Gerbera Jameson

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Gerbera jamesonii - a flowering houseplant; belongs to the Asteraceae or Astrov family. The homeland of this perennial herbaceous crop is South Africa.

Characteristics of the species

Long shaggy peduncles about 30 centimeters in length end at the top with a bright inflorescence. Jameson's gerbera flower is about 5-7 centimeters in diameter, shaped like a large chamomile with a simple or double texture. The representative of this culture has a very diverse color, the petals can be red, yellow, white, purple, orange. The only thing that remains unchanged is the bright yellow heart of the inflorescence. Lobed, pinnately incised, light green pubescent over the entire surface slightly tilted back leaves reach a length of about 15 centimeters, collected at the base in a rosette.

Gerbera Jameson blooms in early June and finishes blooming by the end of October. Most of this species can be grown indoors. But under such conditions, not every plant manages to reproduce naturally, since it is impossible to reproduce such a process as natural pollination of the inflorescence indoors. Light, humidity and temperature conditions also do not always promote reproduction. Therefore, in indoor floriculture, Jameson's gerbera is bred vegetatively. There are three actual breeding options at home: cuttings, dividing the bush, much less often by seeds.

Reproduction

Gerbera propagation by cuttings is the most common method. To do this, in the middle of spring, when the plant starts growing actively and acquires young foliage, the bush is separated along with the ground. Then the socket is cleaned from the ground and cuttings are cut. Slices on cuttings are sprinkled with crushed charcoal before planting. After all these manipulations, the material must be planted in a greenhouse, the upper sections must remain above the ground at a height of 5-7 centimeters.

Dividing the bush is the second breeding method for Jameson's gerbera. For this method, you need to choose a time when the plant is at rest, that is, when it has already faded, and it is not soon before the next flowering. It is necessary to prepare the soil in advance in the container for transplanting. In order to plant one bush, the plant must be at least 3 years old, it is necessary to remove it from the container, shake it off the ground, and separate the daughter processes with a sharp knife or simply break it (depending on the power of the root system). When breaking a plant, it is important that the roots are not damaged, they must be carefully untangled.

Seed propagation is the most irrelevant method among gardeners. Collecting seeds is a very painstaking and time-consuming process. Before planting, the soil must be prepared in advance, for this you need to mix 1: 1 peat with sand, spread the resulting mixture in small containers and water well. After the seed resting time has elapsed, they should be soaked for a short time in warm water, then laid out on the prepared soil and sprinkled with sand. Next, a plastic bag is put on the container with seeds or covered with glass, and placed in a warm place. The sprouts will sprout within two weeks. When the seedlings have 5 full leaves, the plants can be transplanted into a container.

Care

Gerbera Jameson belongs to the category of light-loving cultures; it needs intense diffused lighting. Direct sunlight is contraindicated for gerbera, in fact, as well as dim lighting. Watering the plant during the flowering period should be abundant, during rest with caution, but never allow the soil to dry out and waterlogging. This type of gerbera is very fond of high humidity, so it is advisable to spray it regularly.