Gerbera

Family of Asteraceae. Homeland Africa, Fr. Madagascar, China, Japan, Australia, South America. There are more than 80 species in nature.

Gerber Jamson's Gerbera Jamesonii is a perennial herbaceous plant with a shortened, thickened stem and a well-developed root system. The leaves form a basal rosette, oval in shape, pointed at the end, deeply lobed. The leaves are covered with silky hairs. Inflorescences are single baskets, on long peduncles. Flowers from 5 to 15 cm in diameter of the most diverse color (yellow, orange, red, cherry).

On sale are hybrids of Gerbera Jamson (as well as hybrids of the species Jamesonii and Viridifolia). These are heat-loving plants, in central Russia they are not able to winter in the garden, so they can be grown all summer on the street, taken home for winter, or grown as a potted annual plant, with the end of flowering thrown away.

Gerbera care

Growing gerbera at home all year round is problematic for many reasons, in order to understand what is so difficult in this culture, let's understand in more detail the requirements for the conditions and compare how gerberas are grown in commercial floriculture.

Temperature: During the growing season from March to September, gerbera prefers moderate temperatures, about 22-25 ° C, with a night drop to 18-20 ° C - these are the conditions in nature, and in such a temperature regime gerberas are grown in industrial greenhouses, for example, in the Netherlands. In winter, houses need cool maintenance at 14 ° C, with very rare watering. The critical minimum in winter is 10 ° С, although in its natural habitat it is + 6 ° С, it is not worth risking this - in a gerbera sitting in a pot, the roots can dry out or become too cold. Gerbera tolerates heat above 28-30 ° C very poorly, it overheats quickly, so on a sunny day in summer the window (window) should be open for ventilation. Gerbera needs good air ventilation, is not afraid of a draft if it does not stand directly under the air conditioner.

Lighting: Gerbera loves direct sun, she needs it for a good set of sheet mass, for the formation of healthy bushes. Shading is necessary only in other cases - in spring, after cloudy days and in summer, when it is hot. Shading is necessary when the light intensity reaches about 60,000 lux. Such lighting near the glass on the southern windowsill at noon. At the same time, on the windows of the northern orientation, a very good illumination is needed all year round. Minimum lighting 35,000 lux for both summer and winter.

Gerberas bloom in short daylight conditions, i.e. when light is received 12-13 hours a day. But lighting for 14 hours is necessary at the beginning of leaf growth, in the first two weeks after transplantation, to help plants gain leaf mass, take root.

Watering: Moderate during growing and flowering season. The soil should be slightly moist in the depths of the pot, but surely have time to dry out in the upper layer of the soil. Watering should be adjusted so that it is even, regular, i.e. alternation of wet and dry soil in this way: wet for 4 days, almost dry for 5-6. When gerberas are grown in greenhouses, the temperatures there are stable, and there is no need to adapt to changes in the rate of drying of the soil, the plants are watered drip strictly every 3 or 4 days (depending on which program). There is no stability at home, the humidity and temperature largely depend on the weather outside, so we have to adjust and adjust the amount of water to get into a similar schedule: when it is cooler or rainy, water less, when it is dry and hot - more. But in any case, try to pour water so that the soil in the pot dries up no longer than 4 days. In this regard, caring for gerberas is more difficult than many other houseplants, they cannot be dried out, and these are plants that really require attention.

When watering, avoid getting water into the outlet and on the leaves. Rake the soil in the pot so that the level is lower to the edge of the pot, when watering, direct the water at a distance of about 4-5 cm from the rosette of the leaves. In autumn (depending on how raw and cold it is) and in winter, watering is limited. The frequency of watering still depends on the drying rate of the soil, water after a few days, after the top layer of the earth dries, preventing only a complete drying of the root coma. Do not water with cold water, avoid waterlogging.

Air humidity: You cannot spray the gerbera, but it loves moist air about 65-75%, so the pot should be put on a tray with wet pebbles, so that water does not flow to the roots, or use an air humidifier. Too humid air, when condensate protrudes on the window panes (humidity above 85%), is undesirable - the likelihood of fungal infections is high. Moreover, in winter, such humidity is more dangerous - there is practically no ventilation. If black fungi appear on your windowsill or walls, this suggests that ventilation is practically absent, here you need to think not about flowers, but about people (black mold is toxic to humans). In the warm season, for example, during the rainy season, high humidity is not so dangerous if you constantly open the window or the micro-ventilation mode on the windows. However, be careful with watering, remember that the soil should dry out almost completely in 3-4 days.

Dressing gerber

Manganese deficiency on gerbera leaves - this plant is three years old in a pot, all the time it was fed with Rainbow fertilizer, which has an alkaline reaction and contains only nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, without any trace elements. As a result, severe chlorosis.

The feeding of gerberas depends not so much on the time of year, but on the phase of development: at the beginning of leaf mass growth and with the end of flowering, the gerbera is fed with complex fertilizers for deciduous plants, two top dressing with an interval of 2 weeks is enough, but if the plants were transplanted into fresh soil, top dressing must be made no earlier than in a month, and if by this time it has gained buds, use not nitrogen fertilizer for deciduous, but complex fertilizer for flowering plants where there is more potassium and phosphorus, for example, Fertica Lux.

