Gatsania: planting and care at home. Miracle in the flower bed - gazania or African chamomile

Gatsania is deservedly loved by gardeners. This plant belongs to the aster family, it came from Africa. Inflorescences resemble bright large baskets. They can be red, orange, yellow, with a dark spot at the base. One bush is able to produce several of these flowers. Them main feature- they open only in clear, sunny weather. At night and on cloudy days they remain closed. It is thanks to this quality that the plants have earned the name "midday sun".

Bright flowers will brighten up any garden. But the question arises: how is their cultivation? In fact, it is not so difficult, you just need to know some of the nuances. There are two ways - vegetative and with the help of seeds. It is the second one that is considered optimal. But it cannot be called simple either. In climates with extreme temperature fluctuations and frosts in open ground seeds cannot be sown. For the same reason, due to the unsuitable climate, self-seeding does not occur: the seeds often simply do not have time to ripen. If sprouts do appear, then they cannot survive the cold. To get this plant, you need to grow seedlings.

When to start sowing?

The process will take several months. To figure out when to start sowing, you should decide why you need to grow gazania. There are two options.

1. If you need flowers for your own garden, it is recommended to sow in the second half of February or March. The plant is very warm and photophilous. AT winter time when the day is very short, it grows extremely poorly. The seeds may not even sprout. Closer to the beginning of spring, daylight hours become longer. When using this option, the flowers will bloom as early as June.
2. If the cultivation of gazania is planned for sale, then flowers are needed at the end of April. Therefore, it is necessary to sow earlier, the optimal time is the beginning of November. Do not postpone it until December: for plants this is a period of deep dormancy, the risk of poor germination increases.

What kind of soil is needed, how to sow?

The plant is quite unpretentious, so almost any soil intended for flowers will do. If there is a desire to cook it yourself, then you should remember that it should not be clayey. Good breathability must be ensured. For example, this option is suitable: take the same amount of forest land, sand and humus, they must be driven through a sieve.

After the soil is prepared, you can proceed directly to sowing. Gazania seeds are large, so they must be carefully distributed over the surface. The distance should be at least 2 cm, it is recommended to sow in a checkerboard pattern. Then the seeds should be covered with earth and moistened with a sprayer. You can make shallow grooves for convenience. Surface cultivation is also allowed.

When self-collecting seeds, it should be remembered that many popular species are hybrid. Their seeds will not retain varietal characteristics.

After finishing work, you need to cover the container with seedlings with glass or film. You can also place it in a bag, after inflating it a little. In a week, the first shoots will appear, if all conditions are met. The main ones are adequate lighting, high humidity, the air temperature is a little over 20 degrees. It is important to maintain a comfortable environment until the seeds hatch. You should also regularly ventilate and remove condensate.

How to care for seedlings?

Care for emerging sprouts is not very difficult. Immediately upon planting, it is better to use a deep container, since the root of the plant is long. Otherwise, a pick is necessary. You can do it already a week after the seedlings were noticed, you do not need to wait for the first leaflet. In the process, you should pinch the main root. It is worth choosing peat humus and plastic containers. Then it will be easier to move the seedlings into the ground without damaging them.

After the emergence of sprouts, care should be taken to reduce the humidity in the container. They do this to avoid overwatering. At first, it is better to use a sprayer for watering. It is also desirable to lower the temperature a little. A week after picking, it is recommended to feed the plant with fertilizers; complex mineral fertilizers are suitable for this purpose. If necessary, repeat the procedure after two weeks.

When and how to plant?

By mid-May, gazania seedlings will be ready to move to open ground. The location must be chosen carefully. For this plant, an abundance of light is necessary, even direct rays are not afraid of it. It also tolerates drought tolerantly. So the area intended for these wonderful flowers should be unshaded. This is the main condition for successful cultivation. There is no need to be afraid of frosts: for all its thermophilicity, the plant is able to withstand short frosts.

You also need to pay attention to the ground. It should be light and well drained.

After appropriate place it was found, you can start planting seedlings. It is best to do this together with the pot to keep the root whole and intact. That is why it is best to grow in peat-humus containers. If a box was used for seedlings, then you need to get each sprout with a long spatula. In this case, the entire root ball is transferred into the hole.

