A Complete Guide: How to Grow Gerbera Indoors
Gerbera has an important place as a decorative flower, besides, gerbera is also widely used as a flower to keep in a vase at home.
With stems, gerbera daisies can grow 6 to 18 inches flowers and come in beautiful bright colors such as pink, white, yellow, red, orange and lavender.
These flowers also have to wait for the first frost to grow or they can also be used as indoor plants. These flowers prefer good sunlight and well-fertilized soil.
If you want to grow gerbera, then you need to pay attention to some of the following things.
- As mentioned earlier, this flower prefers full sunlight and good-quality fertile soil.
- Gerbera can also be grown from seeds. You can also buy it from a nursery
History and species:
Gerbera is considered a native species of flowers of South Africa. These flowers are not only used as an ornamental plant in gardens but also as a decoration for your home on special occasions.
These flower varieties, which are usually 12 inches long, look very attractive in appearance.
In addition, due to their property of staying fresh for a very long time, they are also very popular as flowers placed in vases. In almost all countries of the world, they are grown as both “Annual” and “Perennial” and flowers are produced.
Appearance of Gerbera:
As mentioned earlier, gerbera is a native South African species and is the first choice of plant growers outside and inside the house due to its bright and cheerful appearance.
It looks attractive in appearance with its main colors pink, white, yellow, orange and salmon colors. It is 2 to 3 inches in diameter and is mainly used as decoration materials to welcome guests, in public programs, etc.
In other details, it is one of the most popular flowers sold in flower shops. Gerbera has various names such as Barberton daisy, transvaal daisy etc.
Gerbera jamesonii can be taken as a variety of gerbera that flowers for two to three years and this species gives good results in sandy soil.
The flowering period is summer and spring. If the main varieties are mentioned, then
- Spider type
- Mini type
- Standard type can be considered.
Sowing:
For sowing, the soil has to be made suitable for sowing by adding natural fertilizers such as green vegetable waste, dry leaf litter, manure etc. and then proper water has to be arranged in it.
Apart from this, holes should also be arranged in the bottom of the plant pot for water drainage so that the soil in the flower pot remains normal moisture but does not remain too wet because doing so may cause the seeds or plants to be destroyed.
Gerbera can grow in any place where fertile soil or even sandy soil can give good results, but it should also be kept in mind that it should be provided with gentle morning sunlight and some shade during the afternoon.
If you are bringing the plant from a nursery:
If you are bringing the plant from a nursery, you should gently remove all the objects around it so that its delicate roots are not damaged in any way.
After that, the entire plant should be planted in a previously prepared pit or soil and filled with soil around it. In addition, water should be sprinkled and moistened so that the moisture level in the soil is maintained.
If you do not have a proper water drainage system, you can use flower beds, plant pots or other containers.
Pests and diseases:
Anthracnose:
The symptoms of this disease will be visible on examination, and brown spots will be visible around the leaves and also in the flowers. Gradually, the leaves and flowers will dry up and fall off.
Remedy:
Remove the affected part and spray the appropriate medicine.
Root rot:
This disease appears in the initial stage and this disease is caused by a pathogen called Pythium irregulare and Rhizoctonia solani and as a result the plant is destroyed.
Powdery mildew: This is a disease found on plants of all common species and is the most serious of all diseases, and it is a major reason for the decrease in the production of gerbera every year.
Pests:
(1) White fly: This pest damages the branches, leaves and then the entire plant. This pest comes from the environment and then starts attacking the gerbera plant. This pest usually affects greenhouses more.
(2) Leaf miner: This type of pest develops on the plant itself and the developed pests hollow out the stem and inner part of this plant and destroy the entire resistance capacity of the plant.
(3) Aphids: These pests suck the leaves and flowers and destroy all their strength and finally they turn yellow and that part falls off.
Some suggestions are given by experienced people on how to take care of Gerbera, such as its resistance to fungal diseases is low, but old indigenous varieties have good resistance to it.
