Gerber Daisy Care &
Growing Gerber Daisies Organically
A little Gerber daisy care can bring glorious color to your garden and extra blooms to fill your vases. A native of South Africa, these cheerful flowers are available in a wide range of hot colors.
As well as single-flowered varieties, it’s also possible to grow double and crested double blossoms. Although easy to grow, they don’t tolerate freezing conditions so some gardeners choose to grow them in pots or sow as annuals.
- Planting Gerber Daisies
- Growing Gerber Daisies / Gerber Daisy Care
- Harvesting / Cutting Gerber Daisies
- Gerber Daisy Pests & Diseases
- YOUR Advice, Experiences and Photos
Gerber Daisy Plant Snapshot
- Gerber Daisy (Gerbera)
- Annual or perennial? Perennial, although treated as annuals in cooler climates
- Recommended varieties (by color):
- Orange: Garvinea Jilly, Sunway
- Pink: Garvinea Lisa, Garvinea Pam, Aligator, Pino
- Red: Dynamite, Ebony, Palazzo
- Yellow: Gerbera Brandy, Evergreen, Famous, Heatwave
- White: Kilimanjaro, Avemaria, White Grizzly
- Recommended USDA Hardiness zones: 9 to 11
- Mature Height: 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm)
- Mature Spread: 12 inches (30 cm)
- Sun Requirements: partial to full sun
- Blooming season: mid to late summer
- Cold tolerance: Half-Hardy - can tolerate cold, wet, damp weather but can be damaged or killed by frost.
Gerber Daisy Care: Planting the Seed, Transplanting and/or Root Division
Where to Find Planting Supplies...
The following resources offer effective, healthy and/or well-rounded options. Click the links to go there now...
- Best Compost Bin Designs
- Pots and planters (follow link, then choose "Pots & Planters" from menu)
- Seed-starting soil mix
- Potting Soil (for transplanting started plants into pots/containers)
- Organic Garden Fertilizers
- Types of Mulch
- Lawn / Garden Tools
- Soil Tesk Kit (for pH, N, P and K levels) - see our Soil pH Tester page for more info
- Organic Seed Collections make seed-buying easy for the beginner... just pick the group that you want to plant:
- Individual Organic Seeds (once on their site, choose seed category in left margin)
Sow seeds in modules filled with sieved compost or an organic nutrient rich seed starting mix indoors about 10 weeks before the last frost. Make sure they do not dry out, but don’t ever let the plants sit in water. Once the true leaves appear, repot carefully into small pots to encourage root growth.
Gerber daisies are not particularly suitable for propagation by cuttings or root division. Collect seed to ensure you will have future plants.
Snapshot: Planting Gerber Daisies
- Germination soil temperature: 70-75 degrees F (21-24 C)
- Distance between plants: about 12 inches (30cm)
- Planting depth: 4 inches (10 cm)
- Days to germination: 15 to 25 days
- Preferred soil pH (see soil pH tester for more information): 6.1 to 7.5
- Root division information (perennials only):
- Root system type (clumping, spreading, rhizome or tuber): clumping
- Roots division frequency: Root division is not recommended
Gerber Daisy Care: Gerber Daisy Care
Where to Find Growing & Plant Care Supplies...
For effectice, healthy and/or well-rounded options, click the following links...
Gerber daisies do not need staking. Although they are perennials, Gerber daisies will probably be past their best after 4 years. Fertilize every couple of weeks with an organic seaweed liquid feed.
Deadheading flowers will increase the number of blooms your plant produces.
If gerber daisies freeze, they will not survive the winter. Either grow them in pots so they can overwinter indoors or dig up at the first frost and repot them until early the following summer.
Standard flower watering guidelines apply.
Snapshot: Gerber Daisy Care
- Plant supports recommended? No
Gerber Daisy Care: Harvesting/Cutting Time
Where to Find Harvesting Supplies...
Their wide color range makes Gerber daisies one of the most popular cut flowers around. Their sturdy stems don’t need wiring to stand tall. Cut long stems in the early morning or evening and plunge straight into water to prevent wilting.
Gerber Daisy Care: Pests & Diseases
Be careful not to overwater your Gerber daisies as this is one of the main causes of disease. Remember to water at the base of the plant, not allowing the foliage and flowers to become too wet.
The following pests and diseases have been known to affect the success of growing Gerber Daisies (see Organic Garden Pest Control for information about how to prevent and address pests and diseases)...
Pests
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Diseases
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YOUR Experience & Advice About Gerber Daisies
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