Gerbera does not have a dormant period in the usual sense, which is characteristic, for example, for cacti or succulents in hibernation (during cold wintering), all the processes of vegetation and small growth continue at winter temperatures of 14-16 ° C, but the intensity of lighting during this period is much lower, artificial illumination in such an amount that slowly growing leaves do not give out signs of chlorosis. Therefore, feeding of gerbera in autumn and winter continues, but the concentration decreases by two to three times. For the winter period, fertilizers with the formula NPK 14-4-14 are ideal, during the period of intensive growth 17-5-17, at the time of budding and flowering of the 15-10-30.

If a salt effusion appears on the surface of the soil in the pot - white or gray-red plaque, this is an alarm. There can be two reasons:

• the first is that the soil in the pot with the gerbera dries for a very long time, this is fraught with rot decay, the development of pathogenic microflora;
• the second is salinization (latching) of the soil due to an excessive dose of fertilizers (too frequent or concentrated fertilizers) or watering with too hard water;

In any case, soil latching leads to the fact that part of the nutrient elements is not absorbed, as a result, a deficiency of some elements (iron, manganese, etc.) may appear on the leaves, due to the formation of insoluble hydroxides. This is expressed in the yellowing of the leaves, chlorosis (the veins usually remain green) the absence of flowering. To avoid this, do not abuse fertilizers, do not start feeding heavily, it will be even worse, just change the ground in the pot. For the future - check the acidity of the soil, prevent acidification of the earth, periodically loosen the soil, change the top layer of the earth when saline.

Gerbera transplant

Every year, gerbers are transplanted into well-drained soil of a weak acid reaction, or close to neutral, acidity in a fairly wide range - from 5.6 to 6.8, optimally pH 6.5. Do not fit a strongly acidic substrate and alkaline. Approximate soil composition: 1 part of turf, 1 part of peat land, humus 1/4, 1 part of gravel (2-3 mm) or vermiculite and 1 part of sand. Gerbera grows on sandy soils, does not like clay, dense, which are cemented into a monolithic mass from irrigation. Transplant in February - March. Medium-sized pot, not too spacious or cramped, preferably clay. The root gerbera system grows well deep into the pot. Therefore, drainage of about 2 cm is required (can be made of broken foam). If you want to use soil from the store, you should buy soil, focusing on the pH indicator on the package not lower than 5.5 and not higher than 6.5 (given that gradually the soil snaps naturally). It can be a universal soil or for seedlings, but to it you need to add well-washed zeolite granules (from the cat filler "Barsik"), about a handful per pot.

Gave Gerber what to do

Decide whether you will grow it later as a perennial or throw it away after it fades. If thrown away, you do not need to replant, otherwise the flowering may end. If you want to try to grow gerbera further, then you must definitely transplant, since it is planted in pure peat and grown hydroponically. Transplantation must be carried out immediately, without postponing time for acclimatization and despite the fact that it blooms! To get rid of peat before transplanting, soak the plant in warm water, you can simply rinse the root in a basin of water. Then disinfect in solution any available fungicide. If it is not possible to water or soak the gerbera in a fungicide solution, the simplest thing you can do is to powder the center of the gerbera rosette and the ground surface with colloidal sulfur powder (sold in flower shops).

Gerbera reproduction

Indoor gerberas can be propagated vegetatively - by dividing the bush and seeds. The difference is that by dividing you get a clone of the mother plant, and usually simple "daisies" grow from the seeds - with narrow, ray-shaped petals.

If you successfully managed to grow gerbera in winter, and by spring you have a strong healthy bush, it can be divided. Prerequisites: gerbera must be about three years old, i.e. a large bush, without signs of diseases or pests, otherwise both the division and the mother plant will die. Divide when transplanting, carefully separating part of the bush with roots with a sharp knife. All sections must be sprinkled with crushed coal. Take a birch coal, push it into powder and powder all the roots. Do not water the planted plot, like the mother plant, for two days, but during the first week after dividing, the pots should stand in a cool, slightly shaded place.

Gerbera seeds can always be found on sale in flower shops, but they quickly lose germination, so see the date of packaging. Seeds germinate for about a month.

Optimal conditions for growing gerbera from seeds

• inoculation into a disinfected substrate that consists of either pure river sand (washed and sieved from cementing dust) or a mixture of sand and vermiculite in equal parts
• daylight hours 16 hours. If possible, use additional light in low natural light (ideal lighting 40-48,000 lux)
• temperature 23-24 ° C, after opening the cotyledons, lowering to 21-22 ° C, with the development of the first pair of real leaves 20-21 ° C
• humidity of air and soil 90-95% from the moment of sowing and another 2-3 days after the emergence of shoots (i.e. a plate with crops under glass or film), with mandatory ventilation; at the same time avoid overheating of the soil - temperatures above 25 °
С
• after germination of seeds, reduce the humidity level to 70 to 75%, ventilate more often, wipe the condensate from the film or glass
• the appearance of the first real leaves (after about 8 days of germination) - a critical period for reducing air humidity and regulating soil moisture - you need to reduce humidity to 55 to 60%, dry the top layer of soil before watering
• good air circulation - the key to the survival of seedlings and the formation of strong healthy gerber sockets
• watering with water with a weak dose of fertilizers, you can use fertilizers for seedlings, but those with the formula NPK 17:5:17 or equal to nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) and three times less phosphorus (P) are ideal, use fertilizer concentration 3 times less than the recommended norm on the package, feed every week

One of the biggest mistakes in growing gerber seedlings is fertilizer overfeeding! It is especially dangerous to introduce organic matter - this is a 100% guarantee of a plant disease.

