Gerbera cultivation, planting, and propagation methods, including growing from seed and dealing with wilting

1. When caring for gerberas, pay special attention to the diseases that may affect them.

1. Phytophthora crown and root rot: The key to prevention and control is that continuous cropping soil must be disinfected with Vapam and formaldehyde, among others; see the instructions for use and dosage; plant shallowly, with the crown exposed about 1 cm above the surface; prevent the soil from becoming too wet. When soil taken from more than 10 cm below the surface cannot be formed into a ball after being squeezed firmly in the palm, it is time to water; in the early stage of the disease, part of the leaf blade turns red and wilting begins. Drench the roots with a 400-fold dilution of 58% fosetyl-Al plus mancozeb, then 7 days later drench the roots with a 500-fold dilution of 64% oxadixyl plus folpet wettable powder. Apply the pesticide in the early morning or evening when the temperature is low, and stop applying it when the temperature is above 28 degrees. Apply once every 7 days for 3 consecutive times.

2. Powdery mildew: The key to prevention and control is to keep the greenhouse ventilated and low in humidity; remove diseased leaves promptly; when the disease occurs, spray a 1500-fold dilution of 70% thiophanate-methyl, or use 20% Junke smoke for fumigation control, applying once every 7 days for 2-3 consecutive treatments. In addition, sulfur fumigation can be used for control: place 20-30 g of sulfur powder in each fumigator at a time, and after the curtains are lowered at 17:00 each day, keep the greenhouse sealed and energize the heater for 2 hours. Replace the sulfur powder once every 6 days, and continue fumigation for 15 consecutive days. During the powdery mildew outbreak period, fumigate for 8-10 hours daily, and the powdery mildew can be eliminated in about 10 days.

2. Temperature requirements. Cultivation facilities should be used to meet as far as possible the temperature requirements of gerberas during the seedling stage, growth stage, and flowering stage, so as to facilitate normal growth and flowering. Except in South China, they cannot overwinter outdoors and require greenhouse cultivation; outside the Yangtze River basin, they can be grown in unheated plastic tunnels. In summer, shade netting should be placed over the top of the tunnel, and the plastic film on both sides of the tunnel should be opened to lower the temperature. In winter, when the outdoor nighttime temperature approaches 0°C, the plastic film should be sealed tightly, and an additional layer of plastic film must be added inside the tunnel. On clear, warm days, open the film at the south end of the tunnel around noon for ventilation for about one hour.

3. Light requirements. Gerberas are light-loving flowers and need full light in winter, but in summer appropriate shading should be provided and ventilation strengthened to lower the temperature and prevent high temperatures from causing dormancy.

4. Watering requirements. After planting, during the seedling stage, the soil should be kept appropriately moist and the seedlings should be given a period of controlled water to promote root development and rapid establishment. During vigorous growth, an adequate water supply should be maintained, watering once every 3-4 days in summer and about once every half month in winter. When watering during the flowering period, be careful not to let water touch the center of the leaf rosette, to prevent the flower buds from rotting. In open-field cultivation, pay attention to preventing waterlogging. In addition, fertilization can be combined with watering.

5. Topdressing requirements. Gerberas are heavy-feeding perennial flowers with a high demand for fertilizer; the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the fertilizer is 15:18:25. When topdressing, special attention should be paid to supplementing potassium fertilizer. Generally, apply 2.5 kg of potassium nitrate and 1.2 kg of ammonium nitrate or ammonium phosphate per mu, once every 5-6 days in spring and autumn, and once every 10 days in winter and summer. If high temperatures or excessively low temperatures cause the plants to enter a semi-dormant state, stop fertilizing.

What to do if it wilts:

If the leaves of a potted gerbera wilt and it is not rescued in time, prolonged neglect often causes the plant to wither. If the rescue is done incorrectly, it can sometimes also cause the plant to die. The correct approach is: when leaf wilting is noticed, immediately move the flowerpot to a shady, cool place, spray some water on the leaves, and pour a small amount of water. Later, as the stems and leaves gradually regain their uprightness, gradually increase the amount of water. If too much water is poured all at once at this point, it may cause the plant to die. This is because after a gerbera wilts, large numbers of root hairs have been damaged, greatly reducing its water-absorbing capacity; only after new root hairs grow can the original water-absorbing capacity be restored. At the same time, wilting causes the cells to lose water. After contact with water, the cell walls absorb water first and expand rapidly, while the protoplast absorbs water afterward and expands slowly. If a large amount of water is suddenly poured at this time, it will cause plasmolysis, damaging the protoplast and thereby causing the gerbera to die.

Propagation methods for gerberas

Propagation methods for gerberas: Sowing method

Usually each gerbera flower can produce twenty to thirty seeds, which can be sown in spring or autumn. Spring sowing is in March, April, and May; autumn sowing is in September and October.

Sow in pots as soon as the seeds mature, because the seeds have a short lifespan and should not be stored for long. It is best to carry out artificial supplementary pollination during the flowering period. The seed germination rate is relatively low, only about 50%. After sowing, cover with paper to prevent direct sunlight; at a temperature of 20-25°C, they will germinate within about two weeks.

Sixty to seventy days after sowing, when the seedlings have three or four true leaves, transplant them into flowerpots or set them out in the open field. With proper cultivation, flowering can be seen in two to three months.

Propagation methods for gerberas: Division method

Division propagation is mostly carried out in March and April.

