How To Grow A Jameson Gerbera In An Apartment Or Office

Sunny chamomile on the windowsill

The sun is a rare guest on these short winter days, and without it, the mood is unimportant, which has been proven by science. But you can try to have your own sun, which will shine from morning to evening, and decorate the house, warming it with its warm rays-petals of luxurious bright chamomile inflorescences.

Features of culture

This miracle growing in a pot called Gerbera Jameson (Gerbera jamesonii), or Transvaal Daisy. It is this species that is usually grown indoors. She comes from Asia and Africa.

The Gerbera genus has more than 100 species of herbaceous plants with rather large, lanceolate, deep-lobed leaves, silky to the touch. Outwardly, the leaves resemble dandelion leaves, which is not surprising - they are related to the Asteraceae family (now Aster).

Gerbera Jameson is a herbaceous rhizomatous perennial, it forms a dense rosette of leaves pubescent from below, about 20 cm high. But there are varieties with peduncles 30-40 cm long and magnificent large chamomile-shaped inflorescences of white, orange, pink, cream, golden yellow, red petals »- reed flowers and a yellow or colored center of densely seated tubular flowers. Reed flowers can be arranged in one or two or more rows, and a row of shortened petals of the basic color can border the central disc, which makes the inflorescence even more decorative. Terry forms of gerbera were also bred. Some of the tubular central flowers adjacent to the reed flowers may have their own color, and when opened, they appear fluffy, which gives these elegant flower discs a special beauty and sophistication.

Miniature varieties of these plants appeared in our everyday life not so long ago, although luxurious cut gerberas are well known to flower lovers.

Cut gerberas for better preservation in the bouquet need internal support of the stem: a thin wire with a curved tip is carefully inserted into the hollow stem in order not to damage the walls of the stem. Recently, the peduncles have been strengthened more easily: they pierce the receptacle with a wire, fix it with a loop, and then wrap the entire stem with wire. Water is poured into a third of the height of the vase and special means are added to it to preserve the bouquet (or a tablet of activated carbon, 0.1 g of boric acid or potassium permanganate per 1 liter of water). As the tissues of the peduncle soften in water, it is taken out, washed under running water, the cut is renewed with a sharp clean knife and immediately placed in a vase with settled water thoroughly washed with hot water and soap.

Gerbera in indoor floriculture

In southern Europe and in our south, gerbera is grown in the open field. In the middle lane, it will not bloom as abundantly in the garden as in the southern regions, and in the fall it will have to be dug up and, without shaking off the ground, with a lump of rhizomes placed in a box with sawdust or peat, stored in a cool place (+ 4 … + 5 ° C), like dahlias. Gerbera is grown industrially for cutting in greenhouses, up to 10 years in one place in racks with a depth of at least 30 cm, while annually replacing the top ten-centimeter layer of soil.

This information is also useful for indoor floriculture: miniature gerberas can be grown in large flat containers, pots and flowerpots, creating compositions of several varieties with various colors and shapes of inflorescences. For the indoor garden, the pot culture is most practical. Potted gerberas can be buried in the ground of a large flowerpot, creating an interesting composition in a bright, spacious room. As arranging plants, ivy, variegated scindapsus, ivy-leaved budra, petiolate cumin, tradescantia, zebrina, gelxine with the smallest rounded leaves, ceropegia with grayish patterned leaves or filamentous shoots are used. All of the listed types of ornamental deciduous plants have an ampelous shape, so some of the stems can be placed around the perimeter of the flowerpot where the gerberas are located. On the wet surface of the soil, the lashes will take root, give new shoots, which will effectively hang over the edge of the flowerpot.

Growing gerbera seeds

Most often, we buy a blooming gerbera in a flower shop, they sell it almost all year round. Its seeds can also be purchased there. They are sown in the spring in a moist, loose mixture of sand and peat superficially, slightly pressing the seeds to the ground and sprinkling them with the same mixture, cover with glass or film and put in a warm place until shoots appear. You can also sow freshly harvested seeds from your potted specimen (their germination persists for three months).

The offspring may not be quite similar to the "parent", but rather interesting and unexpectedly decorative. Crops are kept at a temperature of + 18 … 20 ° C, shading them with a sheet of paper from the direct rays of the sun. Seedlings appear in 10-12 days. The shelter is slightly opened, the seedlings are ventilated and by all means maintain an even moderate soil moisture. With the appearance of true leaves, the seedlings dive at a distance of 2-5 cm, keep warm in diffused light.

