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Gerberas are favorite plants of flower growers, and there are many confirmations to this. They bloom for a long time with fantastically pure and bright colors. In the palette of shades there are only blue tones (although it is easy to find them on the market). Beautiful large flowers with centers of contrasting color rest on strong long bright green stems. Blooming flowers are exceptionally hardy and can stand in water for up to three weeks. All this makes the gerbera one of the best in the crop culture after roses, carnations, tulips and chrysanthemums. A lot of amateur and artistic gerbera photos confirm this fact.
But in recent years, this bright beauty is becoming popular as a houseplant.
Description of the plant
Gerbera refers to the genus of perennial grasses from the family of the Astrope. Most species come from Africa and tropical Asia. Its flowers are similar to a large chamomile and in the English-language literature they are called "transvaal chamomile". Elongated leaves are collected in a basal rosette. Peduncles tall, strong, leaves do not have.Flowers are an inflorescence basket. Their sizes reach some 30 cm in some varieties. Blossom gorgeous giants 3-4 months. Seeds retain their germination capacity for a very short time - about 6 months, so when buying seeds it is necessary to monitor both the shelf life and the collection period.
How to grow a gerbera on a flower bed
Growing gerbera in the garden and caring for it is simple and fascinating, but requires the observance of the conditions necessary for a long and lush flowering.
In the south of Russia the gerbera blossoms from spring to autumn and without hibernation hibernates without shelter. In the middle band, bloom will be more modest, and for the winter the gerbera will have to be excavated and stored with a clod of earth in a cool dry place.
In areas with a mild warm winter, gerberas are covered with leafy opada and covering material, avoiding excavation.
Planting gerbera
Planting of garden gerbera and the subsequent care of it begin at the end of winter. Grow the plant in a seedling way. Seeds are planted in seedlings from January to March in a mixture of garden land with sand and compost. Seeds are very shallow, only slightly sprinkled with earth. Seedlings, as a rule, are unfriendly and appear after 10-12 days.
When sowing seeds for seedlings, their low germination should be taken into account and the seeding rate should be increased.
After the appearance of several real leaves, sprouts are placed in boxes or immediately in separate pots. For seedlings, choose the lightest window sills. Care for seedlings is a regular moderate watering.Water during irrigation should not fall into the root outlet, as the plant easily rot. Unnecessary abundant watering threatens the appearance on the surface of the thrips. In this case, the norm of irrigation is reduced and the plant, and the surface of the soil is treated with "Fitoverm".
When propagating by seeds, gerbera may not preserve the color of the parent plants.
Care for the gerbera in the open field
Plant gerbera seedlings in the open ground after the threat of frost disappears. Usually it happens in the second half of May. The place for planting is sunny. The best soil for them is light, drained, with added inorganic fertilizers.With excess organic matter in the ground, the peduncles strongly stretch. Fading inflorescences must be removed in a timely manner. This stimulates the appearance of new ovaries. During active growth and flowering, the gerbera is watered abundantly, preventing water from getting into the outlet. After flowering, the soil is moistened only after drying out the earth coma.
In autumn, gerberas are harbored or dug with a clod of earth. The shelter is made dry and ventilated, so that in the thaw the flower does not rot.
If there is a possibility of freezing, it is better to dig it and store it in the basement or on the glassed veranda at a temperature of 7-8 ° C.
In spring, the gerbera is transferred to a pot, suitable for size, transferred to a warmer and lit place and increased watering. In late April - early May, the adult plant is planted in open ground.
Wintering gerberas are not necessarily transplanted to a flower bed. Leave them in pots to decorate recreation areas, arbors, porches, porches. Without a transplant, the plants become less sick and start to blossom earlier. Do not forget to feed them with complex mineral fertilizers.
How to grow a gerbera in a room
To grow in indoor conditions, choose dwarf species of the Djemson gerbera. They are sold in flower shops in bouquets. Having received an adult gerbera plant from seeds at home through seedlings, it is kept on the eastern and western windows. On the south side it is shaded at noon. For better bloom, the temperature is maintained at 22-24 ° C and try not to allow its strong differences in daytime and nighttime values.
At the end of flowering, the plant is transferred to a cooler place. How to properly care for gerbera in winter? During the rest period, the plant needs coolness and very mild watering. In cold weather, the flower needs additional illumination.
How to prolong blossoming in a bouquet
Having received as a gift a luxurious multicolored bouquet, you probably thought how to keep gerberas in a vase longer. In fact, the gerbera in the cut is not capricious and phenomenally tenacious. Flowers can come alive, even if you had to go through a bouquet all day.That is why the compositions of gerberas like to give to the brides - the flowers will not lose their will to live for a whole day and will come to life in the eyes if you place the tips of the stems in water and keep heavy heads. For such a procedure, a lattice is suitable, through the cells of which the stems are passed.
To save a bouquet in a vase, use the following recommendations:
- every day, change the water;
- choose a high and narrow vase so that the flowers do not bend under their own weight;
- pour water a few centimeters so that the stems do not rot;
- cut the softened ends of the stems before another change of water;
- Cut the stalks obliquely and make small punctures or longitudinal incisions at the bottom of the stem. So the water will be better absorbed.
If these simple conditions are observed, the bouquet of gerbera will please you with fresh and bright flowers for up to three weeks.