First dig up the mother plant and divide it into several daughter plants. The daughter plants must have buds and roots, and should not be divided too small. When potting, do not plant too deep. It is best to plant them in holes in groups of two, which helps increase the number of flowers.

If drought occurs during the growth period, water thoroughly. When watering, the center of the leaf rosette must not get wet and should be kept dry; otherwise, the flower buds are prone to rotting.

The optimum temperature for growth is 20-25°C, and in winter it should be kept above 12°C. With careful care, it can bloom year-round.

Regularly remove the excessive outer old leaves of vigorous growth, which is beneficial for the emergence of new leaves and new flower buds, and also helps ventilation, enabling it to bloom continuously.

During the growth period, sufficient sunlight is needed, so the flower stalks are upright and the flower colors are vivid; with insufficient sunlight, the leaves are weak and yellow, the flower stalks are soft, slender, and drooping, and the flowers are small and pale.

Propagation methods for gerberas: Test-tube seedling method

Where conditions permit, carrying out test-tube seedling production will be even more beneficial for accelerating the propagation and promotion of superior varieties.

At present, the Netherlands, the United States, Japan, West Germany, and other countries use in vitro leaf culture and have successfully mass-produced test-tube seedlings, which are then grown using soilless cultivation for commercial flower production. The Shanghai Institute of Landscape Architecture in China has also used tissue culture to propagate large numbers of gerberas.

How do gerberas propagate? Propagation methods for gerberas (division/cutting/sowing)

Everyone has probably heard of gerberas. With their large blooms and wide range of flower colors, they are a flower deeply loved by gardening enthusiasts. As more and more people grow gerberas, mass propagation is imperative. So how do gerberas propagate? Overall, there are three propagation methods for gerberas: division, cutting, and sowing. Next, follow the editor to learn the specific operations in detail.

1. How do gerberas propagate? Division/cutting/sowing

As a green plant that can be grown indoors, gerberas do not differ much in their propagation methods from other plants. They are mainly divided into sexual propagation and asexual propagation. Asexual propagation is further divided into cutting and division; sexual propagation is the sowing method. So how do gerberas propagate? The editor will describe in detail exactly how to do it.

2. The three propagation methods for gerberas

(1) Division propagation of gerberas

This is the most common propagation method for gerberas. Generally speaking, every three years, when the plant becomes crowded, we can divide it once. Use a knife to divide the plant into several pieces, each of which must have one to several terminal buds and enough roots. Disinfect the wounds and pot them up. The specific operations are as follows:

1. Division time

The division propagation time for gerberas is mostly in March and April, carried out once every three years.

2. Division method

Dig out a healthy gerbera that has grown for three years and divide it into several daughter plants. The daughter plants must have one to several terminal buds and enough roots, and should not be divided too small. Then pot them separately. Be careful not to plant them too deep. It is best to plant them in holes in groups of two, which helps increase the number of flowers. Afterward, care for them according to gerbera cultivation methods.

(2) Cutting propagation of gerberas

Cutting is the most common propagation method for plants, but for propagating gerberas, cutting is not practical because the operation is very inconvenient, so it is not recommended. Simply put, cutting means decapitating the plant and then using the large number of side shoots produced for cuttings. The specific operations are as follows:

Choose a robust gerbera mother plant, dig it up and remove the soil, then cut off the thick, large part of the rhizome, remove the leaves, cut off the growing point, retain the root crown, and finally plant it in a growing box filled with peat for cultivation. Keep the room temperature at 22-24°C and the humidity at 70%-80%. After about 2 weeks, leaf axillary buds and adventitious buds will successively grow from the root crown, forming shoot cuttings. Compared with cuttings of other plants, this is frighteningly troublesome!

After the shoots grow 4-5 leaves, cut them off as cuttings, then insert them into a sand bed. After cutting, control the temperature at 25°C and keep the humidity at 80%-90%. They will take root in about one month. After rooting, transplant them into nutrient pots and cultivate for one month, and small gerbera seedlings will form. One mother plant can be repeatedly cut for cuttings 3-4 times, yielding 10-20 cuttings. It is worth mentioning that new plants from cuttings in the same year can bloom in the same year.

(3) Sowing propagation of gerberas

Gerberas leave seeds after flowering, so they can be propagated by sowing. It is worth mentioning that gerberas are self-infertile and must have at least two different gerbera plants pollinating each other to set seed. Therefore, when we propagate gerberas by sowing, we usually buy seeds from flower shops; of course, imported ones are preferable. The specific operations are as follows:

1. Sowing time

For sowing propagation of gerberas, the first thing is to choose the right time. You can sow in spring or autumn. Spring sowing is in March, April, and May; autumn sowing is in September and October.

2. Sowing method

After buying the seeds, scatter them into the prepared potting soil. However, the germination rate of gerbera seeds is relatively low, only about 50%, so post-sowing care is very important. After sowing, cover with paper to prevent direct sunlight. At a temperature of 20-25°C, they will germinate within about two weeks. After about sixty to seventy days, when the seedlings have 3-4 true leaves, transplant them into flowerpots or set them out in the open field. With proper cultivation, flowering can be seen in 2-3 months.

Overall, gerberas can be propagated by cutting, division, or sowing, but the ones most suitable for the majority of gardening enthusiasts are division and sowing. So enthusiasts who want to turn one pot of gerberas at home into many pots should quickly try it themselves; even beginners have a very high chance of success. That is all the editor has to introduce about gerbera propagation methods, and I hope it can help everyone.