Have you ever heard of Gerber? Let me give you some clues: it is an indoor flower,
original from South Africa, South America and Asia, Gerber is called like this by some German botanists. It reached Europe in 1900 and has established itself in range 60 years later.
Gerbera is a plant with deeply notched leaves and its flowers can be simple, like those of Margaret, or double. Some varieties can have flowers and they generally have 20 cm in diameter. The roots are deep, so it is not uncommon for them to get even at 80 cm depth.
The seeds are housed in a “achena” and they have poor stamina. For this reason, they are harvested and planted only once. Flowers can be white, pink, yellow, orange, red, dark red and usually have more intensely colored middle. The flowers appear in April-June and in the second year of vegetation.
As far as the care procedure is concerned, light is the factor that generates flowering to the plants. However, during sunny days of summer the plant overshadows even partially. During winter, the optimum temperature is of 13-15 degrees. If the temperature goes down to 8 degrees. it is expected to affect the flowers. Heat is needed especially for the roots.
During summer a temperature of 18-20 degrees is recommended, and the spaces that host plants should be well ventilated. Gerbera contains soil suitable for ground celery, mranita, peat and sand. There should be provided moderate watering to the the plant and not too much moisture in the substrate support. The values of relative humidity (air 75%, 60% in the substrate) must be monitored carefully.
During spring and autumn, meaning during the period of maximum vegetation, you should apply the fertilizer 2-3 times per month. But you have to do it carefully because too much nitrogen will increase at the expense of flowering and foliage plants will raise the disease. Excess phosphorus, calcium and iron deficiency can be harmful to the plant.
Insufficient calcium deforms the leaves and the flowers die. Fertilizers with acid reaction are best suitable for Gerber culture. In the opinion of specialists, best NPK ratio is 2-0.8-1.5 and soil pH be slightly acidic (5-6.5).
About multiplication you should know that it is done by seeds, division heads and by cuttings. Cuttings must contain a portion of rhizome and powdered substances. They are rooted in a mixture of sand and peat. The minimum temperature is 24 degrees at rooting and a relative humidity of 90%.
Gerber pictures Gallery
