How to care for gerbera at home

Gerberas grow only in gardens and greenhouses? No, beautiful orange or red inflorescences can decorate the windows of a city apartment if you buy indoor varieties of a flower. Mini-versions of the plant reach a height of 25-30 cm and annually throw one or more buds. Caring for an exotic gerbera is not more difficult than for anthurium or orchid, and sometimes much easier.

Getting to know your new home

The adult plant is sold in specialized stores and even large supermarkets. You want to immediately drink the gerbera you have drunk with warm water and put it in the most visible place so that it becomes the main decoration of the house, but the flower must first adapt to the new place of residence.

The first 3-4 days should refrain from watering. The plant takes the necessary moisture from the soil, and an excess of water can cause decay of the lower leaves or the appearance of a fungus. A gerbera is transplanted in only two cases:

• when the soil is infected with pests;
• if the pot is too small and the root system peeks out of the ground.

It is possible to transfer the flower to a new container in 1.5–2 weeks after adaptation, when the plant gets used and gets stronger. Do not forget that on a gerbera brought from a nursery or a supermarket, spider mites or other insects sometimes live. Pests are dangerous for other indoor flowers, so the new tenant is carefully inspected and isolated for about a week.

Light and temperature

On which windowsill to put a pot of bright flowers? In summer, the east or west side will do. The plant will receive enough soft light and heat. In winter, gerberas are transferred to sunny southern windows, but the northern ones are not suitable for growing an exotic beauty. They are too cold and shaded, so you will have to install phytolamps or ordinary tabletops to compensate for the lack of natural light.

In summer, the gerbera needs to be shaded from the midday sun:

• move to a table near the window;
• close the blinds so that diffused light falls on the windowsill;
• put under a tall spreading tree if the plant is on the street.

The sun from May to September bakes strongly enough to burn the delicate leaves of the plant, leaving ugly yellow spots on the green surface. Daily contact with ultraviolet light is stress for an exotic beauty who can seriously get sick or even wither.

At the same time, the gerbera needs the sun, because without it it is not able to form buds and bloom. The plant feels comfortable when the length of daylight is from 10 to 12 hours. Therefore, in winter, the exotic beauty goes into hibernation mode, and in the spring it activates and begins to build up green mass.

How to water a gerbera

Subtropics are considered the birthplace of a bright flower, where it is constantly warm and rainy.The plant loves water, but in moderation. In summer, gerbera is watered three times a week, in spring and autumn it is reduced to 2 times.

In winter, a tropical beauty can do without water for a long time. When the room is +12, moisture becomes a dangerous enemy of gerbera, because the risk of infection with a fungus increases. In winter, the flower is watered as necessary, when the upper and middle layers of the soil dry out.

It is impossible that the irrigation liquid gets into a leaf outlet or on inflorescences. Water droplets accumulate and create the conditions for the development of fungus and root rot. It is difficult to get rid of diseases, gardeners have to change the soil and the pot or throw away a gerbera if it is not treatable.

Water intended for irrigation of an exotic beauty is upheld for 2-3 days in glass jars or plastic buckets. The liquid must be warmed up to + 32–37 degrees. Gently poured into the ground or into the pan, from which the flower will take as much moisture as it needs. Water cannot stagnate at the bottom of the pot. Gerbera absorbs moisture in 30–40 minutes. The remaining liquid, which turned out to be superfluous, must be carefully drained. If this is not done, a fungus will start in the pan, which will destroy the root system.

In summer, it is useful to spray the green top from the spray gun. In a similar way, the upper layer of the earth with the root system is moistened. Gerbera does not like dry air, because of which its leaves and inflorescences become pale and inexpressive. To maintain an optimal level of humidity, it is recommended to place bowls or large mugs filled with water next to the pot.

Tip: If the lower leaves of the gerbera began to rot, you should reduce watering and stop spraying the plant. The earth is dry but the problem has not disappeared? Either the flower was affected by rot or pests, or you need to carefully filter the water for irrigation.

Mineral complexes

Gerbera does not tolerate organics. Fertilizers made from cow dung, bird droppings or humus will only harm the flower. Slaked lime, compost or wood ash will not work. Only mineral complexes. Universal varieties are recommended for any indoor flowers, or special options exclusively for exotic gerberas.

During the formation of buds, the plant is fed with nitrogenous compounds, which include:

• ammonium sulfate;
• urea;
• ammonium nitrate.

