| Life form | Herbaceous |
| Family | Asteraceae (Compositeae) |
| Origin | Swaziland, South Africa (Transvaal) |
| Ease of cultivation | Easy with small difficulties. |
| The size | Up to 46 cm tall. Recently, hybrids not exceeding 30 cm in height. |
| Growth rate | Average. |
| Lifespan | They usually grow 2-3 years, after which the plant is replaced. |
| Temperature | In the summer: during the flowering period it is better to maintain the temperature 50-69,8 ° F, at a higher temperature the flowering can stop. It is desirable to have a cool wintering (53,6-59 ° F). |
| Humidity | The average room humidity is suitable. Leaves can be sprayed in the winter 1-2 times a week. If the gerbera is kept on the street, it does not need to be sprayed |
| Lighting | Bright light. Suitable south window. In very bright sun, it should be slightly shaded. If there is little light, re-illumination is required. |
| The soil | The soil must be breathable, sand or perlite with peat should be added if it is too dense. To a mixture of homemade should be taken: 1 part of humus, 1 part of coarse sand or perlite and 2 parts of peat or humus (leaf earth) can be added sphagnum. Always use a pot with an opening and drainage. |
| Watering | Soil must be constantly moist during flowering. However, one should beware of overflow. To water with warm water. When the plant has faded, between watering the soil should dry a little. |
| Fertilizer | During the growing season every 10-15 days with liquid fertilizer. Requires fertile soil. |
| Reproduction | Division by transplantation. For this, it is necessary to dig a plant and find young shoots of a lighter color at the base. With a sharp knife, cut this shoot with a small area of roots (about 1.5 cm). If you cut too much, it can damage the mother plant. Plant the sprouts in the soil mixture and keep under the polyethylene until it sprouts. For reproduction, cuttings obtained from non-flowering plants can be used. The plants thus obtained usually bloom in the first year. Probably multiplication by seeds, which should be sown in early spring. Seeds very quickly lose their germination, retaining it only for 6 months. Seeds should be planted in a mixture of moss and peat, sprinkling them on the surface and lightly pressing (do not cover the ground). Pots with seeds should be poured from below, placing in a vessel with water. Next, put the pots in a warm place (on a battery or on a refrigerator) and regularly spray. Will germinate in about 14 days. When the seedlings appear, they should be illuminated, placing at a distance of 8-10 cm from the lamp. Transplant should be when the shoots reach a height of 5 cm. The plants will bloom after about 6 months. |
| Bloom | Large bright daisies, at the same time can be up to 6 flowers. Flowering in the most favorable circumstances lasts up to 6 weeks, at night the zeta is closed, and in the morning they are opened again. Can bloom in spring or autumn, some varieties 2 times a year. |
| Transfer | In the spring in the division of plants. |
| Features of care | It is timely to cut off the faded flowers, which continue to absorb nutrients. This stimulates the formation of new flowers. In summer it is good to take out on the street. |
| Difficulties | Affects aphids and whitefly. Dark spots on the leaves occur when watering with cold water or at very high humidity. Leaves brown in excess watering or vice versa when insufficient. If the plant is too deeply planted or waterlogged, root rot develops. In the cold, with water-logging on the leaves, white mold can develop. The plant does not bloom if it is too young or because of a lack of light. Chamomile may wilt if the plant is not sufficiently watered or when kept in warmth (at a temperature above 77 ° F). The leaves turn black in the cold (at temperatures below 46,4 ° F). |
| Air cleaning | Gerbera introduced by NASA in the list of plants that purify the air of benzene. |
| Toxicity | – |
