Gerbera: Bright and cheerful flower used in bouquet – Details and care tips

Photo by form PxHere

Gerbera daisies are commonly grown for their daisy-like flowers which are bright and cheerful. There are several cultivars of gerbera daisy available, bred for their color and floral form (single, double, or multiple petals). Gerbera is commonly used as a decorative garden plant or cut flowers and is very common. The domesticated cultivars benefit mainly from a hybrid between Gerbera jamesonii and Gerbera viridifolia species. They are commercially important, and it is the fifth commercially used cut flower in the world.

Quick Details of Gerbera

Gerbera Buying Instructions

• Plant should have lots of buds.
• Buy couple of plants of multiple varieties.
• Buy a healthy fresh plant.

Overview of Gerbera

They belong to the family of Asteraceae. Gerbera species contain a large capitulum in yellow, orange, white, pink, or red colors with striking two-lipped ray florets. The capitulum, which has the appearance of a single flower, consists of hundreds of individual flowers. The flower heads can be as small as 7 cm in diameter (Gerbera mini ‘Harley’) or as high as 12 cm (Gerbera ‘Golden Serena’). Gerbera is a perennial, tender herb that is a native of South Africa, America, and Asia and comes in various sizes and colors including blue, purple, salmon, orange, and green. It is used in the study of flower formation as a model organism. Gerbera produces naturally occurring coumarin derivatives.

Special feature:

According to NASA the plants have an ability to clear the air surrounding them. The flower symbolises beauty and innocence. It is also used as a sample to study the flower arrangement.

Usage and Advantage of Gerbera

• It is mainly grown as an ornamental plant.
• It is one of the common cut plants.
• The flowers are used for decorations.

General Care for Gerbera

Soil: The plants prefer sandy soil.

Water: Deeply water the plant’s once a week. The water should enter deep inside as the roots of gerbera can penetrate deep into the soil. During summers, it is preferred to water the plants twice a week.

Light: Gerbera prefers direct sunlight in the morning and shade in the afternoon. During summers, they require a minimum of 2-3 hours of shade. When putting the gerbera indoors, make sure that you put it next to a window. In the case of newly sown seeds, bright indirect light is preferred.

Pruning: Prune the floral stem to where it emerges from the leaves as soon as gerbera blooms start to wilt. The pruning before the falling of the flower prevents the formation of seeds thus increasing the blooming time.

Fertilizers: The plants are sturdy and can grow with little care. However, the addition of compost helps in improving the floral growth. The addition of a normal house plant fertilizer during replanting or sowing of seeds helps in the growth of a healthier plant.

Pests and other problems for Gerbera

The gerbera plants are commonly attacked by aphids which can be reduced using soap water or pesticides.

The flowers and leaves can be affected by grey mildew. This happens when the conditions are humid or in the presence of excess water. When the flowers are infected with mildew, brown spots develop which appear to grow after the flowers have been selected.

Control: The affected parts can be left to dry. Stop making the leaves wet when the plants are watered to avoid the production of mildew.in the case of greenhouses proper aeration helps in controlling the mildew.

Propagation of Gerbera

The best time to grow daisies are during the spring. Propagation can be done through seeds, division, or seedlings. The method of division of the plant and growth from the seedling helps in choosing the type of plant needed and increasing their number. Seed propagation is the cheapest method. However, the seeds tend to lose their viability if not sown immediately and not all seeds selected will be viable and produce offspring.