A distance of about 20 cm should be left between plants. Gatzania begins to bloom very soon after moving into open ground, pleasing the eye with bright colors.

Watering, fertilizing, disease and insect control

Subsequent care for gazania is quite simple. Watering should be moderate, as an excess of moisture harms the plant. You also need to loosen the earth from time to time and remove weeds. In order for new buds to appear often, wilted inflorescences should be constantly removed. Mulching helps retain moisture in the soil and slows down the growth of weeds, so do not neglect it.

It is recommended to take care of feeding the plant. For this, a solution of mineral fertilizer is used - 20 g per square meter. The frequency depends on the soil. If it is fertile, then it is enough to do it every 30-40 days. If the area is rocky, then fertilize more often. The brightness of the flower depends on how saturated the soil is with useful substances.

One of the advantages of gazania is that it is practically not susceptible to disease. In rare cases, gray rot is possible. This happens when the cultivation of a plant is carried out in inappropriate conditions. If this happens, then the affected bush must be removed, and the remaining ones should be treated with Fitosporin. Of the pests, snails are dangerous - they must be collected by hand - and some insects: spider mites and aphids. Insecticides are used to kill them.

How to collect seeds and save the plant for the winter?

Gatzania seeds do not always have time to ripen. This is possible only if the summer is hot and long. But you have to be careful: after ripening, the seeds simply scatter, like a dandelion. So it's not easy to collect them. To avoid this, several large flowers are recommended to be tied with gauze. Then the seeds will not be able to fly away.

AT middle lane Gatsania grows like an annual. After flowering ends, the remaining bush can be removed. Or try to save it on next year. It is better to do this while flowering is still ongoing - the most beautiful specimens need to be dug up and transplanted into pots. They should be settled in a room in which there is enough light, and the temperature is quite low - about 10 degrees. The soil should not dry out completely, so regular watering is necessary. After the onset of spring, it will be possible to plant the plant in an open place, shortening by half.

Growing gazania is not that difficult, especially with the help of seedlings. If you sow the seeds in time, do not forget to water them regularly, then the result will please.

Caring for them does not require too much effort. The main thing is to choose a place for the plant with good lighting. All labors will not be in vain, because these sunny flowers look harmonious in the garden.

Gatsania is native to South Africa and belongs to the Asteraceae family. On the territory of our country grow mainly hybrid varieties. Gazania begins to bloom 60–90 days after planting, in exceptional cases, the time from planting to flowering can be 120 days. You can grow seeds in peat tablets. When planting in ordinary soil, they are laid out after 3-4 centimeters, it is best to do this in a checkerboard pattern. After planting, the seeds are sprinkled with an additional layer of soil, and then watered from a spray bottle. So, the plants do not overflow and moisture stagnation does not occur. The container with the planted gazania is covered with a film or glass and cleaned in a warm place. Periodically, the container is ventilated, and the condensate formed on the walls is removed. The first seedlings appear on average after 2 weeks. Before planting in open ground, they are hardened by lowering the temperature to 15 degrees Celsius.

An interesting feature flower is twisting the petals in the evening. An important factor for obtaining healthy plants is good lighting; if there is a lack of lighting, additional phytolamps should be used. It is recommended to plant it in light sandy soil, before planting it is pre-fertilized with humus. Plant fertilization should occur every 14–21 days. The plant can not be flooded, it loves rare watering. A flower is grown with seedlings until the last decade of May, and when transplanted into open ground, the distance between plants should reach 20 centimeters. Plant care occurs with the help of timely weeding, loosening. Gatsania loves sunny open places, does not grow well in heavy clay soils. On the winter period the flower is not left in the open field, we remove it in warm room using like indoor plant. The plant blooms from early June until frost. In order for flowering to be more intense, it is necessary to eliminate faded inflorescences.

