Gerbera daisy cut flower care

3/14/2009 · by · in CUT FLOWER CARE, Garden Review, Gerbera Daisy

How do you properly cut Gerbera Daisies for flower arrangements? I do not want to damage or shock the plants I have All are beautiful at this time and full of flowers.

gerbera
Cut the stem as close to the center of the plant as possible without cutting into the crown. Take cuttings early in the morning and place immediately in a clean container with tepid water. Add a floral perservative to the water and allow the flowers to drink for a few hours.

Gerbera daisies have a tendency to turn to the light (phototropic) so when hydrating Gerberas, suspend their heads in a grid wire mesh to keep the stems straight or wrap the stems in damp newspaper and stand them upright in a vase of water for several hours before use.

For longer life, change the water and recut the stems every 2-3 days .

More info on Gerbera daisy see: http://hortchat.com/info/gerbera-daisy

http://hortchat.com/info/start-gerbera-from-seed

Tags: cut flower care

19 Responses

AmandaB

7/30/2014 at 9:06 am · Reply →

I have a Gerbera plant that I bought around Mother’s Day for my office. She has been doing remarkably well. She lost her flowers but the leaves did great. I now have a beautiful new single flower. But then stem tends to bend and flop. Should I put a straw on it to help stabilize? also can I leave the flower on til it begins to wilt or should i trim it sooner? I trim leaves as they start to dis-colour. I don’t have any new blooms starting.

I had many people tease me when she had no flowers that she looked like a dandilion plant. It’s a unique Gerbera that I have never seen before. Her petals aren’t the traditional ones they are thinner and almost shredded looking.
thanks in advance.

Hi AB
A straw will work to support the stem once you cut the flower. You can remove the flower when the petals start to turn brown. I would remove any browning/discolored leaves.
sherri

10/3/2013 at 8:12 pm · Reply →

I have cut gerbera daisies, and I need to keep them fresh until I give them away. At what temperature do I hold them? Do I put them in a garage, fridge, outside? It’s a low of 44 degrees predicted tonight. Is that too cold?

Hi Sherri
Luke (tepid) warm temperatures are good just so they absorb more water. Storing them at 44 degrees is ok. Temperatures between 38-42 degrees work well for cut flowers. You can also cover the flowers with a plastic bag to maintain high humidity. If you store them in the frig, make sure you don’t store them with any fruits (apples) as the ethylene they emit can age/brown the flowers.
Hazel924

5/3/2013 at 7:51 pm · Reply →

We recently bought and planted Gerbera daisies and they are blooming nicely on out terrace. But we were wondering, when should we cut them from the plant? Is there a certain time, or when they reach a certain height? I don’t want to risk cutting them too soon and damage the plant, or cut them too late that the flower is already beginning to wilt and unsalvageable.
TY.

HI TY
Cut your gerbera daisies when the flower petals are fully opened. Cut it close to the base of the plant.
Hollie

2/24/2013 at 11:40 pm · Reply →

AHH! My boyfriend bought me a daisy plant for Christmas. It bloomed two beautiful flowers and all the leaves seemed to be rather healthy. When the blooms died, I trimmed them accordingly, then realized that the whole plant was infected by white flies! After squirting the leaves with VERY diluted soapy water, one by one the leaves turned a sickly yellow and wilted’. As they died I cut them off. Now, there is one baby leave, and two little baby blooms, is there any hope for this plant??? I’m not sure if the leaves are grown enough??? What can I do???

Hi Hollie
Sounds like your gerbera daisy was off to a bad start. With one leaf left, chances are that it will not survive. Place the plant in a sunny window and keep the soil slightly moist. With spring right around the corner, it may perk up and continue to put out more leaves.
harihdan

2/15/2012 at 11:41 pm · Reply →

um one thing..what should i do to save basically almost dying gerbera daisy.if all the leaves start to turn brown and the flower wilt should i cut all the leaves and the flower leaving just the crown of the plant?or should i not…

If all the leaves turn brown then there is little hope for the plant.
harihdan

2/15/2012 at 11:04 pm · Reply →

my mom bought me a gerbera daisy.i dont know anything about daisy and how should i handle it.but when i studied about gerbera daisy the information always mention about seasons(fall,summer….).but the place i live dont have this kind of season(hot and rainy through out the year). when the daisy start to wilt i put it outdoor under the sun but it start to wilt even more..wonder if the sunlight is too strong.what should i do…

Hi Harihdan
If the plant is wilted and soil is wet, then there is a root rot problem. Putting it into the sun will make it worse. Gerbera doesn’t like wet, soggy soil or hot temperatures. They like a room temperature of 60-75 degrees along with good ventilation. Water early in the day and allow it to dry slightly between watering. Avoid overhead watering and water in the crown(inside) of the plant. see http://hortchat.com/info/gerbera-daisy
1. Karie
  
  7/30/2012 at 1:52 pm · Reply →
  
  they love heat and lots of water. I had mine blooming for 9 out of the 12 months last year. and i gave them a good transplant with rich soil, they were out in the sun all day and i gave them a hearty watering in the afternoons.
Britney

1/25/2012 at 4:02 pm · Reply →

How to make a Gerbera boutineer
Im wanting to order some grabera daisies for my wedding. Im wanting to make boutinniers out of them but kind of hesitant to so because I dont want them to get wilted right away. Can anyone help me so I can decide if to use them for the boutinniers or not. Thanks

Hi Britney

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Gerbera daisies can be used in a boutineer. Make sure they are very fresh and a smaller size.
Here’s how to make the boutineer. One method is the insertion (pierce) technique which adds support and flexability to the flower stem. Place the wire parallel to the stem and pierce it into the flower head. Using floral tape, wrap the wire to the stem. Another technique is the hook method. Bend the end of the wire to form a hook (1 1/2 inch). Insert the longer end of the wire into the center of the flower head. Carefully pull the wire through the center of the flower until it reaches the flower base. Make sure the hook is in place and concealed. Wrap the base of the flower head and wire with floral tape. The insertion is most likely the best because there is no wire to hide in the flower head. