Gazania: planting and care in the open field, propagation and cultivation from seeds

Gazania (gazania) is a beautiful ornamental plant, which is called "African chamomile" for its origin and similarity to the well-known wild flower. Despite its "southern roots", the plant grows well and blooms in temperate climates. In addition to beautiful and diverse inflorescences, the popularity of this culture has been brought by the fact that planting and caring for gazania in the open field does not require significant effort.

Botanical description

Externally, gazania is a plant that has the following features of the main vegetative and generative organs:

1. Stem - this is a small-sized plant that does not have a stem, leaves and flower stalks with inflorescences are formed from buds on the root neck.
2. Leaves - lanceolate, pinnate, lobed, grayish-green in color, often pubescent on the underside, collected in a compact or sprawling basal rosette.
3. Flower (inflorescence) - a basket with reed petals of various colors (from white, red and yellow to two-tone) and the middle part is red or yellow. The diameter of the inflorescence, depending on the variety and type of plant, can be from 5 to 12-15 centimeters. The inflorescence is located on a vertical (rigid) or slightly drooping peduncle up to 30 centimeters high.
4. Root system - rod, well developed, penetrating to a depth of 60-80 centimeters.
5. The fruit is a dry achene with a small white hairy tuft.

Gazania blooms from mid-summer to early autumn (July-September). The fruits ripen in mid-late September.

Types and varieties

The genus Gazania includes species such as:

1. Gazania long rifle.
2. Gazania pinnate.
3. Gazania snow white.
4. Gazania uniflorum.
5. Gazania peacock.
6. Gazania is harsh.
7. Gazania Potsy.
8. Gazania hybrid.

Of all these species, the hybrid is the most resistant to environmental conditions - bred by crossing various gazanias, it combined all their positive qualities, as well as a variety of flower colors.

Note. Despite the fact that most types of gazania are perennials, in temperate climates they are advised to be grown as annuals.This is due to the low resistance of the southern plant to low temperatures - the culture is able to tolerate short-term frosts down to -7 ° C. In the conditions of severe frosty and little snowy winters, it can freeze even with good insulation.

The most popular varieties (series and mixtures) of this plant among flower growers are:

• Big Kiss Yellow Flame;
• hybrid blend;
• Riddle;
• New Day Red Shades;
• Garden Star;
• Frosty Kiss Orange;
• Triad.

All of these varieties are grown in an annual crop.

How to grow a plant?

The success of growing even such an unpretentious plant as gazania depends on the correct choice of the place and time of planting, the timely implementation of care measures.

When to plant?

Grow this culture in seedlings. To do this, in the first decade of March, the seeds are sown in shallow boxes or other containers. Seedlings are grown in such boxes at a temperature of +18, +20 0C. Seedlings appearing from seeds on the 12-15th day, when 2 true leaves appear, dive into small peat pots, where they grow to the required size.

Well-formed bushes with 3 true leaves are planted in open ground in early May. Choosing a place for planting. For planting seedlings in open ground, well-lit and elevated areas are selected. Places that are lowered and flooded with melt and rainwater are not suitable for this plant.

It also does not tolerate gazing and shade, so it is not recommended to plant it near large trees, outbuildings, bushes. Required soil This crop is grown both on fertile loamy and peaty soils, and on nutrient-poor sands and loose sandy loams.Heavy, poorly water-permeable clay soils, peat bogs with close occurrence to the groundwater surface are not suitable for it.

Boarding process

The grown and strengthened seedlings are planted in open ground. The landing process itself consists of the following steps:

1. In the selected area at regular intervals (15-20 centimeters - for undersized, up to 25-30 centimeters - for tall varieties), holes are made with a garden spatula with a diameter of 10-12 centimeters and a depth of 7-8 centimeters.
2. The seedling is removed from the peat cup, placed in the planting hole, sprinkled with earth, compacting it with your fingers.
3. After planting, all plants are watered, after which the soil around them is mulched with a small layer of humus or fertile soil.

Important. In order for the seedling with a clod of earth to be better taken out of the peat pot, watering is stopped the day before the seedlings are planted in open ground.

Crop Care Tips

In order for a plant to please the eye with beautiful flowers, it is necessary to properly care for it - weed, water, feed, cut in a timely manner, when grown as a perennial crop - cover for the winter.

Weeding and loosening the soil

Weed seedlings planted in open ground after each watering or heavy rain. In addition to removing weed sprouts, loosening allows you to destroy the soil crust, thereby improving air access to the root system and reducing the evaporation of moisture through the system of the smallest soil capillaries. Loosening and weeding are often replaced by mulching the soil around the plants with a 3-4 cm layer of humus.

