HI Karen
The plastic supports are there to protect the flower heads and keep them from bending toward the light source. I have not tried vodka with water to keep them from wilting but have read that adding vodka will help inhibit ethylene production thus preserving the flowers longer and keep them from wilting. You have to have the right proportion of water to vodka (up to 8 percent alcohol)or it could have the opposite effect and wilt the flowers. Here’s more info. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fact-or-fiction-vodka-citrus-sodas-keep-flowers-fresh

Hi Liz
Gerberas are very sensitive to wilt and will reflect how they were handled before you bought them. The flowers may have been older. They can easily get infected if their water is not clean. Did you use a floral preservative-(that can extend the life of the flower)? Carnations have a reputation of being long lived as a cut flower. Combining carnations and gerbera should not have any affect on the flowers longevity. I would state my dissappointment at the place that you bought them.

Hi Donna
Main problem is with overwatering. If the root ball is kept too wet and soggy, it will cause root rot. You can repot it in fresh well-drained soil water it and put the plant in partial shade until it recovers. Let the top 1″ of soil dry before watering again.
Or drench it with a fungicide to help control the root rot. It may or may not work.

Hi Amanda
If the soil is moist and the plant is wilted then it has a root rot problem from too much water. Does the water drain out from the bottom of the pot?

Hi Anne
It is true that gerbera is very sensitive to wilting. I usually don’t recommend using them in boutonnieres as the flower is quite large but a mini gerb should work nicely. They can last for a few hours if the flower is fresh. I haven’t tried this, but maybe if the bout was made the same way as they do with orchids with wet cotton wrapped at the bottom on the stem it could keep for a few hours.

Gerbera’s will not dry well. You will loose the color in the drying process. One way of preserving flowers which can be costly is to freeze dry them. Special drying equipment is used to dry flowers. I know they have had good results in preserving roses, but I don’t know about Gerbera. Try googling preserving/drying flowers perhaps there is someone in your area that does this sort of preservation.

HI Anita
No, you don’t need to buy flower food. You can make your own mix. Go to cut flower care for a recipe. Place 1tsp of sugar and 2 drops of bleach into a gallon of water.

I was wondering about the shelf life of Gerbera daisies in wedding bouquets. How long can they be out of water before they start wilting?

Hi Sheri
Cut Gerbera are very popular as wedding flowers. A cut flower will last 7-10 days in water. If they are fresh and conditioned properly, then they should last through the wedding. When hydrating Gerberas suspend their heads to keep the stems straight, they have a tendency to turn to the light (phototropic). Designers will wire them as a precaution to droopy heads. I would suggest that the bouquets be placed in water during the reception to keep them fresh looking. This site has some hints on conditioning Gerbs. .http://www.floraldesigninstitute.com/page004.06.052.htm

The long stems of my Gerbera bent and looked a bit wilted. I slit drinking straws lengthwise and wrapped around the stems. Now they stand up straight and looking beautiful.