"Growing Gerbera      Daisies"

Florist Home :: Flower Guides :: Growing Gerbera Daisies

Growing Gerbera Daisies in Pots

For growing Gerbera Daisies well it is important to start with a good strong plant. Choose a sturdy, shapely plant with healthy foliage and bright, clear colored flowers. The presence of new flower buds is desirable. Avoid plants showing disease or insect damage, or poorly growing Gerbera Daisies.

Your Gerbera Daisy plant flowers best when it is growing in a small container and is slightly pot bound. Repot growing Gerbera Daisies in April. Use an open, free draining soil mix. When repotting ensure that the crown of the plant is above the level of the soil. Rot will occur if the crowns are buried or the drainage is poor. After repotting keep them in a shaded location until they're established.

The best position for growing Gerbera Daisies is in full sunlight to ensure maximum flower production. A shaded situation results in poor flowering.

Keep your plant slightly moist at all times, especially when in bloom, but don't let the pot sit in water. In summer feed regularly every 2 weeks with a weak liquid fertilizer, and regularly pick off the dead flowers to promote further flowering. Indoor growing Gerbera Daisies can flower all year round. Also remove old leaves regularly to prevent fungus infections developing.

The optimal temperature for growing Gerbera Daisies is around 75 deg F (24 deg C). But 61-70 deg F (16-21 deg C) days, and 56-65 deg F (13-19 deg C) nights is suitable. In Winter they are best kept above 50 deg F (10 deg C). In a greenhouse the minimum temperature is 40 deg F (5 deg C). Freezing will kill the plant. From November to May, water only when the soil becomes fairly dry.

Healthy, good growing Gerbera Daisies do not suffer much from pest attacks, but plants not properly cared for can be attacked by aphids, whiteflies, leaf spot and spider mites. Over-watering encourages fungus, stem and root rots. Insect pests can be treated with soapy water, or you can apply an insecticide carefully following the instructions provided. It is best to apply outdoors.

Even if you give your Gerbera Daisy care, it is difficult to keep a pot plant looking good for a long while in the home. So once flowering has finished, it may be best to either discard your pot plant, or plant it outside if temperatures are over 45 deg F (5 deg C).

Research by NASA has shown growing Gerbera Daisies to be effective in the removal of benzene, a well-known carcinogen, from the air.

Propagation

Your Gerbera Daisy plant can be propagated by seeds, basal cuttings, or crown divisions. Seed must be fresh (1 month old at most). Germinate at about 68-78 deg F (20-25 deg C) in pots of sandy soil in the spring or early summer.Cover the pots with glass or plastic and prick out into trays when the seedlings are an inch tall. The plants will flower the following year.

Take basal cuttings from the parent plant in summer, dip into rooting hormone, and insert into a sandy soil mix. Keep them covered with glass or polythene until they form roots. They can then be potted into 3 inch (7.5cm) pots, and later repot your growing Gerbera Daisies into 5 inch (12.5cm) pots for flowering. Crown Division should be carefully done in early spring. Take care to avoid damage to the roots.

Growing Gerbera Daisies in the Garden

Gerberas can be grown outside in the garden during the summer. Take care planting of Gerbera Daisies that you do not damage the roots and that the crown of the plant is kept above the soil level. In mild climates, such as USDA zones: 9-10, Sunset zones: 8-9, 12-24, they can be cultivated outdoors all year round. Replant in April. The plants last for 3 to 4 years. After that flowering decreases and the growth of the plant will get stunted. Slugs and snails are partial to the leaves, and Gerberas are prone to some viral, bacterial and fungal diseases.

Types of Gerbera

Gerbera jamesonii is a perennial herb with lance-shaped, deeply lobed leaves covered with silky hairs. The leaves grow in a rosette close to the soil and are about 12 inches (30cm) long. The plant grows about 18 inches (45cm) high with a spread up to about 24 inches (60cm).

There are about 30 species of Gerbera and they are found in Africa, Madagascar, tropical Asia and South America. In South Africa there are 13 native species including Gerbera ambigua (Pink and White Gerbera), Gerbera aurantiaca (Hilton Daisy), Gerbera jamesonii (Barberton Daisy), Gerbera kraussii, Gerbera piloselloides (Small Yellow Gerbera), Gerbera tomentosa, and Gerbera viridifolia.

A new development is the miniature Gerbera or Germini hybrids. They have sturdier stems to help the flowers stay upright. These are available in the same wide choice of colors, but are only two inches (5cm) across, and so more appropriate for smaller flower arrangements.

The elegant Gerbera Daisy is associated with the star sign Leo.

There is more Gerbera Daisy, Gerbera growing information available. Please check out the links on the left at the top of the page. Click here for more Gerbera Daisy, Gerbera growing information.

Back to top of page

---

If you want to send flowers, roses, sympathy flowers or a gift basket please click on one of the links below to transfer to the appropriate page.

Or make your loved one feel over the moon with elegant jewelry.

For more than 40 years, PalmBeach Jewelry has provided their loyal customers a unique and extensive collection of quality jewelry and designer fragrances at discount prices. Browse the assortment of over 6,500 items - all at savings up to 85%!

Free shipping is always available on all merchandise orders. Buy with confidence - 90 day satisfaction guarantee. Satisfying customers since 1958, PalmBeach is listed as one of Internet Retailer magazines Top 500 web sites, HackerSafe and Verisign secure. Shoppers love the savings and convenience!

Please click on the image below for more details.

      

Copyright AA-Florist.com