My Gerberas

[Kaleem]

Thank you for informations.

[KBW]

Gerberas are still flowering but the number of flowers as well as size is reducing with increase in temperature. Those in shade with just a couple of hours of sunlight are doing better.




Came across this very unusual Gerbera today. One stem carrying a three faced flower, each having a black center... looks quite bizarre.

[Farhan Ahmed]

Its an abnormality when two/three buds join together.

[Kaleem]

Its mutation. Beautiful and unusual.

[KBW]

Gerberas grow a single stem and a single bud at the end of that stem. It's an unusual flower no doubt. Will a single flower develop three separate seed pods? I will have to wait and see.

[mailkazeem]

Stunning collection!!!!
I also have but only one in pink color.

[KBW]

An update....

Most of the Gerberas that were around three years old died this summer. All possible care, using all my experience of growing Gerberas over the years and also of another friend who is far more experienced than me, went in vain and they all died. There photos shown in this thread are the memories of these beauties that I will carry with me. Others, which were one or two years old, survived. I am calculating their lives since their arrival in Pakistan (ie, when imported). All specie Gerberas survived and flourished well, despite a total neglect on my part.

The same experiment with Gerberas was also done by my friend mentioned above who has great knowledge and experience of gardening. He also got similar results. Basing on this, we are of the view that these genetically engineered Gerberas have a limited life ( like the poultry chicken). They grow fast, get lots and lots of flowers for first two years, reduce flowering third year and than die, no matter what you do. They simply complete their life cycle. And if the conditions are not conducive for growing, they wont even last one year. So much for genetic engineering......

I love Gerberas but after experimenting with them for few years now, I am now more inclined towards finding better varieties in specie Gerberas. They are not as stunning as many of the modern hybrids, but they survive and are therefore more rewarding.

[mikhurram]

Some of my tissue culture Gerbera purchased in 2008 are still alive. Even grown in a site with good drainage and sunshine from morning till 12 am, one needs to work on the soil continously. Its true that the older traditional varieties are are more hardier but life of most tissue culture Gerberas can be extended or mortality rate of tissue culture Gerberas can be minimized by following the guidelines suggested below.

-The main challenge these days is to prevent fungus attack which can be minimized by spraying.

-They are also very vulnerable to slugs these days and around spring. This can be minimized by spreading slug pellets preferably organic pellets available in Lahore at Pride Seeds or Chanan Din.

-The soil needs to be amended season wise and keeping a eye on soil PH and its drainage. I would recommend adding organic composts like leaf mold. Also the soil should have good drainage as Gerberas roots hate water logging. Thus having them in raised beds on well drained soil with sunlight from morning till noon would be ideal.

-The roots of Gerberas are also vulnerable to to termites and ants which can quickly decimate a plant. This is usually common these days.

-Varieties which have survived and are in the ground for more than 4 years should be divided by root division. Middle of February and first week of March are recommend for those wishing to divide their plants.

-They are also susceptible to Mealy Bugs around February/March. Menace of Mealy Bugs can be minimized or kept to a check by mixing green pesticide granules in the "Seven Seas Insectiside powder" on the soil around the boundary wall of our houses/trees around December. After putting this powder in soil around the wall edges it should be kept moist by spraying it with water. This would kill the eggs hatched by Mealy Bugs. These granules and insecticide is available at Pride Seeds by asking Ashfaq about it.

This can be followed up with spraying of regular pesticides for these pests on walls when the babies of Mealy Bugs started crawling upwards on the wall. These usually started crawling upwards from 1st or 2nd week of January onwards. By adopting these procedures for the past 3 years i managed to eliminate 90% of the mealy bugs in my home. Also around December we should wrap a polythene sheet around the tree diameter till April which hinders the movement of Mealy Bugs.

The problem is that we only resort to spraying when the mealy bugs after eggs have developed into a adult insects. We have to focus on the root of the problem i.e. eliminating the eggs of the mealy bugs from the start around December. Topic of Mealy Bug may seem a bit off from the discussion but i felt that since Gerberas are also vulnerable to them and i have often seen members asking about the remedy when these Mealy Bugs become a full fledged menace. I hope that this information proves to be beneficial.

[Munir]

Tough job. With this regimen one can rear Gerberas only.

[Mustansir Billah]

A Bonus gift from nature.