The advantages of this plant is that it is perennial, it does not need to be watered often. It is not afraid of strong drafts and light frosts. You can grow gazania not only in open ground, but also in room conditions planted in a planter or pot. Sometimes a problem arises, the plant does not want to bloom, the reason for this may be an unsuccessfully chosen place with a small amount of lighting, overflow, and late planting of seedlings. If everything is done correctly the necessary conditions the plant blooms profusely. Gatsania flower growing from seeds at home is simple, it practically does not get sick, but when not proper care infected with gray rot, in these cases treatment with phytosporin is necessary.

I share with you little tricks of gardeners and gardeners))

blooming gazania

Gatsania is just a godsend for flower growers. This flower is surprisingly unpretentious, easy to grow and at the same time so beautiful that it will not leave anyone indifferent. Perhaps this plant has only one small drawback. Growing gazania from seeds requires some patience. From germination to flowering takes 3 - 4 months. But then she will delight you with her continuous flowering until the frost.

Growing seedlings of gazania

What kind of soil is needed for sowing seeds.

Gazania seedlings are not demanding on the composition of the soil. It grows poorly only on heavy, clay soils, preferring light breathable ground. If you want to prepare the soil mixture yourself, then mix in equal parts forest soil, sand and humus. Be sure to sift the resulting mixture at least through a large sieve (you can use a mesh from the old iron bed). It will be very difficult to work with unsifted soil. From store soil suitable any intended for growing flowers.

When to sow gatzania.

Gatzania planted at the end of November

This question is asked more often than others. There are two options for sowing:

Option 1. If you are growing gazania seedlings for yourself, then it is better to sow in late February or early March. At this time, it already becomes much warmer and daylight hours are quite long. Your seedlings will develop rapidly and in June they will delight you with the first flowers.

Option 2. It is more suitable for those who grow flowers for sale. In this case, flowering should begin at the end of April. In order for the gazania to bloom at this time, it will have to be planted in the fall, preferably in early November. In winter, seedlings grow very slowly. The time from sowing seeds to flowering increases to 5-6 months. And from planting any plants in December, it is better to refuse altogether. For all plants, this is a period of deep dormancy and seed germination is very poor.

Sowing gazania for seedlings

Spread the seeds in shallow grooves or simply scatter them evenly on the ground. Sprinkle lightly with earth, moisten well. Cover with glass or film and leave at room temperature. How

This seedling was planted at the end of October

shoots usually appear within a week.

Picking seedlings

The picking of seedlings is carried out 1.5 months after germination. When picking, it is not necessary to deepen the seedlings. Gatsania seedlings practically do not stretch. Even if it grows in low light and with dense plantings. If you grow only a few bushes, then you can immediately spread the seeds into cups and no picking is required.

Under what conditions to grow gazania seedlings

The optimum temperature for growing seedlings is 18-20 degrees. Watering is moderate. After picking, once every 10 days, feed the plants with any complete flower fertilizer. It will be very good if, when growing gazania in the winter, you take care of the backlight. And although the condition is very

Overwintered gazania bush on the windowsill

desirable, but still not required. All plants that you see in the photos are grown without lighting. All photos were taken in early March.

Gazania planting

You can plant seedlings in the ground at the end of May. Leave the distance between the bushes 20 - 30 cm. Gatsania loves sunny places and is not afraid of drafts. Do not plant it in low, damp places.

flower care

This flower is not demanding in care. But with monthly top dressing, it will bloom much better. Water infrequently, but plentifully. If the flowers are planted in flowerpots, then feed complex fertilizer need 3 times a month.

How to collect seeds

Gatsania (Gazania) is a plant from the Compositae family native to Central Africa. It looks like a large chamomile of all shades of yellow and orange, and blooms almost all summer.

Its distribution area is quite wide - from mountain meadows to the sands of South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania and Angola. Some species do well in the Mediterranean, Australia and New Zealand.

Gatsania attracts flower growers not only with its bright beautiful flowers, and also by the fact that it is extremely unpretentious: it can grow on open sun and in poor soils and is resistant to lack of watering.

Popular types of gazania from flower growers with descriptions and photographs of flowers

In total, there are nineteen species of this plant of a wide variety of colors, but how garden flower only gazania rigins and its hybrids are bred.