- It is advisable to water in the morning because in the afternoon heat, there is a possibility of leaves and flowers falling due to the scorching heat, besides, it also protects against fungal diseases.
- For this, you can add liquid fertilizer such as fish water etc. or you can also use neem oil etc.
How to plant in a plant pot:
If you have brought the gerbera plant directly from the local nursery, then you should carefully remove the thin covering around the plant pot so that its delicate roots are not damaged and there should be a distance of 30 to 40 centimeters between two gerberas.
It should be sown in well-fertilized soil and water should be sprinkled on top. If the soil does not contain the required salts, then add as needed. Natural fertilizer will be a suitable option.
Deadheading:
Plucking or removing the front or top part of the gerbera plant makes the gerbera plant grow stronger and increases the number of flowers. It is important to remember that the height of the plant should be about 20 inches.
Finally, a caution:
When the seeds are in their germinated state or are in the process of germinating, snails and slugs can cause serious damage to them.
Gerbera plants also need water like other flowering plants, but excessive watering can cause fungal diseases to appear on the leaves, and also diseases in its roots.
In the winter season, excessive frosts can seriously affect Gerbera, so the best option is to keep the plant pot indoors throughout the winter or keep it on the balcony of the house etc. where frost is not affected.
From the perspective of growers and sellers:
You know that gerbera is world famous for its attractive and beautiful appearance.
It looks attractive due to its availability in various colors, and thin beautiful stems, so it is an ornament of gardens for people.
For growers and sellers in nurseries, there is often a great demand from customers for plants of this species. Apart from this, it is also necessary for them to maintain the high quality of the plants.
Different species such as Syngenta Flowers and Bengal species gerbera varieties are the most popular varieties.
Usually, these varieties are sold in nurseries by nursery owners in 6-inch plant pots. Among the above two varieties, Bengal gerbera attracts attention with its strong and sturdy appearance. Its main varieties are as follows
Fertilizer:
Gerbera plants are delicate in appearance and their flowers are very attractive, but this plant also needs a special amount of fertilizer.
The period for gerbera plants is from spring to late summer. If you are cultivating gerbera, then when the plant is in its growth stage, you should give it a balanced fertilizer containing 150 to 200 ppm nitrogen.
In addition, Magnesium, sulphate, etc. should also be given every three to four weeks. This will increase the greenery of the plant, the strength, shine and height and girth of the plant will be noticeable.
It takes about 3 to 4 months for the crop to be fully ready, in the Bengal gerbera species is the most suitable plant for cultivation in terms of care and maintenance.
There is a maximum possibility of 3 to 5 flowers on a plant, besides its thick branches can give better results and beautiful, shiny flowers sit on it in large quantities.
Climate and temperature:
Mostly gerbera can grow easily in any climate or continental terrain, but if the conditions are very harsh, such as frequent frosts or frequent storms or windy conditions, in such a situation, it would be good to provide shade to the plant or provide shelter from other trees or leaves or wood.
Low production of flowers:
From the perspective of a farmer, producing good gerbera flowers is a natural thing, but if we think about the main reasons behind low production, then it affects the farmer’s income and he will be able to sell fewer flowers in the local flower market. The reasons for this are as follows.
Gerbera plants are planted too deep so that it takes more time to grow and the plant does not grow strong and the production of gerbera is also less due to insufficient sunlight.
Final precautions:
- Gerbera can grow easily in sandy soil and in areas with full sunlight. Just adding a little fertilizer can make it grow strong, but if it is planted too deep, it will be harmful to gerbera.
- Excessive water does not suit gerbera. Similarly, drying of the soil or soil without water will also reduce its green color and the leaves will start turning yellow.
- It is necessary for Gerbera plants to maintain the right amount of salts in the soil. If the amount of the above salts is low, then natural fertilizers can be used.
- Using liquid fertilizers in other fertilizers will strengthen its roots.
- Watering in the morning will prevent gerbera leaves from turning yellow and the possibility of fungal diseases will be minimal.