Planting, growing and caring for gerberas in the open ground in the garden

Gerbera is a beautiful perennial with showy, large flowers. But gardeners mistakenly believe that this is a finicky plant. But in fact, they are quite unpretentious, and breeders have developed many ornamental varieties. Gerberas look harmonious in any garden, and growing and the necessary care will not require any excessive effort from the gardener.

general description

This is a herbaceous, perennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. The root system is strong and developed. Gerbera is characterized by its compact size and shortened stem. A dense rosette of light greenish leaves is formed in the root zone. Tall, strong, slightly pubescent peduncles grow from the middle of the rosette. Flowers bloom on them - single, large baskets with a light, yellowish-green core.

The flowers are similar in appearance to daisies (nivyanika) and somewhat reminiscent of echinacea. Gerberas come in a variety of colors and sizes; there are regular, double and semi-double. The exception is blue - a flower in nature never acquires this color.

Types and varieties of garden gerbera

The genus includes more than 80 species. But hybrid, highly decorative varieties are popular among gardeners. They are suitable both for planting in open ground and for growing as an indoor crop. Breeders have bred more than 1000 varieties. The main types are:

• Wright;
• Jameson;
• green-leaved or ordinary;
• Abyssinian;
• Ambigua;
• Ferruginea;
• Anandria

But the most common species on the basis of which breeders developed hybrid forms are green-leaved gerbera and Jameson's gerbera. Compact varieties of Jameson's gerbera are grown indoors and in pots.

Common and popular varieties:

• Jupiter;
• Mars;
• Alcor;
• Migar;
• Romeo;
• Delios;
• ALGOL;
• Durora mix;
• Parade;
• Elegance;
• Vincent.

Specifics of cultivation

This is an absolutely non-poisonous and picky plant. But for lush, bright, long-lasting flowering, you need to know the specifics of agricultural technology.

When is the best time to grow?

Gerbera is a plant that prefers a mild, warm climate. Therefore, it is widespread as a greenhouse crop, it is grown for cutting or cultivated as a houseplant. In greenhouse conditions, with lighting and heating provided, flowers are grown almost all year round.

But they are planted in open ground in the spring, but transplantation is also possible during the fall. The main thing is not to delay transplanting until frost.

Sowing seedlings

Gerbera seeds do not need to be pre-treated or stratified before sowing. Sow in February-first half of March, less often - in early April. It is necessary to sow “randomly”, in small bowls, after thoroughly moistening the soil. If there are few seeds, they are mixed with river sand. After sowing, carefully (gerbera seeds are small) spray with a spray bottle.

How to prepare the soil?

Gerberas prefer light loam or sandy loam. But for successful development it is necessary to prepare the ground in advance. Pre-weed and dig up the area deeply. Then the soil in the selected beds is mixed with a planting nutrient substrate containing fertilizer.

Planting gerberas in open ground

Gerberas are planted in open ground in April-May, depending on the growing region. The type of seedlings also plays an important role when choosing planting dates. If these are open-root seedlings or cuttings from the mother bush, then it is advisable that planting be done early. The plant should take root before hot weather arrives. But seedlings with a closed root, in pots, are planted at any time of the season, even flowering.

Subtleties of plant care

Despite the relative unpretentiousness, when growing gerberas there are some subtleties that any gardener needs to know.

Features of watering and fertilizing

At home or in greenhouse conditions, gerberas are provided with high air humidity. But you should avoid spraying flowers directly, and spray moisture near the plants. It is important to avoid excessive soil moisture or stagnation of water.

In winter, water the plant carefully and rarely, slightly moisten the substrate as it dries out. Cold water is absolutely not suitable for irrigation. For gerberas, the contrast between soil and air temperatures is detrimental.

The plant spends a lot of energy on regular, abundant, long-lasting flowering, so increased “nutrition” is necessary. Moreover, you need to remember that gerbera does not tolerate organic matter well. Fertilize flowers at intervals of 7-10 days, except for the winter dormant period.

When the growing season begins in early spring, fertilizers with a high proportion of nitrogen are used. But during the rest of the season, when gerberas are flowering, the emphasis is on complex fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and potassium and, conversely, a minimal proportion of nitrogen.

