Home indoor gerbera flower - home care
Content:
This amazingly beautiful plant arrived in Europe from the shores of southern Africa. The culture is unassuming, but the gerbera indoor care at home will appreciate and reward the owner with a lush, long flowering.
What does indoor gerbera look like?
In its natural environment, the flower reaches impressive sizes. Large inflorescences of gerbera look like garden chamomile, but only with bright petals of warm shades. A variety with double flowers from a distance can be mistaken for an aster.
Indoor gerberas
The culture belongs to perennial composites. For indoor cultivation, breeders bred indoor gerbera - a compact bush no more than 0.3 m high.
Flowers grown for home use differ in the shape of the inflorescences and shades of the petals. But the basic structure of all representatives of this species of Astrovs is the same.
External signs of gerberas
| Specifications | Description |
|---|---|
| Stem | A single, shortened, strong peduncle, the average height of which is 20-25 cm |
| Leaves | Large, elongated, pubescent, light green. Collected in a root outlet. Cirro-dissected plates have notched wavy edges |
| Flowers | Large, up to 5 cm in diameter, in the form of a bright colorful basket. Almost all colors of the rainbow (except blue) are present in the shades. In terms of the number and location of petals, the inflorescences of gerberas are simple, double and semi-double. Some varieties have a light core (usually yellow), others have a dark core. |
| Rhizome | Powerful, consisting of a large number of filamentous roots |
After flowering, the plant gives a seed-fruit, in 1 year of which there can be from 300 to 500 small grains. They can be collected for the subsequent reproduction of new bushes.
Home cultivars
Dutch botanist Reman brought Jameson's gerbera to Europe. It was she who became the ancestor of modern varieties of potted flowers. In total, there are more than 80 species of gerberas in nature. At home, hybrid varieties are grown, bred by breeders. To get them, Jameson was originally crossed with another variety - the green-leaved gerbera.
Gerbera Jameson
The ancestors of domestic gerberas
| View | What does it look like |
|---|---|
| Jamson | The shortened stem of a herbaceous plant can hardly be seen behind a dense rosette of pinnately dissected leaves. Chamomile baskets of various shades can be small - 4 cm in diameter, or large - about 15 cm |
| Green-leaved | The foliage is a bit like a dandelion - the plates are just as long, jagged. Their surface is rough and hard. The bare, pubescent stems can reach a height of 1 m.A large inflorescence with delicate pink narrow petals forms on the crown |
Alcor and Aldebaran, which are distinguished by narrow leaves and small flowers; Thanks to the crossing of species, growers have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of varieties of home gerbera. The most popular are:
- Vega, Megar and Jupiter also have narrowish plates, but the inflorescences are medium in size;
- the Festival is characterized by short stems with large inflorescences of various shades;
- also stands out gerbera Durora (another spelling - Durer), represented by bright multicolor on short stems.
Among the mix varieties, you can find shades for every taste: bright crimson and red, lilac and cream, salmon and yellow, delicate white. The shape of the petals is also varied: needle-like, rounded, with curled tips.
What is the popularity
The question "why is the gerbera in a pot so popular" is not even worth looking for an answer - everything is already obvious:
- there are no difficulties in caring for a gerbera - this is the most unassuming plant;
- for the summer, home bushes can be safely transplanted into garden beds - they easily adapt to new conditions;
- the plant is bright, decorative, capable of blooming for a long period.
Caring for room gerbera
Growing this houseplant is a pleasure. But, despite the culture's tolerance for inconvenience, it is better to create comfortable conditions for the gerbera. The owner will only benefit from this, having received a bright lush flower bush.
Where to place in the house
The favorite places of the gerbera in the apartment are well-lit window sills. Although direct sunlight can harm the plant. The best choice is windows facing east or west. If you have to keep it on the southern windowsill, then at noon the window should be shaded.
The plant loves fresh air and is not afraid of drafts. Therefore, in summer, gerbera pots can be carried outside. If you do not have your own land ownership, then a balcony is perfect.
Choosing a pot for planting
Hybrid varieties are delivered to flower shops in shipping containers. They are not suitable for permanent cultivation. Therefore, having acquired a new plant at home, it must immediately be transplanted into a suitable pot.
The container should be spacious so that the rhizome does not squeeze during growth and does not go beyond the pot. But you should not take too large a container.
Under the rays of the sun
To stimulate active flowering, it is recommended to replant gerberas every year. In this case, the next pot is taken more than the previous one in diameter by only 2-3 cm.As for the depth, the optimal parameter is 30 cm.
Temperature
A native of Africa, she loves warmth, but cannot stand extreme heat. The spring and summer temperature in the room is maintained within the range of 22-24 ° С, in the fall it is lowered to + 14 ° С, in winter - up to + 12 ° С.
Lighting
Gerberas are plants with short daylight hours - no more than 12 hours. Therefore, in summer, when the sun rises early and sets late, the bushes do not practically bloom, but increase their green mass.
In winter, on the contrary, the gerbera requires additional lighting, which will be provided by fluorescent lamps aimed at the windowsill. The same lighting fixtures will be appropriate at any time of the year if the flower is located on the north window.
