Grow a beauty at home: pink gerbera and everything about her

Pink gerbera is a wonderful natural phenomenon. The current varieties of this plant can be safely grown at home in a pot.

Such a houseplant is not picky in care, but still has its own characteristics and requirements. Having given the flower proper care, you can admire the beauty of its flowering for up to 5 months. A simple breeding conditions will create a lot of young beautiful gerberas. Read about how to grow this beautiful plant in our article.

History of occurrence

There is a legend about the beautiful forest nymph Coat of arms, which suffered from general attention, because of its unique appearance. Nymph Gerba is very tired of the widespread persecution that she wanted to transform into a simple wild flower. Thus a gerbera flower appeared, which is now considered a symbol of innocence and modesty.

There is also a non-fiction story of the appearance of this plant. The flower was first discovered by Dutch researchers in southern Africa in 1717. The name of the flower was in honor of the German botanist researcher and doctor T. Gerber. Further species names bear the names of their breeders.

The flower became widely known relatively recently, at the end of the 19th century. Now gerberas are very popular, they are used to make bouquets, grown in the garden and at home as a houseplant. So, from a simple African wild flower, gerberas turned into universal favorites.

Botanical Description

Gerbera is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae or Compositae. The plant has a powerful and well-developed root system. The leaves are elongated, cirrus-dissected. The ends of each leaf are pointed. The sheet length can reach 30-35 centimeters. The leaves are collected in a basal rosette. The bases of the leaves and petioles of the plant are slightly pubescent.

Peduncles long, dense, often pubescent, lonely, without leaves. In height, they can reach 60-65 centimeters. Each flower grows on its flower. The flowers are regular, chamomile, large 15-30 centimeters in diameter. Petals are velvety, seem dull. The fruit is an achene. The flowering period lasts from 3 to 5 months.

Appearance Features

Gerberas can be any color except blue. Flowers are divided into:

• simple;
• terry;
• half terry.

Simple flowers are more like chamomile, and terry flowers are like aster. According to the size of the flower, gerberas are also divided into:

1. small flowered - up to 10 centimeters in diameter;
2. large flowered - up to 30 centimeters in diameter.

According to the shape of the leaves, the gerbera is divided into:

• broad-shouldered;
• medium petals;
• narrow-holed.

Pink gerberas can be of different varieties. The most popular of them:

1. Rosaline.
2. BASIC.
3. Lancaster.
4. Jaska.
5. Gerber Jameson.
6. Nuance.

All these species are the result of the activities of foreign breeders.

Photo

Below you can see the photo.

Rules and Landing Tips

The basic rules for planting and caring for pink gerberas of different varieties are identical. Most of the plants, before they got into the apartment, grew and developed in the greenhouse. Naturally, the process of moving such a plant is a real stress for him.

Therefore, it is worth remembering:

• A purchased gerbera in a pot should be transplanted to a permanent place of growth no earlier than two weeks after purchase, the plant must adapt to the new environment.
• When transplanting, you must very carefully act near the root system, it would be better if the plant is moved to a new pot with a lump of native land.

Lighting and location

Gerbera grows well in bright light, even direct sunlight does not harm her. In the summer, the gerbera should be taken out to the balcony or kept on the opening window. These plants love fresh air and are not afraid of temperature changes and drafts.

Indoor gerbera very often suffer from dry indoor air, especially in winter. It is necessary to moisten the air by spraying water on the plant and indoors.

Soil requirements

Gerbera loves a slightly acidic earth mixture. Such soil consists of peat and sand taken in equal proportions. And it is also worth adding leafy soil, its volume should be twice the mixture of peat and sand.

The pot for planting a flower should be taken low, with a wide top. It is absolutely necessary, when planting, to use drainage to the bottom of the pot.

Care

For comfortable growth and development of gerbera you need:

1. often spray leaves or wipe them, but avoid moisture on stems and flowers;
2. ventilate the room where the gerbera grows;
3. put a pot of plants on the brightest window in the house;
4. to make mineral fertilizers twice a month during the period of active growth and flowering;
5. provide the plant with sufficient and regular watering.