Weeding

It is necessary to regularly weed or pluck out weeds that oppress and take away nutrition from the flowers. But mulched soil will save the gardener time and effort.

Trimming

It is produced after flowering begins. It is necessary to carry out sanitary cleaning by removing dry leaves and the stems themselves. It is recommended to cut off excess leaves in the rosette; this technique stimulates the growth of new flowers.

Temperature and lighting

Gerbera is a very light-loving crop. When growing in the country, the sunniest beds should be chosen for it, without any shading. But during the hot summer months, light shade from the midday sun is necessary. When growing at home, the pots are placed in the brightest places.

In spring and autumn, it is desirable to extend daylight hours with the help of additional illumination with special lamps. In summer, indoor varieties are taken outside or onto the balcony. Often, gardeners temporarily, during the summer, plant flowers from pots into the ground in a flower bed.

At the time of winter dormancy, the optimal temperature is +15 C degrees. The growing season of gerberas begins at the end of February. During this period, the temperature regime is maintained in the range from +15 C to +20 C degrees. The temperature at the time of flowering should be about +20 C degrees.

In greenhouse conditions, the plant blooms from early spring to late autumn. The maximum summer temperature for active growth of gerberas is +25 C degrees.

Winter care

Overwintering the plant at home should take place at a temperature of +15 C degrees. Watering is carried out rarely, slightly moistening the earthen ball. When wintering in open ground, flowers are covered with a thick layer of mulch, spruce branches, and dense agrofibre. In the northern regions, it is advisable to grow it as an annual crop.

Reasons for lack of flowering

Gerbera is not only a beautiful plant, but also extremely productive. In the first year, it can produce up to 15 flowers per year for cutting, and in the second – already 20-30 pieces. It happens that gerberas may not bloom. This usually happens due to several reasons such as:

• insufficient lighting;
• lack of nutrition or, conversely, an excess of nitrogen fertilizers;
• severe disease damage.

Diseases and pests

Gerbera, like many flower crops, is quite often affected by diseases and pests. To preserve the health and strength of the plant, timely protective measures are required.

Root rot

The disease is one of the main causes of death of gerberas.The main factors for its occurrence are planting flowers in unprepared soil contaminated with pathogenic fungi. The second reason is constant overflow or stagnation of water.

To prevent rot, fungicides are used. Gardeners often use a drug with a stimulating effect - Previkur Energy. Treatment must be combined with improving soil drainage and leveling out the irrigation regime.

Gray rot

In cool, rainy weather, as well as excess moisture and frequent watering, they are affected by gray rot. Contact or systemic fungicides are used for prevention and treatment. When spraying with preparations, it is important not to allow drops to fall directly on the flowers.

Fungicides that have proven themselves to be positive: Switch, Horus.

Powdery mildew

During hot summer weather, flowers can be affected by powdery mildew. This is a dangerous, rapidly developing disease caused by fungal spores and manifests itself as a white coating on all parts of the plant. Fungicides will help in the fight: Fundazol, Skor, Topaz.

Mosaic

The most dangerous disease of gerbera is the mosaic virus. There are no effective drugs for treatment. But a gardener can help plants by using preventive methods and chemicals. The disease appears in the form of white and light green spots on the leaves of gerberas.

Whitefly

A common sucking pest of gerberas is the whitefly butterfly. This is more of a street pest than a home pest. The butterfly is difficult to breed due to its extraordinary fertility. The secret is to use drugs that suppress not only adult individuals, but also their larvae. Plus, it is advisable to alternate them, not to use just one. Suitable, for example, insecticides Aktara and Mospilan.

Gerbera propagation

Gerbera is propagated by green cuttings, sowing seeds or dividing the bush. When propagated by seeds, maternal qualities are split. Namely, the color, size, and characteristics of the flower itself change. It is advisable to purchase seeds in professional packaging from well-known manufacturers. This is especially true for hybrid seeds.

The most effective way to propagate gerberas is to divide the bush. It is advisable to use mature, developed plants. Reproduction by dividing the bush will not produce many seedlings, but they will 100% correspond to the variety. And, of course, such seedlings have high growth potential.

Application in landscape design

Gerberas are a great decoration for a garden plot; they are often used to create alpine slides. They are used to create bright, cascading flower beds, frame garden paths, and also for urban landscaping.