The second is to allow moisture (condensate) to enter the young leaves.

The third is watering in the evening, when the soil cools, water in the morning.

The fourth is a misconception that gerbers tolerate alkaline substrate well, pH 5.6-6.5 will be ideal for it.

Personal experience, potted gerbera

Dara: June, heat - I water my two herberks every day, or rather, every evening. If I don't polish in the evening, by noon, when I wake up, the flowers are on the windowsill. I water, and in less than half an hour they get up. Once, soon after transshipment, when I woke up, I saw - and flowers and leaves - everything lay flat. She watered abundantly and left the water in the pallet, in an hour all the leaves got up, as if nothing had happened. Apparently, if the earth dries up, after irrigation it flows down the walls directly into the pallet, from where it immediately pours out with a caring hostess, and the earthen lump itself does not have time to really soak in moisture. My personal conclusion is that gerbera needs abundant watering, especially during flowering. When I leave even for two days, I leave it in a plate of water, fortunately I put the drainage. And now two such beauties live perfectly with me.

Comment rukodelie.net/plants: Indeed, when the air temperature is above 25-26 ° C, gerberas require more frequent watering than usual, but it is more correct to water in the morning, by noon they, of course, dry out. And so that the soil instantly absorbs water and wetting evenly, it is worth adding loosening components, such as zeolite granules or vermiculite, about 4 tbsp. spoons per pot with a diameter of 15 cm. If the soil has an acidity of about 6-6.5, you can use pine bark (boiled, without resin) as a baking powder.

barsuchok: My experience is that gerberas can well be grown at home in a pot as a perennial. In winter, of course, their appearance is miserable, in the sense that there are very few foliage, practically no leaves grow (not to mention flowers). But in the spring, a rapid expansion of foliage begins, and then buds. My herberka is already a year and a half old, the second flowering was absolutely no different from the first, purchased.

Comment rukodelie.net/plants: If gerbera grows a good sheet mass over spring and summer, the bush will become strong and strong, it will bloom for a long time, then continue to grow. If during the winter the plant dies, in the spring weakened it builds up mass slowly, it does not have enough strength to bloom, perhaps it blooms, but in the end the plant is depleted and dies. Naturally, gerbera leaves age and turn yellow, they need to be removed. But at the same time, there should be an increase in sheet mass.

Experience growing gerberas in a pot on the forum

Gerbera growing problems

This gerbera is affected by a fungal infection, black dots are even noticeable on the leaves - spores of phytopathogenic fungi, in addition, signs of nutritional deficiency.

The main problem with herbera is the susceptibility to fungal and bacterial infections - phytophthora, gray rot, powdery mildew, fusariosis, rhizoctonia, which are often provoked by increased soil humidity and poor ventilation. In addition, gerberas are susceptible to the tomato mosaic virus, so if a flower died for an unknown reason, get rid of the land in which it grew, and rinse the pot with a plumbing disinfectant. Gerbera and nematodes are affected.

If you have signs of illness, treatment is long and not always successful. Gerbera is the case when phytophthora fungicides can be used to prevent diseases. Of the medicines, copper-containing drugs or fundazol can help the plant, and topaz against powdery mildew and rust.

Despite the fact that gerbera is photophilous, in the summer, in the hottest midday hours, it is better to remove the pot from the windowsill or shade it with a light cloth (white flyseline, mosquito net), because gerbera flowers in the bright sun lose their brightness and burn out.

Gerbera does not tolerate very acidic soils or alkaline soils, but the worst tolerates waterlogging of the soil.

Gerbers that are sold in stores are usually grown using so-called retardants - chemicals that restrain the growth of the plant. Retardants cause an increase in the content of chlorophyll in the leaves, and they acquire a dark green color. Therefore, often, purchased gerberas at home after a while turn pale, begin to stretch and lose their original appearance. During this period, it is important to comply with all lighting and temperature requirements so that the plant becomes perennial.

Of the pests, spider mites, cyclamen mites, whiteflies, thrips can threaten the room gerbera, if the plants are in the garden, then snails and especially mining flies. Actar is effective against all pests, with the exception of ticks (spider and cyclamen), while spraying and watering the soil according to the instructions. It is difficult to fight the tick on the gerber, since it cannot be rinsed in a hot shower, preparations of the accaricide group (Apollo, Vermitek, Actellic, etc.) remain. But in commercial greenhouses, ticks are usually fought with the help of predatory ticks of the genus Phytoseiulus persimilis.

Natalia Rusinova