Water for irrigation should be settled, soft and slightly warm. Pouring it is not on the plant, but on the punishment of the pot in the ground, the water itself will disperse as needed.

Common Diseases and Pests

The genus of gerberas is most often exposed to fungal and viral diseases. The most common ones are:

• Powdery mildew - a whitish coating appears on the outer surface of the leaves, which subsequently threatens to darken and curl the leaves.
• Fusarium and verticillosis - characterized by darkening and browning of the roots and basal part of the stems.
• Gray rot - the leaves and stems of the plant are pulled by a fluffy gray coating, the plant completely dies;
• Late blight - Dark black spots appear throughout the entire plant, they are dense, outwardly similar to felt. Such a process entails rotting of the stems and root system with further death of the gerbera.

To avoid diseases you need:

1. control the intensity of irrigation;
2. water the plant strictly away from the stems on free ground;
3. parts of the plant on which external damage is visible must be immediately removed and destroyed, and the place of cuts and breaks must be processed;
4. conduct periodic disinfection of the soil with a solution of a specialized agent - Fundazole.

Gerbera is also susceptible to pest attacks. Most often attacked:

• Whitefly - a tiny insect, multiplies very quickly, the pest larvae attack the leaves, they first turn yellow quickly, and then completely crumble.

  In the fight against the pest, drugs containing perimethrin are harmful. Spray a diseased plant every three days until the pest is completely destroyed.

• Spider mite - envelops the ground part of the plant with a cobweb, eats the juice of stems and leaves, the plant dries up and dies.

  To get rid of the pest, you need to regularly wash the leaves with a soapy solution. Carry out treatment with insecticides - Fitoverm, Antiklesh, Fufanon, Actellik. The tick does not tolerate air humidity; active spraying of the room in a room with a plant will be effective in controlling.

• Aphid - an insect invisible to the eye, affects young shoots and unblown buds.

  To combat the pest, a solution of anabazine sulfate or nicotine sulfate is good in a proportion of 1 gram per 1 liter of water.

Propagation Features

Gerbera can be propagated in three ways:

• cuttings;
• seeds;
• division of the bush.

Cuttings

For cuttings propagation, it is worth following the algorithm of actions:

1. From the uterine rhizome, you need to separate the part with two to three leaves.
2. Each sheet must be shortened by one third of their main length.
3. These prepared cuttings are planted in separate pots, as a full-fledged independently plant.
4. The young plant must always be in a moistened substrate.
5. The air temperature in the room should not fall below +23 C.

Seeds

To propagate the plant through seeds, it is worth acting according to the scheme:

1. In March, the seeds are sown in a slightly acidic earthen mixture, they are not crushed and deepened, but only slightly sprinkled on top of the ground.
2. You can close the pot with plastic or plastic film to create a greenhouse effect.
3. Periodically, an imaginary greenhouse needs to be torn off and ventilated.
4. Seeds need to be watered with a sufficient amount of warm and soft water, but it is also worth remembering about the possible stagnation of water.
5. The first sprouts appear after 25-30 days, then you can completely remove the film.
6. After 3 weeks, when the young plants get stronger, they can be dived into separate pots.
7. It is worth paying due attention and proper care to young sprouts, and after 10 months they will surprise their households with the first flowers.

Dividing the bush

To propagate a gerbera by dividing an adult bush, you need:

1. Remove the plant very carefully from the pot, without exerting any pressure on the root system.
2. Separating the bush, it is necessary to leave two or three growth points on each independent part.
3. If there are flowers on the bush, then they must be removed.
4. Lightly cut the roots, dry all sections and disinfect with wood ash.
5. Plant each new bush in your pot, while the growth points remain on the surface.
6. Rooting lasts for a month, during this period it is worth avoiding the use of fertilizers and controlling sufficient watering.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the care and reproduction of gerbera. If you carefully study all the subtleties of this plant, then at home you can independently create a whole greenhouse with these beautiful specimens. Any kind of pink gerbera, with proper care, will delight the flowering of its lovers for a long time.

Watch the video: How to Care for Gerber Daisies (November 2024).