The classic version of nitrogenous fertilizer is urea. Mineral dressing is applied 3-4 times a month, but after the inflorescences are opened, it is necessary to switch to complex options for indoor flowers. Such fertilizers are used in a similar manner.

Crystals or powder should be dissolved in water for irrigation. The soil is pre-moistened so that the fertilizer does not burn the root system. Use only a weak solution, concentrated can poison the gerbera.

Soil for an exotic plant

The tropical flower is constantly growing, and once the pot becomes too small for its dense root system. We have to look for a new house for gerbera and prepare a nutritious substrate. What should it be like?

The main thing is that the soil:

• let air through;
• It was permeable;
• sterile
• with a pH level of 5.5 to 6.

Gerbera, located in too acidic soil, does not absorb useful elements and dies.

There are several options for a substrate for growing an exotic flower:

1. Horse peat without additives. It is quite acidic and contains many useful components.
2. Leafy ground with sand or moss, which is called sphagnum. Be sure to mix with peat or commercial phosphoric acid to increase the pH of the substrate.
3. Suitable for growing gerbera and small perlite, which allows the root system to breathe.Horse peat is added to the synthetic base as a source of nutrients.
4. Needles or coconut substrate can improve water permeability. Do not add compost or humus to the gerbera soil.

If the soil has become too acidic due to peat, a little chalk should be added to it. Soddy or leafy soil must be steamed to disinfect and destroy weed seeds. An alternative to heat treatment is pesticides. Solutions of formalin (5%) or carbation (2%) are recommended. A classic option for disinfecting the earth is potassium permanganate. It is weaker than synthetic pesticides, therefore, it is recommended to treat the soil with a concentrated solution of a dark pink or purple hue.

After disinfection, the earth is combined with peat and other components and insisted for several days. During this time, beneficial bacteria and nutrients will appear in the soil.

How to transplant a gerbera

The exotic plant must breathe, so the pot is chosen from ceramics or clay. Gerbera, transplanted into too large a container, spends energy and nutrients on the development of the root system, so the plant does not throw buds for 1–2 years. The flower feels comfortable in a pot with a diameter of 25 cm and a depth of 30–35 cm. The upper part should be slightly wider than the lower.

Cover the bottom of the tank with a centimeter layer of drainage:

• crushed clay shards;
• broken brick;
• pieces of foam;
• small expanded clay.

Half fill the pot with substrate. Remove the gerbera from the old container without separating the earthen lump from the root system. Move the flower to a new clay house. Put in the center and sprinkle with soil. Make sure that the root head remains on the surface of the earth. If a little substrate has fallen onto a leaf outlet, gently sweep it with a brush or hand.

Gerbera are transplanted in the spring until the first buds appear. You can transfer the plant to another pot even after the flowers wither in July or November.

Breeding

Exotic flower grown from seed. Prepare nutritious soil from turf land, sand and peat, fall asleep in a wooden box. Spread the seeds, sprinkle with earth, moisten the substrate from the spray gun and cover with a plastic wrap. Young sprouts, which are over a month old, are transplanted into separate pots.

Gerberas aged 4–5 years and older can be divided into several bushes.

• Remove the plant from the pot, do not clear the earth.
• Gently split into 2-3 parts. Each should have its own growth point.
• Shorten the roots a bit, cut the flowers. To process open "wounds" with coal.
• Plant new bushes in pots with a substrate.

It remains to water and fertilize the gerbera so that they quickly take root and take root.

Disease

1. A spider mite appears due to insufficient watering and dry air. The flower must be sprayed from the spray, adding any fungicide to the water.
2. Aphids can attack a gerbera if it grows in the garden during the warmer months or stands on the balcony. The insect destroys the insecticides that process the stems and leaves.
3. White-winged flies start in the summer due to the heat and dry air. Actellik insecticide will cope with pests.
4. Gerbera, affected by white or gray mold, is isolated from other indoor flowers and treated with a solution of copper sulfate. Remove damaged leaflets and be sure to reduce watering.

Gerbera loves sunlight and warm water, a humid climate and can die from drafts. The flower is not whimsical, but needs constant care and maintenance. If you protect the plant from insects and mold, timely fertilize and remove dry leaves, an exotic beauty will become one of the main decorations of the apartment and a reason for pride.

Video: how to care for a room gerbera