Gerbera Jamesona - Gerbera jamesonii
In recent years, gerbera flowers are in great demand in addition to roses and carnations. It owes its success to beautiful flowers colored in pastel shades of yellow, pink, salmon, or orange. They are large with a diameter of up to 15 cm, embedded on the stems 40-50 cm in length. Leaves 15-25 cm long, pinnate, long-tailed, they are hairy on the underside.
Multiplication: Gerbera can be propagated by dividing well-formed plants or by sowing seeds.
When multiplied by division, 6-8 young plants can be obtained from one mother plant. We make the division in June-July. First, the removed shoots are planted in the multiplier, and only after rooting well in the greenhouse beds. By using this method of reproduction, we can be sure that the obtained plants will have the same colored flowers as the mother plants., but this method is rarely used by us.
Seeds should be sown immediately after receipt, because they lose their germination strength after 6 weeks from harvest. Sowing time is usually December-January or July-August. We sow into boxes filled with leaf soil mixed with peat and sand in proportion 2:1:1. The soil must be moderately moist, and the temperature kept at 20-25 °. Under these conditions, the seeds should germinate after 7-10 days. We quilt the seedlings into boxes filled with steamed-up soil with the addition (1/5) peat and sand, using a 4X4 cm spacing. They should be placed shallow, so that the cotyledons are above the ground.
Further nursing. After 6-8 weeks, the plants are planted in pots with a diameter of 8-10 cm in this mixture, what was used for quilting. All this time we water very moderately and carefully so as not to flood the center of the plant. During the day, we maintain the temperature of 20 °, and at night 16 °. Once the gerbera has been planted in pots, it will begin to grow again, we fertilize it every 2 weeks with a solution of the mixture "Flora" (20 dkg of "Flory" dissolved in 10 l of water).
Gerbera grows slowly. Usually 4-5 months in pots, until it grows well, and will even start developing flower buds. Then we plant it in a greenhouse on raised beds of 35-45 cm, due to the deep root system. The soil must be permeable with a pH close to 6, moderately rich in nutrients. So we apply 2 parts of compost land or 1 the sectional part i 1 part of the turf mixed with 2 parts of peat and 1 part of the clay. Lime the peat for a long time before adding it to the soil, giving 2-3 kg of calcium carbonate per 1 m3 torfu. We process the mixture with well-distributed manure, giving 2-3 m3 of manure per 100 m3 of land.
Due to the fact that gerbera is easily mastered by dangerous parasitic fungi, the soil must be steamed beforehand. If we intend to grow in peat only, then we fill the beds to the depth with it 50 cm. We plant the plants shallow, so that the root collar is above the ground, keeping the distance 35 X 35 cm. It is highly recommended to cover the soil with a 5-6 cm thick layer of coarse grain, washed sand. An important care procedure is proper watering. The soil must be moist, but we water carefully, so that the water does not get into it, inside the plant - it is best to pour water into the grooves along the beds between the plants. In summer, in hot weather, greenhouses should be shaded, and flood the passages and walls with water, the plants themselves should only be gently sprayed.
In the autumn - in November and December - we put the gerbera into a state of rest and then we limit watering and keep the temperature within 10-12 °. From January, when the sun begins to shine more strongly, the temperature is initially raised to 18-20 °, then up to 20-25 °. Of course, as the temperature rises, we water the plants more often.
During the period of growth, i.e.. from January to the end of September, Gerbera is systematically fertilized every 10-14 days with the following mixture: 0,5 kg of ammonium sulfate, 1 kg superphosphate i 0,5 potassium sulfate on 100 m2. Once a month, instead of this mixture, we use the "Micro" fertilizer by dissolving 20 dkg w 10 l of water - on 100 plants.
Growing gerbera in peat, we feed the plants every 2-3 weeks, excluding the winter months and the dormant period, solution: 2 g of calcium nitrate, 1 g superphosphate, 2 g of potassium sulfate per 10 l of water.
Plants attacked by parasitic fungi, with signs of wilting or browning or a rotting root collar with a lump of earth, and spray the places after them with fungicides, e.g. Copper, Sadoplonem, Cynkotex or sublimate solution (5 g na 10 l of water). To prevent the development of diseases, gerbera co 10 we spray the days with one of the aforementioned agents. You should also watch, that pests do not appear, like a spider mite, greenhouse whitefly or aphids , and fight them immediately.
Gerbera stays in the greenhouse for 3-4 years and provides flowers all this time. One well-branching plant per year can be obtained 14, and even more flowers. We do not cut flowers with a knife, but we twist them at the base of the stem. The most appropriate time to cut flowers is in the morning, and the most appropriate phase - when the flowers are fully developed, and the pollen starts to come out of the anthers. When preparing flowers for transport, they are wrapped in tissue paper to protect them from damage. After long transport, the stems should be trimmed under water, Wrap in damp paper and put deep into the water, make them firm.
The gerbera flowers in the vase stay fresh for 10 days or more, but they must be properly cared for, namely, their stems should not be dipped deeply in the water, but only pour it up to a height of 5-8 cm. The water must be changed daily, and trim the ends of the stems.