Gatsania Rigins, Gatsania harsh (shiny) grows up to 30 cm in height. Its foliage is dull, gray-blue, the flowers are shiny, with contrasting stripes around the heart of the flower. The natural color of gazania is yellow, it is not for nothing that it was nicknamed “midday gold”, and hybrid varieties can be of almost any color - white, pink, red, burgundy, etc. Gazania blooms throughout the summer.

Rules for caring for a gazania plant

Gatsania grows in almost any conditions

Among the many types of gazania, you can find varieties adapted to almost any conditions. In temperate regions, gazania is grown as an annual. and requires little maintenance.

You can admire the gazania in all its beauty only in the sunny season. It is unpretentious, in order for the plant to be comfortable, there is enough sun, well-drained soil and infrequent watering.

Like any other plant, she likes good soils, but if there are problems with fertile land in your region, gazania will calmly adapt to poor soil with a large proportion of sand. In the future, she will need timely weeding, loosening the soil and watering. Watering "African chamomile" is better rarely, but a lot, only after upper layer the soil will dry up.

It is enough to fertilize gazania once every one and a half to two months. if the soil in your garden is fertile enough. If not, then you will have to fertilize much more often: once every two to four weeks.

Abundant flowering of gazania contributes to the timely removal of faded inflorescences.

Flowering is possible only in the sunny season. She loves the sun so much that she closes the flowers at night and even in cloudy weather.

If the gazania does not bloom, most likely it does not have enough light. and it is worth transplanting it to a more sunny place.

Adult gazania is an unpretentious plant, but growing it from seeds is a laborious process requiring precision and care.

When growing seedlings, it must be borne in mind that it begins to bloom no earlier than three months after sowing. Optimal time for seed germination, March or April is considered, depending on the region of cultivation.

Growing Gatsania from seeds is a rather complicated process.

It is best to plant seeds in deep boxes, from which it will be more convenient to dive seedlings in the future. If there is no deep box on the farm, the usual one will do, but then, after the appearance of the first four leaves, you will have to plant the sprouts in separate peat pots.

Gazania seeds are spread on the ground, keeping a distance of 3 cm and pressed down with a hand or sprinkled with earth on top. After that, you need to abundantly moisten the seeds from the spray bottle, and cover the box with seedlings with glass or a transparent film.

Gazania seedlings should grow in sunny places at a temperature not lower than +18 С º. Moisture from glass or film must be removed daily, and seedlings should be ventilated, every day increasing the ventilation time by a few minutes, so that small sprouts gradually get used to the temperature around them.

If everything is done correctly, in one and a half to two weeks the first shoots will appear. At first they will grow slowly, but gradually, with increasing daylight hours, the growth of newborn gazanias will also accelerate. It is time to transfer three-four-month-old seedlings to open ground.

Landing

You can start growing gazania outdoors only after the final establishment warm weather. The flower comes from Africa, and frosts are contraindicated for it, although it tolerates temperature drops to +10 C º relatively calmly.

For landing best suited sunny areas with loose soil. Weeds must be carefully weeded out and holes prepared for seedlings. The hole should be about twice as wide as the root ball and as deep as your seedling box. To improve the quality of the soil, you need to make organic fertilizers. Seedling bushes should be planted in a checkerboard pattern, at a distance of 20-35 cm.

Gazania should be transplanted very carefully so as not to damage the young roots of the plant. If, before planting, the seedlings grew in peat tablets or in separate peat pots, you don’t have to worry about the integrity of the roots. After placing the roots in the watered hole, you need to fill it with earth and prepared compost.

Gazania cuttings

Propagation cuttings are taken from side shoots as close as possible to the base of the leaf rosette. Cut the stem very carefully, small sharp knife or with a scalpel, remove the bottom sheet. Dust a fresh cut with root powder to stimulate root growth. The cutting is planted in a container with a diameter of 8-10 cm, watered and covered with a glass cap or bag. It is best to put the resulting mini-greenhouse in a bright, ventilated room, but not in the area where direct sun rays. Rooting usually occurs in about five weeks, and after the formation of a bush around the cuttings from young shoots, the plant can already be planted in open ground.

