Gerberas have long been in Russia are no less popular than traditional roses or carnations. Gerberas fell in love with all their simple beauty and variety of colors. Bouquets of them look great both in large ceremonial halls and in small rooms.
But in order for these beautiful and bright flowers to stand in a vase a little longer, you need to follow a few rules, which we will discuss here. We also recommend that you watch an interesting and useful video on this topic.
What is this plant?
Gerbera or, as it is also called, African chamomile is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Aster family, which naturally grows in South Africa, Madagascar and in some countries of tropical Asia. Named this bright and beautiful flower was in honor of the German botanist Traugott Gerber.
Gerbera looks like a daisy or a daisy, but its flowers are much larger: their diameter is from four to fifteen centimeters.
The type of inflorescences in this plant is a basket, and both simple, semi-double and terry. There are a lot of colors, both monochrome and multicolored, in which one tone passes into another. The most common red, yellow, orange, white, cream or pink colors of gerbera flowers.
Does it grow in water?
The roses put into the water let the roots grow over time, so that they can be easily transplanted into a flower pot or into the open ground, where those with a high degree of probability will easily take root. But the gerbera does not grow in water, and therefore no matter how much it stays there, it cannot take roots. Therefore, if you decide to grow this beautiful plant, it is better to purchase it in a specialty store and not waste your time waiting for the roots of a gerbera in the water. How to transplant the plant after purchase, you can read here, and how to care for a gerbera in a pot, read here.
How to choose and buy cut flowers?
When buying flowers, you always want the bouquet to stand longer. But for this you need to keep the flowers as fresh as possible. Here are signs of freshness cut gerberas:
The stems must be strong, dense and firm, and if you press on the stem of a flower, then nothing should flow out of the cut.- The stem itself in fresh flowers is a smooth green color, without stains and swelling.
- The cut on the stem is light, without darkening and rot.
- Fresh flowers have smooth, regular-shaped petals, they are flexible, but elastic. In relation to the peduncle are located at an obtuse angle, do not bend and do not bend downwards.
The stems must be strong, dense and firm, and if you press on the stem of a flower, then nothing should flow out of the cut.When buying gerberas, it is better not to stop the choice on the already finished bouquets, but choose flowers individually and carefully examine each of them. Even if the bouquet already collected and looks perfectly fresh, there is no guarantee that 1-2 flowers are not hidden in it, which have already begun or are about to start to wilt.
Also, ready-made bouquets are a great opportunity for the seller to sell flowers with crumpled and broken stalks.. Especially you need to be careful if the bouquet is decorated with many bows, ryushechek and other elements of excessive decor. If you already like the bouquet already collected so much, then it is better to ask the seller to repeat the flower arrangement of new flowers selected by you in your presence.
How much can they stand?
Depending on the conditions of storage, transportation and care of flowers already cut, gerberas can stand in a vase for seven to fourteen or more days. Here are the basic requirements for cutting and storing these colors:
- Gerberas can be cut off only after the full opening of the inflorescence and pollen ripening.
- Immediately after cutting, the flower stems are dipped for a few hours in a small amount of water at room temperature, after which several pieces are placed in cardboard packages.
- Store cut gerberas for no longer than 36 hours at a temperature of 3-5 ° C.
If these conditions were met, and the flowers in the vase were properly looked after, the gerberas would stay for a very long time, even longer than two weeks.
How to save longer?
The main problem of gerberas is a large basket in the presence of a relatively thin and fragile stem.. Therefore, when drawing up a bouquet of these beautiful and bright colors, you must act with extreme caution so as not to accidentally damage them.
So, what should be done to maximize the life of the gerberas placed in a vase?
Flower preparation
First you need to cut the leaves and the stem, it is especially important to remove the lower leaves, which rot in water. You should also cut off all dried leaves and stub the stem.. It is best to cut it under water and obliquely.
Why cut under water? In order that the cut is not oxidized in air. As a tool for pruning, you should use a sharp knife, not a pruner, which can squeeze the capillaries because of what the flower will get less water. Subsequently, once every two or three days, the cut should be regularly updated.
To prevent the gerbera from sticking to nickles because of a too large and heavy basket, you can wrap them with thick paper or special wire for flowers.
How to set?
Before putting flowers in a vase, it should be washed with a disinfectant.. Due to the fact that the gerbera does not absorb water well, its stem should be either pierced from below or an incision should be made vertically on it.
You can not put these flowers so that the sections of the stems reached the bottom of the vase. To do this, use special devices-tablets.
Board: You can also reel the stems with a bandage or cotton ribbon and fix it with a fishing line on the neck of a vase.
Place for a bouquet
Gerberas do not like heat and bright sunshine. If you put them in an open, brightly lit place or near heating devices, they will soon wilt and begin to wilt quickly. But drafts do not benefit these colors.
It is best to place a bouquet of gerberas in a cool shaded place - there they will be most comfortable. At the same time, make sure that the flowers do not come into contact with anything: if their petals even wrinkle a little or are cut by an object, this will speed up their wilting and spoil the appearance of the bouquet.
Flowers should be sprayed daily - this will also prolong their life.
What water?
Water for gerberas needs to be taken fresh, already separated from chlorine and harmful impurities.. Her temperature should be room temperature. For disinfection, you can add a charcoal tablet and an aspirin tablet to the water. Instead of the latter, it is also permissible to use a little bit of citric acid.
The water level in the vase must be such that the stems are covered with it no higher than 5 cm, otherwise they will rot. Water for gerberas needs to be changed regularly, not allowing turbidity and sediment to appear in it, and in the hot season or in conditions of artificial heating to pour it in between the replacements.
How to choose the capacity?
The vase should be chosen in such a way that the flowers in the bouquet are not tightly pressed to each other or, especially, squeezed. However, too wide neck of the vase can accelerate the withering of gerberas, because these flowers, due to the presence of a soft and easily bending stem, can wilt due to lack of support.
Important: If gerberas were brought into the room from the cold, they should not be put in a vase right away: you need to let the flowers warm up and get used to room temperature.
Additional tips and warnings
Gerber stems should be shortened as much as possible: the shorter the stem, the longer the flowers will remain in the vase.- Due to the fact that the stem of the gerbera is covered with a small "edge" of hairs, they are easily collected mucus. Therefore it is necessary when placing flowers in a vase, to pay special attention to antibacterial treatment. To do this, you can either put a small silver object in the water (spoon, pendant, ringlet), or add a weak solution of potassium permanganate, pine extract. You can also put charcoal and pour a little bit of boric or ordinary ethyl alcohol.
- In no case is it possible for gerberas to take water from the tap, since it contains a lot of impurities and chlorine, which can be harmful to these colors. Water should be defended, and its temperature should be at room temperature.
- Water in a vase needs to be changed daily.
- Sweetening water or adding fertilizer, as some florists advise you to do, will be useful for gerberas.
- You can revive a dried bouquet with the following solution: add two teaspoons of ethyl alcohol and two drops of sal ammoniac to four liters of water. And you can also put the flowers that began to wither in a bath of water; in a few hours after that, gerberas will most likely come to life.
Gerber stems should be shortened as much as possible: the shorter the stem, the longer the flowers will remain in the vase.Gerberas are considered quite capricious flowers, however, if done correctly, they will stand in a vase for at least a week or even two. It is not very easy to care for gerberas in a vase, but all efforts are worth it.. After all, these flowers differ in such a variety of shapes and colors that they are able to create any mood: from solemn and even pathos, to light and unconstrained.
- Reproduction and care at home.
- Features care room gerbera.
- Planting rules for this plant.
- How to grow from seed?
