Among gardeners, the garden gerbera is popular, planting and caring for it can be carried out both at home and in the open area and require the implementation of certain rules. The plant is considered whimsical and without observing certain agrotechnics it is difficult to get bright beautiful buds.
What does a garden gerbera look like?
A colorful garden gerbera is a perennial culture with a shortened stem and rosette of radical elongated leaves with pointed tips. Its large, luxuriant inflorescences are complex multilayer baskets with a yellow center, similar to chamomile. The color of the sockets is the most varied - from white to purple (except blue). The height of the bushes reaches 30-50 cm, the diameter of the corolla is 15 cm. Gerbera garden flowers from spring until late autumn, during this time up to 20 buds are formed on one specimen. Colorful bouquets in cut form do not lose their attractiveness for a long time.
Varieties of garden gerbera
There are about 80 varieties of gerberas, differing in size and types of baskets, they are divided into two large groups - with large and small flowers. Popular types:
- Jameson - the ancestor of all kinds. This gerbera looks particularly advantageous in the garden, as it has a massive stem and large buds - up to 15 cm in diameter. The colors are different, the baskets are terry, simple or needle-shaped;
- Wright - grown for cutting and creating bouquets, blossoms until the coldest;
- Abyssinian , outwardly similar to chamomile - white with a yellow core;
- small-flowered and narrow-leaved varieties, such as Alcor with dark cherry color and Aldebaran with a bright pink basket;
- narrow-leaved large-flowered varieties of American type Vega or Migar with pink petals;
- large-flowered medium-lobed varieties - Mars with bright red coloring of inflorescences;
- large-flowered species with broad leaves - Delios , Peter , Romeo ;
- terry and semi-double varieties with narrowed petals - Kalinka , Sonia , Viola ;
- terry and semi-double varieties with wide petals - dark red Spark ;
- The varieties with a black core - Vincent or Arendgost are especially popular .
Garden gerbera - landing
Decorative garden gerberas are photophilous, planting and care for it are carried out in places accessible to the sun's rays for as long as possible during the day. Then the flower will not be strongly stretched, it will reach the desired size and characteristic for the color variety. For growing gerbera in the garden, planting and nursing is carried out by seeds through seedlings. After all, if you put the seeds directly in the open ground, they will not have time to settle down to frost and die. With seed reproduction, the resulting plant may differ from its parent in color. Preparation of shoots begin in the spring.
How to plant gerberas in the garden?
How to grow a gerbera perennial garden seed:
- The best substrate is leaf, turf and humus in a concentration of 1: 2: 1;
- seeds are sown in the soil, the temperature of which is not less than + 18 ° C, preliminarily soaked with a solution of potassium permanganate;
- Sowing is carried out in a special box. On the substrate lay the seeds, sprinkle with peat, cover with glass, creating conditions for a mini-greenhouse;
- planting moistened with warm water and every day air;
- on day 8 the seeds germinate, then the glass can be removed;
- when seeds are germinated in winter, additional illumination with fluorescent lamps is provided;
- when 3-4 leaves appear on them, the shoots are transplanted into separate pots;
- when the seedlings are strengthened and 4-5 leaves appear on them, they can be transplanted to a permanent place. When planting it is important to avoid deepening the root neck into the ground.
Planting time gerberas in the garden
If you want the garden gerbera to bloom on the site, planting and nursing are done in the spring - in May or early June on a bed or a bed, when the threat of frost passes. The soil at this time should already be well warmed up. The seeds are being prepared in March-April. In fact, flowers of garden gerberas from seeds can be planted at any time of the year, since seedlings are grown indoors. Time is chosen from the calculation that the first buds will appear in 10-11 months. Late planting of the plant in the ground reduces the flowering time of the crop.
Gerberas in the garden - cultivation and care
Culture is light-loving and thermophilic, it does not tolerate frost. How to grow gerberas in the garden:
- In southern regions for winter, the bush is covered with a large layer of straw or dry leaves. In the spring, when the snow comes down, the warming material must be removed.
- In cold regions at the end of September, the gerbera can be excavated and moved together with a lump in a pot with good drainage for the whole winter. Put the container you need in a dry and cool place, you can in the basement. This is necessary, because in the harsh climate, the covering material on the open ground will not save the gerbera.
- They multiply the plant by dividing the bush at the age of 3-4 years. The procedure is carried out in spring in April-May. At the same time, leave 2-3 young leaflets on each part. Plant bushes so that the rosettes rose 1.5 cm above the ground. Buds on new bushes will appear in a year.
Soil for gerbera garden
Decorative gerberas garden for growing need a fertile weakly acidic and well drained soil. For planting, you can prepare the mixture yourself, taking the same parts of peat, foliage and sand. It is useful to add a little pine or wood bark to the substrate, which will acidify the mixture. You can buy a ready-made primer in the store for a rose - it fits most.
Garden flower gerbera - watering
During the active growth of the flower, he needs extensive irrigation. Gerbera garden - the right care in terms of watering:
- Humidification should be in moderation - no drying, no waterlogging the soil should not be allowed. When there is insufficient watering on the leaves, leaves dry, when excessive - the stems begin to rot.
- After the end of flowering, moistening is reduced, but it is impossible to tolerate the drying of the roots.
- When watering, we must carefully monitor that the water falls strictly under the root and does not remain on the leaves, did not flow into the outlet. This can lead to decay of the shoot and death of the plant.
- Watered with standing water at room temperature, the cold bush can get sick and rot.
- In hot days, the crown can be periodically sprayed.
Garden gerbera - additional fertilizing
That flowers actively grew, they need top dressing and leaving. Gerbera garden - how to care for and nourish:
- Once every two weeks, the plant is fertilized. To do this, use a liquid mineral fertilizer with a full set of trace elements. At the time of active vegetation, make-up promotes active growth and abundant long flowering.
- Feeding is carried out from spring to autumn, from September they are reduced to once a month, for winter they stop at all.
- It is contraindicated to use formulations containing chlorine, horse, poultry or cow dung. They negatively affect the development of gerbera and lead to root diseases.
Flowers garden gerberas - diseases and pests
Colorful garden gerbera, planting and care for which are produced in the open ground, susceptible to diseases and pests. The responsible gardener needs to ensure her proper care in order to maintain a blooming and healthy appearance. The main problems in cultivation:
- Decaying root neck. The reason is a fungus in the soil and stagnation of water. As a preventive measure, it is proposed to use well-drained soil and observe the irrigation regime.
- Powdery mildew. A white coating on leaves affects gerberas when grown in the garden in summer heat at high temperatures. Protect and recover from it can be with fungicidal drugs based on sulfur - "Topaz" or "Fundazol."
- Gray rot. Its appearance is provoked by increased moisture, the disease affects the roots. Destroy the rot with special preparations, for example, "Fitosporin" or "Roval". To process a bush it is necessary accurately - at hit on leaves the solution causes formation of ugly stains. The solution is recommended to be used for both treatment and prevention.
- Aphids, spider mite . Parasites can cause the death of a plant. The criteria for their appearance are the yellowing of the foliage, the wilting of the flower. You can save the plant with insecticides.