Gerbera - A sinfully beautiful flower

 Gerbera 

One of the most conspicuously beautiful, sinfully vivid and awesome vibrant flower is Gerbera, so lets dwelve ourselves in to its beauty and its rearing.

Gerbera belongs to the family of compositae, and its scientific name is Gerbera jamesonii. It was named in honor of German botanist and medical doctor, Traugott Gerber (1710 - 1743). 

* Fun fact - You will be surprised to know that Gerbera is a relatively new plant species of flowering plants, discovered only in 1870 - 1880*.

Gerbera is commonly know as Transval Daisy or African Daisy.  It is an important commercial flower grown through out the world in a wide range of climatic conditions.  This is ideal for border, pots and rock gardens.  

The flowers are of various colors and suits very well in different floral arrangements.  The cut blooms when placed in water lasts for a long time. It can be grown indoor & outdoor both atmosphere.

Why go for Gerbera cultivation ?

Due to its vivid, vibrant color pattern, from light to dark yellow, orange, pink, scarlet, deep red and many more hues, almost no fuss in its rearing and extra longevity as vase flower, Gerbera is in high demand round the year, for both indoor and outdoor uses.

It can be used in wide applications like, land scaping, as bedding plants for borders and as cut flower for table arrangements.

It can be a good investment, as a commercial flower crop, in case someone wants get involved in commercial horticulture. For marketing of gerbera, click here

When is the best time for Gerbera ?

Gerbera planting can be done in two seasons - 

Spring (Jan, Feb and March): Spring planting is best for 1.5 year culture.

Summer (June-July): Suitable for 1, 1.5 and 2 year cultures. Planting in autumn and early winter is less profitable due to high cost of heat management and low light intensity during November & December.

Planting should not be done in late August or September as the crop will not have sufficiently developed to enter and endure severity of winter.

Varieties 

Following are the varieties which could be considered as per the requirement or demand in market -

Red - Ruby red, Sangria

Yellow - Doni, Supernova, Mammut, Talasa

Rose - Rosalin, Salvadore

Pink - Pink Elegance, Marmara, Esmara

Orange - Carrera, Goliath, Marasoi

Cream - Farida, Dalma, Snowflake, Winter Queen

Depending on the variety, Gerbera will grow anywhere from 6 to 18 inches tall.

How to rear it ?

It can be planted via seed, seedlings from a nursey or vegetative parts. Plant seedlings at 12 to 18 inches apart so the air could flow more around them, making them less likely to get any contact or air borne disease. We should plant them well above  ground level, so that their crowns do not succumb to rotting.  

Soil type

A well drained, rich, light, neutral or slightly alkaline soil is best suitable for it. If the soil type is more of clay, select pots instead of going for flower beds. 

Watering

This flower loves plenty of moisture, but one should be careful to let the top inch dry out before watering again. And be cautious to water it at the ground level, avoid any splash, shower or spray of water as this will keep them safe from leaf fungus.

Pests

Aphids are the major problem, but it can handled with mild soap spray, but soap spray should be done in shade or when there are clouds. One should avoid spraying in sun light at any cost.

Nutrient management

Awesome flower is the whole point of planting this flower and fertilizers are there to help in getting a beautiful flower.

A dose of liquid fertilizer at the gap of fortnight or slow release fertilizer into the soil, 2 or 3 times in summer and spring will help in boosting good flowering in Gerbera.

* Reference, Bibliography and Images     

  - https://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/annuals/how-to-grow-gerbera-daisy/

-        - https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/horti_flower%20crops_gerbera.html

-        - https://greenhousegrower.com/auther/staff/

-        - https://www.gardengatemagazine.com/articles/how-to/start-seeds/how-to-grow-better-gerbera-daisies/

-        - https://www.gerbera.org/traugott-gerber/?doing_wp_cron=1612705170.9263949394226074218750

-        - https://www.gettyimages.in/photos/gerbera-daisy?phrase=gerbera%20daisy&sort=mostpopular

  - https://www.ugaoo.com/knowledge-center/how-to-get-rid-of-aphids-in-the-garden/