Water and fertilize

Gazania has a high drought tolerance, and requires watering only in the first 10-15 days after planting in open ground.At this time, it is watered often and plentifully. As soon as the seedlings take root well and begin to grow noticeably, abundant watering is stopped, their frequency is adjusted taking into account precipitation.

So, if the summer is rainy, and there is enough moisture in the soil, watering is done at intervals no more than 3 times a week. If a prolonged drought sets in, up to 4 waterings per week.

On fertile soils, gazania is fed with special complex fertilizers no more than once a month. In this case, top dressing is combined with watering. On nutrient-poor soils, fertilize more frequently, every 15-20 days.

Cutting

In order for the gazania to grow and develop normally, periodically remove broken and damaged leaves, wilted peduncles with crumbled inflorescences. For this procedure, use a sharp and clean knife, scissors.

Wintering plants

In most cases, gazanias are grown as annuals and are not sheltered for the winter. In some cases, in order to prolong the life of the plant, for 1 year it is dug up in the fall along with a clod of earth, placed in large pots, all flower stalks and wilted leaves are removed and placed in a moderately humid and cool room with a temperature during the winter season of no more than + 12, +14 0С. The soil in the container, as it dries, is gently moistened with a hand sprayer.

Perennial species are cut off completely and covered with straw, spruce branches, dry foliage.

Protection from diseases and pests

Gatsania is a very resistant crop to diseases and pests.

Of the diseases, with improper care, it is most often affected by gray and white rot - with a high level of plant damage, they are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or such a safe biological fungicide as Fitosporin-M.

Of the pests in especially wet years, snails and slugs are dangerous for gazania, which can damage its young leaves. The fight against such large pests is carried out without the use of chemicals - they are harvested by hand.

Breeding Methods

Reproduction of gazani is done both generative (seeds) and vegetative (bush division, cuttings) ways.

Seed method

With this method of propagation, the faded inflorescences are not cut off, but covered with a plastic bag, allowing the seeds to ripen and not crumble. In the future, the basket is cut off and placed at home to dry in a small paper bag. Since the seeds of this crop, like those of the dandelion, have feathery tufts, they are well carried by the wind. Therefore, with a delay in the timing of seed collection, their chaotic self-seeding occurs on the site and adjacent lands.

To collect seeds in this way is advised from plants that are well developed and not damaged by diseases and pests.

Dividing the bush

In addition to the seed method, gazania can also reproduce in such a vegetative way as dividing the bush. For this, well-formed plants are used. A bush of such gatsania is carefully dug up and with a sharp knife or spatula divided into two new bushes, each of which should have at least 4-5 he althy leaves. New plants are first placed in separate small containers, they are given some time to take root, and only after that they are planted in open ground.

Cutting

A small, 10-centimeter lateral shoot with a “heel” at the base is cut off from the bush. The resulting stalk is first placed in a liquid with water for a day, before planting, its lower cut is powdered with Kornevin.Planted cuttings in small separate containers, to a depth of no more than 9 centimeters. Gazania can be cut in this way throughout the year.

What problems do gardeners have with growing, and their solution?

The main problems that growers face when growing gazania from seeds or seedlings are as follows:

1. Drying - occurs when soil cramps form, a very long drought. This problem is solved by frequent watering and loosening the soil in order to destroy the soil crust.
2. Poor survival rate - rather unpretentious, this culture does not take root only in cases of its planting on too dense, swampy and heavy soils. In order to avoid such a situation, experts advise carefully choosing a place for planting a crop, taking into account not only its illumination, but also the mechanical composition of the soil.
3. Frost damage - such a problem may be caused by early planting seedlings in open ground. Based on this, experienced flower growers do not recommend planting gazania bushes on the street before the beginning of the second decade of May.
4. Poor wintering indoors - as a rule, even a well-formed annual bush or seedling of gazania, when stored indoors with low humidity and low air temperature, will quickly die from the combined effect of these two factors. To prevent such a development of the situation, dug up plants are placed for wintering on glazed balconies, loggias, storage rooms and other premises located next to living rooms.

Gazania in landscape design

In landscape design, gazania is used in compositions such as borders, mixborders, alpine slides, flower beds. Annual species are also often planted in various flowerpots, which adorn the edges of garden paths, porches, and gazebos.

Any perennial type of gazania is grown in a permanent place for several years, both in combination with other crops and alone.

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