In the phase of 5-6 leaves, they are planted in pots with a diameter of 7 cm or in the soil of a greenhouse or winter garden. In the south, flowering of seedlings occurs in the first year of life, in the north - in the second after sowing. In general, the natural cycle of gerbera flowering lasts from spring to late autumn, followed by a period of relative dormancy until the next spring. At this time, watering is reduced and feeding is stopped.

The substrate for planting young gerberas from seedlings or divided parts of an adult bush is made up of a mixture of turf, leaf and humus soil (2: 1: 1) with the addition of sand, perlite, lime peat for lightness, better air and water permeability (pH 6.5) … When planting young plants, it is convenient and economical to fill the earthen mixture with full long-acting AVA fertilizer with nitrogen at the rate of 3-5 g per plant (one third or half a teaspoon). You can add AVA-N capsules to each pot at the rate of no more than three capsules per 1 liter of substrate, practically one capsule per pot with a diameter of 10-15 cm. After three months, feeding should be repeated while the gerbera continues to bloom.

Vegetative propagation

Particularly valuable gerbera varieties are propagated only vegetatively. In early spring, a three to four-year-old overgrown bush is divided, and you can not pull it out of the pot, but carefully dig out and cut off part of the rhizome with 2-3 sprouts, sprinkling the remaining recess with fresh substrate. At the same time, it is beneficial to add AVA capsules or granules to enhance nutrition and promote growth of the mother plant. A capsule or a pinch of granules of the long-acting AVA complex fertilizer is also added to a small pot with a young, separated gerbera. Further care will consist in regular watering of the plants, while neither overdrying nor overmoistening of the substrate should be allowed. If by chance the soil has dried up (this often happens with a newly purchased gerbera in a peat substrate), the pot is completely immersed in warm, settled water and left in it for up to half an hour,then they are taken out and allowed to drain without delay (in a sink, for example).

Care

The gerbera, like all indoor plants, is watered with warm water that has been settled for 12-24 hours so that tap chlorine, which is toxic to plants, has time to evaporate. Usually, plastic bottles or watering cans are kept near the radiator. After watering, they are refilled and kept for the same time.

In winter, with the beginning of plant growth, propagation by rhizome cuttings is practiced. To do this, knock the plant out of the pot, carefully release it from the ground and cut short cuttings from the rhizomes, each of which should have 1-2 leaves. The leaf blades are shortened by a third of their length to reduce moisture evaporation during rooting. Cuttings are planted tightly in a light moist nutrient mixture with the addition of perlite, peat, sand, covered with a foil and placed in a warm place with lower heating (+ 18 … + 20 ° C). Rooting takes place within a month, after which young plants are planted in separate small pots. Some specimens of such cuttings bloom gerberas in the same year.

When propagating gerberas, the method of leaf grafting is also used, when the leaf is cut out with a piece of the stem ("heel"), while using the stimulants of root formation (root, etc.). Rooting is carried out in the warmth under cover with a transparent glass, film, placing a pot with a light substrate of peat and perlite in a transparent plastic bag.

Where is the best place to place a gerbera? The origin of the species dictates its requirements for environmental conditions. It needs a warm sunny place, but not in direct light, at an even temperature of + 20 … + 22 ° C, sufficient moisture in the soil and air around the plants (spraying on the leaves), good drainage. During the period of relative dormancy, plants need a temperature of + 8 … + 10 ° C, semi-dry content. The leaves turn yellow at this time, dry up - they must be removed immediately.

With the resumption of growth and the appearance of buds, watering is increased. If you notice that the roots appear from the drainage holes, it means that the dishes have become small, and you need to transfer to a larger bowl or divide the bush. For abundant flowering, do not forget to apply a complex fertilizer to the soil, preferably long-acting AVA in any form: capsules, powder with nitrogen, granules without nitrogen and chlorine. If you do not use a long-acting fertilizer (from 3 months in the form of capsules to 2 years in the form of granules), then during the period of growth and flowering, you will have to apply liquid top dressing every 10-12 days with any complex fertilizers (Kemira, Uniflor-bud, Uniflor-growth and etc.). With an excess of nitrogen, gerbera can infect aphids, which can be washed off with soapy water, covering with an earthen lump.

Miniature gerberas are a truly precious gift from breeders and growers for all flower lovers. Modern varieties of it can bloom almost all year round, including in winter, which is especially valuable. Even more important is the ability of a potted gerbera to bloom profusely in the north window, even without additional lighting in the dark period of the year. An easy respite in flowering - and young leaves, buds reappear, the blooming holiday continues!