On a note. If the design of your garden allows the presence of planters and flowerpots with plants, it will be optimal to grow gazania from seeds or cuttings immediately in the flowerpot, thereby avoiding the moment of transplantation that is critical for the plant. This method is also good because after the onset of cold weather, you can take the flowerpot into the house and let it winter. So there will be chances to grow gazania as a perennial.

How to collect gazania seeds

Gatsania seeds are very similar to dandelion seeds.

The fruit of the gazania is similar to a dandelion, and its seeds are just as volatile. Therefore, in order to collect them for sowing next season, you will have to work hard. The main difficulty is to collect them just in time, until they are scattered throughout the garden. To do this, you will need to build a gauze bag around the fetus. If the gazania grows in a greenhouse where there is no wind, everything is much simpler: you just have to check the plant every day and collect the seeds.

Wintering

In our latitudes, gazania in the open field does not hibernate and is grown as annual plant. It is possible to save the plant until the next season if you take it to a house or greenhouse for wintering with a temperature not lower than +10 C º. For these purposes, a glazed loggia is suitable.

The requirements for the soil in which gazania will winter do not change - it must be light and nutritious. It is better to take a larger and deeper pot, be sure to put drainage on the bottom.

In addition to bright light and rare irrigation gatzania in winter does not need anything. If everything is done correctly, there are very good chances that next season African chamomile will delight you again with its magnificent flowers.

Pests and diseases of gazania, how to care for and deal with pests

If you create gazanii all the conditions for proper growth, then you can not be afraid of pests: the flower will be quite capable of resisting them itself. But errors in care can create conditions for the appearance of pests and diseases. Most often, gatzania is affected by aphids, gray rot, spider mites, snails and slugs.

Aphid. Aphids are a very common insect pest that feeds on the juice of young plants. Plants infected with aphids become weaker, stop flowering and fruiting, and can easily become infected with various diseases. To kill aphids, you can use insecticidal preparations (pyrimifosmethyl, bifenthrin, etc.) or folk remedies- infusions of garlic or tobacco mixed with liquid soap. You can also plant geraniums, onions or garlic next to the gazania, the smell of which repels aphids.

You can protect yourself from slugs and snails by spilling gravel between the ridges

The main biological enemy of aphids is the ladybug, it feeds on these harmful insects. If they live in the garden ladybugs, the invasion of aphids can not be feared.

Gray rot. Gray rot is a botrytis fungus, and fungi need water. To avoid infection with gray rot, you should not plant plants close to each other, and when watering, you should try not to get on the leaves. If the fungus nevertheless “clung” to the gazania, treatment with fungicides, for example, foundationazole or euparen, will help.

These insects eat the shoots and leaves of plants, preventing it from developing normally. Of course, modern insecticidal preparations will also affect snails, but their complete destruction is undesirable for the life of the garden - after all, apart from healthy plants they eat up and recycle their dead remains. Therefore, instead of the widespread destruction of snails and slugs, it is better to protect the most delicious plants- set traps, sprinkle inter-bed spaces with gravel, crushed shells or eggshells.

Spider mite. The spider mite is not an insect, so insecticides are useless against it. You will have to use insectoacaricides, fitover or neoron. At spider mite there is natural enemies- phytoseiulus and amblyseius, also ticks, only predatory. You can buy them at gardening stores.

In addition, watch the video this flower We wish you a pleasant viewing.

Bright large gazania flowers will improve even the most Bad mood and growing it is quite easy. And the African golden chamomile sun will bloom in the garden to everyone's joy.

Gatzania is known and loved all over the world for its bright petals and resemblance to chamomile. It is great for decoration garden bed or balcony high-rise building. Before planting gazania in the open field, its cultivation and care should be studied as much as possible so that the flowers are large and delight their owners.

Features of growing gazania as a perennial garden crop

The flower feels good both at home and in the open field.

It's blooming herbaceous plant known as annual and perennial. Most often, in our climate, it is possible to grow one-year-old gazania, because it does not tolerate severe frosts. If you want to make it perennial garden culture, then you will have to take care to properly transplant it and help to winter at home.