Watering
A tropical plant does not like drought, so there should be a lot of water. But in such an amount that moisture is completely absorbed into the soil, and does not stagnate on the surface, otherwise the lower leaves will begin to rot and the bush will get sick.
Cold water can also undermine the immunity of a plant. Therefore, they take only warm liquid (+ 20 ° C), soft composition, filtered or settled.
How to gently water a plant
In the hot season, watering is carried out daily, in winter - as needed. If it is difficult to determine the amount of moisture the plant needs, it is recommended to pour water into the pan, after 15-20 minutes removing the excess.
Humidity and spraying
If a gerbera grows in the house, care implies increased humidity in the room. Water should not fall on the foliage, therefore, spraying from the spray bottle is excluded.
If it is not possible to purchase a humidifier, you can put a wide basin of water near the windowsill or keep damp pebbles in the pan.
Priming
For exotic, the most suitable soil is with a ph level of 5-6 units. From purchased substrates, soil for roses is suitable. You can also make a homemade mixture of leaf, peat soil and sand (in the same proportion). It is recommended to add some chopped pine bark to the ground.
Top dressing
Home gerbera plant care aims to maintain the vigor of the bush. It has a long flowering period, so it is advisable to apply a comprehensive set of fertilizers throughout the season:
- from April to the end of August - every 2-3 weeks;
- during the rest period, top dressing once a month.
Mineral complex for gerberas
As soon as the gerbera blooms, preference is given to fertilizers with a high potassium content. In winter, nitrogen should be prevalent in the composition.
Organic fertilizers should not be used so as not to burn the roots of the plant. Of the minerals, Biosad, Forte, etc. are best suited.
Gerbera bloom
What the flowers of a tropical plant look like is described above. Particular attention should be paid to the very process of the fragrance of the bush. The biological cycles of gerberas depend on the length of daylight hours:
- if it is too short, the plant enters a dormant state (during the winter months);
- with a duration of more than 12 hours, the bush is engaged in the growth of greenery (from spring to the end of summer);
- buds appear in August and the gerbera blooms profusely until the end of November.
Inexperienced gardeners try to maintain flowering in the winter. But in such conditions, the bush will last no more than 2 years. Without sleep, he will be exhausted and die.
Why doesn't bloom come
Even with good care at home, a gerbera in a pot will delight with flowers only the first 3-4 years of life. Then the intensity of budding falls or is completely depleted (this is a feature of the plant).
There is another reason for the lack of color - the bush directed all its forces to build up greenery at the wrong time. This can be provoked by a high nitrogen content in the soil or too spacious a pot.
How indoor gerbera reproduces
Even knowing how to properly care for a gerbera in a pot, you need to tune in to the fact that the bush will eventually die. Therefore, you should take care of how to propagate your favorite plant in a timely manner.
Germinating seeds
Sowing gerberas is carried out in March, using containers or seedling boxes (under a film cover). As soon as 2-3 leaves appear on the seedlings, the plants dive. When the 5th leaf is formed, the seedlings are settled in separate pots. The land is immediately watered abundantly, it will be necessary to feed the seedlings in a month.
Rooting cuttings
Cutting is more laborious and less reliable. In order for a bush to reproduce in this way, it must have healthy roots. We'll have to cut off a piece of rhizome with a stem from the mother plant.
The stalk is cut, leaving 1-2 leaves. It is necessary to shorten by 1/3 and the plates. They are planted immediately in a separate pot and covered with a glass jar. The stalk is aired daily and the soil moisture is checked. If it is dry, add water to the pan.
Reproduction of gerberas
When new leaves appear on the stalk, the gerber must be fully opened.
Potting Guide
If the need has come to rejuvenate the plant, it is removed from the pot and the bush is divided into parts. This procedure is best done after flowering, before bedtime. The planned annual planting in a larger container is carried out in the spring. At the same time, they adhere to a step-by-step algorithm:
- a layer of expanded clay, broken brick or ground stones is placed in a new pot;
- the plant is carefully removed from the old container by the transshipment method and relocated together with an earthen lump;
- the space between the earthen lump and the walls is filled with fresh substrate.
In the process of transplant
It remains to water the plant and put it in its permanent place. The first days after transplantation, the bush requires special attention.
Possible growing problems
Even an unpretentious gerbera can get sick. The plant signals its state of health by external signs.
Growing problems
| Name | The reasons |
|---|---|
| Leaves turn yellow, wither The plant sheds buds | · Excess or lack of moisture; Defeat by fungal diseases |
| The leaf plate turns pale | Due to the abundance of sunlight, green loses its brightness |
| The bush is too stretched | The plant lacks daylight |
Gerbera is sick
Any violation of the regimes will lead to illness. An unpretentious gerbera can suffer from:
- powdery mildew and putrid gray plaque (the reason is poor ventilation and waterlogging);
- fusarium and late blight, provoked by a violation of temperature and light conditions;
- invasions of aphids, whiteflies and spider mites that appear with increased dryness.
Treatment is carried out with fungicides. Pests are dealt with with insecticides.
Having studied the topic of how to care for a gerbera, it will be easy to grow it. In order for the bush to become a real interior decoration, it is recommended to plant the plant in pots of the same shade as the inflorescences on the stems.
