Gaillardia Planting Methods and Care Tips Explained
Gaillardia (scientific name: Gaillardia pulchella Foug.), an annual herb in the Asteraceae family, 20-60 cm tall. The stem branches abundantly above the middle, with branches ascending obliquely, covered in short soft hairs or rust-colored hairs. The lower leaves are spoon-shaped or oblanceolate, with wavy blunt teeth along the edges, shallowly lobed to lyrately parted, sharply pointed at the tip, nearly stalkless; the upper leaves are oblong, oblanceolate or spoon-shaped, with appressed hairs on both surfaces. The flower head is 5 cm in diameter. The involucral bracts are lanceolate, with long marginal hairs on the edges and glandular dots on the back. The ray florets are yellow with a purple base, the ligules broadly wedge-shaped, with 2-3 lobes at the tip; the disc floret lobes are triangular, covered in jointed hairs. The achene is 2 mm long, with long soft hairs at the base. The pappus is 5 mm long. Flowering and fruiting period is June to August.
Gaillardia Planting Methods
1) Gaillardia is generally sown in summer. Before sowing, the growing medium needs to be sterilized; it is best to choose the quickest sterilization method, namely heat sterilization. In addition, the seeds can be soaked in warm water for 3-10 hours until they absorb water and swell, which helps the seeds germinate.
2) Gaillardia seeds are very small, and it is not easy to pick them up one by one with your hands or other tools and stick them onto the surface of the growing medium, then cover with 1 cm of growing medium. Place the sown pot into water, with the water depth at half to two-thirds of the pot's height, and let the water slowly soak upward. For larger seeds that can be picked up with your hands or other tools, place the seeds directly into the growing medium, sowing them in spots at a spacing of 3 x 3 cm.
3) In the afternoon after planting, the soil needs to be covered, roughly covering with soil 2-3 times the height of the seeds. After sowing, use a sprayer or a fine-holed watering can to moisten the sowing medium. When the potting soil is slightly dry, water it, and the force should be gentle so as not to wash the seeds out.
Gaillardia Cultivation Techniques
Humidity management: Gaillardia likes a relatively humid environment. The lower the air humidity, the faster the individual flowers will fade. However, this flower is afraid of rain, and the leaves need to be kept dry at night. It is best suited to growing at 65-75% humidity.
Temperature management: Heat-tolerant, not frost-tolerant.
Light management: Likes full sunlight, slightly tolerant of partial shade.
Fertilizer and water management: Like other flowers, Gaillardia has relatively high fertilizer and water requirements, but fertilizing should follow the principle of "light fertilizer applied frequently, small amounts more often, complete nutrition," and after fertilizing, the flowers and leaves should still be kept dry at night.
Summer and autumn: This is its peak growing season. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of "Flower Treasure" - "Flower Treasure" - clear water - "Flower Treasure" - "Flower Treasure" - clear water (at least two rounds of "Flower Treasure" must be guaranteed each week). After entering the flowering stage, appropriately reduce fertilizer to help the seeds mature.
Post-Planting Care for Gaillardia
1) After sowing, once the seedlings emerge, the film must be removed promptly, and the seedlings should gradually be exposed to light (be careful to avoid strong midday sunlight; from 9:30 to 15:30 they should be placed in shade), otherwise the seedlings will grow very weak and spindly.
2) After most of the seeds have sprouted, appropriate thinning is needed: pull out diseased and poorly growing seedlings, keep the strong, healthy seedlings, and leave a certain amount of space between the seedlings. When most of the seedlings have grown 3 or more leaves, they can be transplanted into pots.