Gerbera

These are from the sunflower family and are one the most common ornamental plants available. The flower centre is black in colour. It may also have petals of different colour in the same flower. It has been named after the great German naturalist Traugott gerber. Gerbera is a species of the African flowering plants’ family Asteraceae. Gerbera contains natural occurring derivatives of coumarin. Gerbera is available in many forms and in a variety of colours. They are one of the most beautiful flowers that exist on this earth.

Gerberas have a long vase life; they are great flowers for adding colour to our lives. They measure around 7 inches and they can be used in landscapes as beading plants for borders and flower beds. Gerberas are flowering plants which are perennial in nature. They have a very large capitulum’s, having a two lipped florets. It has the appearance of a single flower but actually it is a hundred single flowers combined into one great entity known to laymen as the gerbera.

Cultivation: Most inexpensive way to produce gerbera is by planting a seed obtained from a known supplier. Seeds should first be germinated in a growing medium that is artificial. It can be placed in flats or pots having drainage holes. After seeds are planted and watered cover the container with a glass or plastic sheet. The medium must not be allowed to dry when the seeds are germinating and should always be watered.

Propagation: The three finest ways of obtaining Gerbera can be:

Seed Planting - planting seeds is a very simple process. Shake the dried flowers by the book onto a piece of paper and separate the seeds from the flower head.

Soft Tip Cutting – this technique is often called as the most suited technique by many biologists and naturalists alike. The catch to this technique is that the tip needs to be cut very softly since this is the softest and the most sensitive part of the flower and needs to be treated very gently just like the mother treats a newborn baby.

Clump Division – The most accepted and arguably the best method in today’s era is clump division. The flower is divided from the area where it forms a bunch or clump.

Varieties: There are more than 30 varieties of gerbera flowers including galpinii, the famous gerbera ambiqua, gerbera crocea, gerbera linnaei, gerbera seratta, gerbera tomentosa, and gerbera viridifolia.

Gerberas are very trouble-free to produce with negligible water necessities and soil-preferences. Gerbera flowers can even be found in dry, rocky areas. High-quality soils do give the paramount growth but good results can be seen in poor, sandy soils as well. Notably, full sun is favoured and the flowers remain closed in dreary environment.

Disease and Cure: There are many insects and diseases that could come in the way of your gerbera planting experience. A few common insects associated with the plantation of gerberas are Aphids, grey mildew, leaf miner, leaf spots, thrips, white fly etc.

The best way to protect your plantation from these insects is by spraying the required disinfectants and using the necessary fertilizers as and when required.

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