry air. In this case, it settles on the plant. To neutralize it, fungicides are used - special chemicals.
- Aphid. Periodically inspect the gerbera bush for aphids. If it is found, use insecticides, chemicals to treat the stems and leaves of the flower.
Note to the gardener: problems that may be encountered
Why isn't the gerbera blooming?
- Long daylight hours - more than half a day;
- Lack of green mass;
- Lack of cool wintering;
- excess nitrogen in the soil.
Why does the gerbera dry and fade? Why does it turn yellow?
- Due to lack of moisture;
- Due to excess moisture;
- Availability fungal disease fusarium;
- Soil poor in nutrients;
- Accumulation of dust on the leaves of a flower, preventing breathing;
Why do buds wither?
- The presence of stress in the plant;
- Lack of light.
Why do the leaves turn black?
There are many reasons for this symptom:
- Irrigation with very cold water;
- Abundant watering;
- Growing in conditions of high humidity;
- Cold;
- Overdrying of an earthen coma.
winter care
Withstand the winter in the ground under open sky Gerbera is capable only in regions with a mild climate. Under other circumstances, it must be transplanted into an ordinary flower pot for the winter. Alternatively, you can arrange the excavated plant to winter in the basement or any other cool place.
From mid-autumn to mid-spring (winter), when using auxiliary light and an average temperature of 22˚C, the gerbera continues to bloom. But you should not grow it without rest, because after 2 years, flowering will become sluggish.
In view of this, in December it follows:
- Place the gerbera in a bright room;
- Reduce temperature to 11˚C;
- Limit watering.
Under these circumstances, a dormant time comes, which will continue until the end of the winter period. Note that the winter period ends in mid-spring!
Conclusion: As you can see, there is nothing difficult in growing gerberas. You just need to follow the above tips.
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