Gazania is native to South Africa, so she loves the heat and the bright sun. Despite this, today there are many varieties that can withstand temperatures down to -5 degrees and delight their owners with lush flowers for a long time.

Which is correct: gazing or gazing

Another name for the flower is African chamomile.

The plant was named after the Italian priest Theodor von Gaza. However, despite this, in different countries it is equally called gazania and gazania. Due to the fact that its bright buds open at noon, it is known among flower lovers as midday gold.

How best to grow

Gatzania is pretty unpretentious plant, so it can be grown outdoors, on the balcony and in indoor pots. The only condition for this is maximum access to sunlight, moderate watering, and the absence of drafts. The less heat and light you provide to your gazania, the fewer flowers she will have.

What climate is this plant suitable for?

In the southern latitudes, colorful carpets of gatsania bloom almost all year round.

Gazania is suitable for almost all types of climate. It is only necessary to take into account that in the cold it is dug up for the winter, and in warm latitudes it grows all year round. The plant does not like only the humid and monsoon climate, where it falls a large number of precipitation. It can withstand significant temperature fluctuations from -5 to +35 degrees, although most of its types of frost do not like at all and die immediately.

What soil grows best

The most suitable for this plant is considered fertile soil, but if it is sandy, then the flower will not suffer from this. The main thing is that the place is well lit by direct rays of the sun, protected from drafts, and the level of groundwater is as low as possible.

AT southern regions gatsania is sown directly on the flower bed. In areas with harsh winters cultivation occurs only at the expense of seedlings, which must be sown, following certain rules.

Role in landscape design and examples of application in the photo

Gatsania plays a huge role in landscape design. She gained popularity thanks to bright colors striking in its contrast. So, raspberry-white, yellow-orange, red, white and many other shades of gazania are distinguished.

Consider some ways to use these colors:

In order not to harm the gazania and skillfully decorate your garden, do not plant next to it. tall plants, which will create a shadow that is unacceptable for her.

Landing methods

If you want the gazania to have large flowers, you need to plant seedlings for it. It is important to know that the plant begins to bloom when at least three months have passed since the emergence of seedlings. That is why sowing seeds in May will give a result only in August or even closer to its completion. This time is unfavorable, if we talk about our country, because in most of its territory frosts can already begin, which are unacceptable for gazing.

To understand when it is better to sow the seeds of the plant in question in 2018, you can turn to the lunar calendar for help:

• From 21 to 27 February;
• In March, it is recommended to sow twice: from the 5th–9th and the 20th–25th;
• Auspicious days in April are 4-8 numbers.

When planting seeds and seedlings, it is necessary to take into account the climatic conditions of each particular region. In areas where warm springs and summers start later, it is best to start the sowing process in March. This is explained by the fact that seedlings should not be kept at home for too long, because from this they become weaker and thinner. Due to the fact that gazania loves a lot warm light, planting it too early, be prepared to provide it with high-quality illumination with a lamp.

At what air temperatures to sow seeds and plant seedlings

When picking seedlings of gazania, one must be especially accurate

The most acceptable temperature for planting seeds is +18 degrees. Before germination, this figure is increased to +22 degrees. As soon as the seedlings begin to rise above ground level in the box, the temperature is again reduced to +18 degrees.

The further process of development of gazania occurs at a temperature not higher than +15 or +16 degrees. If it is higher, then the plant will be strongly stretched upwards and will be less strong.

Before landing in open ground, gazania is taken out into the street, first for 40 minutes. Every day this time is increased so that the plant gets used to the temperature outside.

When to Plant Gazania When Growing from Seed + Step by Step Instructions

It is necessary to grow seeds for seedlings in well-prepared soil. For this, light, nutritious, moisture-permeable soil is used. Most suitable option a mixture of peat and sifted sand in a ratio of 1: 1, as well as soddy land and compost in a ratio of 2: 2 is considered. If the total soil volume is 10 liters, do not forget to add complex mineral fertilizer to it (no more than 3 matchboxes).

