Gerbera

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 15:51

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Latin name: Gerbera Family: Asteraceae Category: Houseplants

Gerbera - a genus that includes more than seventy species of plants of the Asteraceae family. Gerberas are native to the tropics and subtropics of Africa.

general characteristics

Gerberas are perennial herbaceous plants. Gerbera flower stalk (leafless) grows up to 60 centimeters. The flowers have oblong leaves that reach thirty-five centimeters in two. They are collected in a root socket. Flower baskets are pleasing to the eye, they are quite large, they are simple, and in some varieties they are semi-double. Reach fifteen centimeters in diameter. Gerbera fruit is achene.

Indoors, mainly varieties of the species Gerbera Jamesonii (Gerbera jamesonii) are grown.

Care rules

Lighting … Gerbera is one of the light-loving plants. A little direct sunlight won't do any harm. The best place to grow gerberas is in the western and eastern windows. If the only way out is to place the flowerpot on a south-facing windowsill, take care to shade the plant in the summer - especially at noon. In the north, the plant may experience a lack of light. With the arrival of summer, it is recommended to provide the plant with fresh air, for which it will not hurt to take it out to the balcony, protecting it from direct sunlight. You should carefully accustom the gerbera to the new lighting conditions. Take precautions to avoid unwanted sunburn. You need to take care of the proper level of lighting in winter by installing additional illumination using fluorescent lamps.

Temperature … Gerbera loves not only light, but also high temperatures. In winter, the optimum temperature is 14-15 ° C (should not be allowed below 12 ° C). In spring and summer, the temperature should not fall below twenty degrees. More optimal conditions are 22-24 ° C. During gerbera blooming, it is extremely important to avoid significant temperature differences between day and night. Such drops have an extremely negative effect on the decorative effect of flowers.

Watering … During the growing season, gerberas need moderate watering. It is important to use warm water for irrigation, avoiding significant differences between soil and water temperatures. This can make the gerbera sick. Water should be done when the topsoil is dry. The water must be settled. It is extremely carefully necessary to water during the rest period. In this case, the soil should not be allowed to remain dry for a long time. It is necessary to water so that drops of water do not fall on the rosette of leaves. Because of this, rotting of the plant may begin. Excessive watering should be avoided, which can provoke the development of various diseases and the death of the plant.

Humidity … Gerbera is suitable for high humidity. Although spraying is not a suitable maintenance procedure. Spraying is recommended, but moisture should not get onto the plant. To increase the humidity of the air, you can place the plant on a pallet with pebbles or wet expanded clay.

Bloom … A distinctive feature of gerbera is that flowering is determined by the length of daylight hours. Gerbera flowers when the daylight hours are reduced, that is, from August to September.

Top dressing … Gerbera needs feeding, which is carried out with complex mineral fertilizers during the active growing season. Additional dressings are encouraged using, for example, magnesium sulfate. If the temperature is low, care should be taken to add phosphorus. With the onset of winter, feeding should be stopped.

Transfer … Gerberas are transplanted in the spring when the need arises. It is recommended to use soils with a light texture. In this case, it is necessary to be vigilant about the acidity of the soil. For a gerbera, it should be at a pH of 5-6. Any deviations are detrimental to your gerbera. You should also take care of the drainage at the bottom of the pot. It is important to keep the substrate away from the outlet.

Gerbera propagation carried out by seeds and dividing the bush. The division preserves the characteristics of the mother plant. Divide the gerbera in the spring, while the plant should not be less than three years old. In the course of this process, two or three points of growth are maintained on each division. New flowers should be expected next year.

Seed reproduction is accompanied by a significant range of traits. Seeds are sown in the spring, for which they take a nutritious and loose substrate. The use of the following mixture is encouraged: two parts of turf and one part of leaf and humus soil. It is also recommended to add a little sand to this mixture. The first pick falls on the phase of 2-3 true leaves, the second is carried out in separate pots in the phase of 5 true leaves. A month after the plants have been planted in individual containers, it is recommended to carry out the first feeding. For this, a complex mineral fertilizer is used.

Possible problems

Waterlogging is extremely dangerous for gerbera, so you need to water the plant carefully. This is especially true for the dormant period in cool conditions.

If the gerbera leaves are starting to fade, the problem may be too much light. You should know that the gerbera needs to be shaded from the direct sun, in particular, at noon. This should be done from spring to autumn.

High air humidity and insufficient ventilation lead to the development of fungus.

Deterioration in appearance, fadedness and elongation indicate that the gerbera suffers from a lack of light. It is also a characteristic feature of adaptation to room content.