My Gerberas

[KBW]

Gerberas are amongst my favourite plants. Almost always, I have had Gerberas in my house, office and wherever possible. When I resumed gardening a few months back, Gerberas were amongst the first few plants that I bought. I have been sharing photos of my Gerberas in other threads but thought it appropriate to put them in one place. Perhaps Gerberas deserve a thread of their own

Some of these pics you have already seen in the other thread. Sorry for repetition.



Pink Shades




Some of these Gerberas are extra large size bloom with around 3 to 3.25 inch diameter flowers.

[KBW]

Yellow and Orange Shades

[KBW]

Shades of Red






This one is a dark maroonish red, far different from one the pic above it but due to strong light, my camera has not been able to capture true colours.




This is a stunning scarlet red one doesn't see very often in Gerberas.

[KBW]

Salmon and Cream Shades













There are still a few plants which have not flowered yet. Will share the pics if there are any new colours.

regards

[Arbab]

Beautiful, i hav tried many times growing double gerbera but at the end of season they die, any idea how can one retain these plants?, do u treat these gerbera's as annual or perenial? If annual then do they come true frm seeds?

[Hamad]

wow nice one pink colour is looking great, if you have some good experience of Gerbera's then would you be able to tell me if its possible to get the same Gerbera from last year of its a myth? how true is that because I believe its only possible if they drop their seeds in the pot and if we left them undisturbed because they are annuals at the end of the day what do you say.
Hamad

[KBW]

Arbab and Hamad bhai, it's hard to find specie Gerberas nowadays. Most of them are hybrids raised through tissue culture and therefore, if necessary precautions are taken, flower well for two or maximum three years only. After that, they either die or the flower size / number of flowers is drastically reduced. And if care is not taken, they might not last even a year. Specie gerberas last for many years if planted in a proper position but their flowers are not as stunning as the F1 hybrids.


This is a specie Gerbera and as you can see, the flower is no match to F1 hybrids. But it will grow for years if good drainage is ensured.

As per my little experience, most important factor for growing Gerberas successfully is drainage. They should be watered well however there must never be a boggy soil. The water must drain out quickly. Secondly, they need to be protected from scorching heat as well as frost. They do very well in ground as compared to pots as they need a large root space. However, the position needs to be carefully selected. In most areas, a wind protected dappled shade where they get a few hours of direct sunlight everyday is the best location for Gerberas. Avoid using a silty soil and add lots of leaf mould / compost to improve soil texture and drainage. Gerberas normally do not like competition so be generous while allocating root space. Watchout during monsoon as they will die quickly of water logging if the drainage is not good.

Other than the scientific methods, Gerberas should best be multiplied through division before spring. I used to grow specie Gerberas through seeds and they do ok but the hybrids wont grow from seeds. At least I was never successful. Division is the best method in my view. Use a very sharp knife when you are cutting the base and ensure that there is atleast one growing bud in the piece. An anti-fungal powder may be used while disecting.

Any other member with experience of growing Gerberas.... please help.

regards

[Kaleem]

I love Gerberas and its blooms always attract me like bees. You have good collection and photography is also excellent.

[KBW]

Kaleem sb, it's nice to see another Gerbera lover. Thanks for your kind comments.

[aykhan]

So beautiful. I'm saddened to hear that my geberas will last only 2-3 years

This year the ones that survived the winter were the ones under the trees. I agree good drainage is essential. I think they're heavy feeders too so more feeding = larger flower?