Gerbera is a genus of flowering houseplants that are most often grown in the garden and cut, less often - as a home flower. For those who wish to grow a gerbera at home, it will be useful to know how to propagate it by seed.
Brief description of the plant
Gerbera is a perennial of small size - 25-30 cm. It has elongated pinnately dissected leaves, sharp at the ends. They are connected to a power outlet. The lower leaf plate is downy.
During flowering, the plant produces a peduncle about 50 cm long. The flowers are combined into single baskets, reaching from 5 to 25 cm across. In appearance they look like chamomiles. Their colors, depending on the variety, may be different. There are only blue and blue shades.
Petals are terry and simple. The duration of flowering is from August to November.
Did you know? Gerbera is one of the five best-selling flowers in the world. In front of her is a rose, carnation, chrysanthemum and tulip.
After flowering, seeds are formed on the plant containing small seeds weighing 0.002–0.003 g. Seed germination is 6 months.
Growing seedlings at home
It is advisable to rejuvenate Gerbera every 4 years, so when growing it, you should master the methods of reproduction: vegetative (dividing the bush and cuttings) or seed. The latter method is the most lengthy and time consuming. Flowering of a young plant occurs after 10-11 months.
Landing time
Sowing of seeds is carried out from February to March. It can also be produced directly after the collection of seed material with your own hands.
Landing tanks and soil
For planting, it is necessary to prepare special small and wide drawers and soil. The soil should be light, loose, nutritious. It can be composed of turf land (2 parts), leaf soil (1 part), humus (1 part), sand (1 part) or deciduous land (2 parts), sand (1 part). Soil acidity should be at the level of 5.5–6.5 pH.
After mixing, the substrate must be poured with a solution of potassium permanganate. Before laying it in the landing box, put a layer of drainage on the bottom.
Did you know? Gerbera organs, like all representatives of the aster family, contain coumarin derivatives - a substance that is used in perfumery to give a sweet, grassy-hay, tobacco flavor in 90% of perfume compositions.
Seed preparation
In order to get their own seeds, plants need to be pollinated artificially in August. After collecting the seeds, they are dried at a temperature of + 25 ... + 30 ° C and purification is carried out. After that, they are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate, and then soaked in warm water for several days and in a growth stimulator for several hours.
Sowing seeds
Seed material is laid out on the surface of moistened land according to a 2x2 scheme. A small layer of soil is poured on top. The box is covered with glass or film.
Further seedling care
The seed box must be placed in a place where the temperature is + 18 ... + 20 ° С and bright lighting. Before sprouting the sprouts, daily ventilation and regular moistening of the substrate from the spray gun is necessary.The emergence of seedlings occurs after 1-1.5 weeks. At this time, it is necessary to remove the shelter. When 4-5 leaves appear, you should pick in separate pots.
Planting in a separate pot
The transplantation of young plants must be carried out carefully so as not to damage their delicate terrestrial parts and root system. The first pot is selected with a diameter of 10 cm.
Optimal timing
Planting indoor gerberas in a separate container can be carried out at any time, except for the rest period. So you can achieve flowering plants at different times. It is advisable to transplant before the onset of heat so that the plant has time to adapt well to environmental conditions.
Seat selection
Landing soil can be purchased at the store. A universal substrate for flowering plants is suitable.Also, the soil mixture can be made independently from leaf soil (3 parts), peat chips (1 part), sand (1 part), charcoal (1 part) or fertile turf (4 parts), peat chips (2 parts), sphagnum moss (2 parts), pine bark (1 part). Hand-made soil must be sanitized.
Important! It is forbidden to add humus and compost to the ground. These components are able to burn the roots.
For growing room gerbera, you should choose a very bright place in the room. It is better to place it on the windowsill, facing west or east. When placed on the south window, you need a shade from direct sunlight. If you put the pot from the north, then you need to organize additional artificial lighting.
Recommended daylight hours are 10-12 hours.
Step-by-step transplantation scheme
Transplanting sprouts into permanent pots is as follows:
- A day before transplanting, moisten the soil well.
- At the bottom of the pot lay a drainage layer with a height of 20-30% of the entire pot.
- Sprinkle with a layer of prepared soil.
- Take out the sprouts from the ground, being careful not to destroy the earthen coma around the root system.
- Set each sprout in the center of the pot.
- Fill the voids with earth without falling asleep 1.5–2 cm from the top. The root neck should rise above the soil.
- Tamp the ground lightly.
- Hydrate.
Important! The soil should not fall into the leaf outlet when planting. This can lead to the development of diseases.
Care Features
The birthplace of gerbera is Africa and the tropics of Asia. As with any tropical plant, light, heat, high humidity and the absence of drafts are important for this flower. Leaving is not difficult and consists of standard procedures for indoor plants: moistening the soil and air, fertilizing, sanitary scraps, transplants.The optimum temperature during flowering is + 16 ... + 22 ° C. The flower does not tolerate heat. At other times, it is important to maintain the temperature at the level of + 14 ... + 16 ° С. The maximum low temperature threshold in winter is + 10 ° С. Drafts and sharp jumps in temperature are harmful to the flower. In the summer, it is advisable to place it in the fresh air.
Humidity should be increased - 70–80%. On hot days, spraying is mandatory. It is important to ensure that moisture does not get into leaf sockets and flower petals. Also, to maintain the necessary humidity parameters, the pot can be installed on a pallet with moistened pebbles or expanded clay or put a humidifier in the room.
Moisturize the soil often, but in moderation. The plant does not like droughts and does not tolerate bays. The next hydration should be done when the upper soil layer dries up, about 2-3 times a week, during the rest period - 1 time in 7-10 days.
Water must be poured strictly under the root, preventing it from falling into the outlet of the leaves, so as not to provoke the development of a fungal infection. You can also apply lower watering, not forgetting to drain unused water from the plant from the pan after 40 minutes.
Water for irrigation is drawn from under a water tap, and then it settles for 1-2 days or is passed through a filter, thus cleaning it from harmful impurities. Water should be warm, with a temperature of about + 20 ° C.AT growing season (from March to October) it is desirable to feed the plant. Apply complex fertilizers sold in stores: "Agricola", "Master", "Florovit". The dosage indicated in the instructions must be reduced by 2-3 times.
Forming pruning for a flower is not needed. It is only necessary to timely remove the yellowed, old, damaged leaves and faded inflorescences.
During the life of the gerbera will have to transplant 2-3 times. The procedure is planned for early spring. For transplanting, they acquire a new pot with a larger diameter than the previous one, 2-3 cm. It is better to choose ceramic pots. The transplantation is carried out by transshipment - the earthen lump is not destroyed when transferred to a new pot.
Gerbera transplant: video
So, gerbera is a beautiful flowering houseplant with a short life span. It can be propagated in several ways. The seed method is not the easiest and fastest. In addition, it does not guarantee good germination, since the plant is capricious, so the seed method for reproduction is better to use only with great desire.