1. Before laying the seeds in the ground, it must be calcined at high temperature about 3 hours.
2. After that, a highly saturated solution of potassium permanganate is added to it, cooled and poured into a container where seedlings will grow.
3. At the bottom of a low box for seedlings, 10 mm expanded clay is poured, on top of which prepared soil is poured. Its height must be within 30 mm. In order for the seeds to germinate faster, they need to be soaked in hydrogen peroxide for 3 hours.
4. Well-packed soil is plentifully watered and the seeds are laid out in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 20 mm from each other.
5. Then another 10 mm of soil is poured on top of them, sprayed with water and tightly pulled onto the box polyethylene film. So the seeds will germinate faster. Regular airing of crops and drying of the film will help to avoid the appearance of mold. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that it is warm in the room with seedlings, so it is recommended to install a container near the battery.
6. Seeds germinate within a week. In order not to harm them, open the film and move it closer to sunlight to a place where there is no draft at all. Watering is carried out only on well-dried soil.

How to sow at home: video for beginners

In order not to hurt root system gazania during transplantation into open ground, it is recommended to dive young growth when the sprouts are with 4 leaves. Used for picking peat cups(their volume should be no more than 200 ml). In them, almost to the very top, soil is poured with an acidity level of pH from 5.5 to 6.5. Having made a recess in the container, the seedlings are deepened to the cotyledon leaves. So they grow until the moment they land on the flower bed.

How to pick in pots: video guide

Care in the garden from the moment of landing in open ground until autumn

Landing in open ground is carried out in a consistently warm time.

Immediately after sowing the seeds, calculate the approximate time when you will plant the gazania in open ground. This should be a period of absence of frost and severe cold. In this case, the soil should warm up at least 40 cm.

Compost is poured onto a pre-selected sunny plot of land and dug up. Keeping a distance of 20 cm from each other, holes are dug to a depth of 20 cm. Before dropping peat pot into the ground, the hole is abundantly watered with water, a tablespoon of fertilizer (potassium, superphosphate, earth) is poured.

How to care while growing

During growth, the flowers are not heavily watered. They make sure that a lot of tall weeds do not grow around, which will close the necessary for the plant sunlight. Weeding the ground directly near the gazania must be done carefully so as not to damage the root, which is quite close to the surface. That is why experts advise not to loosen the soil. So that the soil does not lose moisture and is not covered with weeds, the soil must be mulched (with peat or compost).

With proper care, flowering gazania lasts about 20 days. As a result, pick off faded flowers in time to promote the emergence of new ones.

Do not forget once a month or a half to feed the plant full mineral fertilizer which contains potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.

How to prepare a plant for winter

Most often, with the advent of winter, the bushes are cut off, and the roots are dug up. However, if you want to leave a few blooming gazanias for next season, dig them up and plant them in a pot. At the same time, make sure that the clod of earth in which the plant has grown all summer remains intact. Place the flower in a room with a temperature not higher than +8 or +10 degrees. It should be watered only when the ground is already almost completely dry. With the advent of spring, the stems are cut and the root is planted in a new bed.

What problems do gardeners have with growing and their solution

Both young and adult plants do not tolerate overflow

Like all plants, gazania is also susceptible to pests, from which it suffers and can die. These include slugs, aphids, spider mites, and snails.

Pest Control Methods:

• You can prevent the appearance of ticks and slugs by regularly weeding the area where the gazania grows, as well as pouring between the bushes slaked lime. In addition, spider mites can be killed with Ditox, Fufanon;
• It will be possible to get rid of snails only by manually collecting them, preventing a greater spread;
• To combat aphids, Aktara, Fitoverm, Biotlin are used.

If you notice that brown spots appeared on the leaves, increasing in number every day, be prepared for the fact that the flower was struck by gray rot. In this case, it will be very difficult to save the bush, so it is better to dig up heavily infected plants and take them away from the site. To prevent the occurrence of such a disease, the following rules must be observed:

1. Do not water the gazania heavily;
2. Plant it in a well-lit area;
3. The soil should be regularly ventilated, but be devoid of drafts;
4. For prevention, occasionally spray flowers with Fitosporin.

In some cases, gardeners claim that the plant does not bloom for a long time. The reason for this lies in the improper care of the gazania or the poor place in which it grows.