Gerbera usually bears 20 or 30 seeds per flower, which can be sown in spring or autumn. Spring in March and may, autumn in September and October.
When the seeds are ripe, they should be sown in pots. Because of their short life, they should not be stored for a long time. It is best to carry out artificial pollination in the flowering period. The germination rate of seeds is relatively low, only about 50%. After sowing, the seeds are covered with paper to prevent direct sunlight. The temperature is 20-25 ℃, and the seeds will germinate in about two weeks.
Sixty or seventy days after sowing, when the seedling has three or four leaves, it is transplanted into a flowerpot or planted in the open field. After two or three months of cultivation, flowering can be seen.
In March and April, most of the ramets were propagated.
First dig out the mother plant and cut it into several sub plants. The sub plants must have buds and roots, and should not be too small. Potting should not be too deep. It is better to dig a group of holes for each two plants, so as to increase the number of flowers.
In case of drought during the growth period, water should be sufficient. When watering, the center of the leaves should not be wet, and should be kept dry, or the flower buds will easily rot.
The optimum temperature for growth is 20-25 ℃, which can be kept above 12 ℃ in winter. Careful maintenance can make flowers all the year round.
Often remove the exuberant and excessive outer layer of old leaves, which is conducive to the occurrence of new leaves and flower buds, as well as ventilation, which can make it bloom continuously.
During the growth period, the flower stalks are tall and straight with bright colors; the leaves are thin and yellow with insufficient sunlight, the flower stalks are soft and thin and drooping with small and light colors.
If it can be carried out in test tube, it will be more beneficial to speed up the propagation of improved varieties.
At present, the Netherlands, the United States, Japan, West Germany and other countries have successfully produced a large number of test tube seedlings by in vitro cultivation of leaves, and then use soilless cultivation to invest in enterprises to produce flowers. A large number of Fraxinus were also propagated by tissue culture in Shanghai Institute of landscape architecture.
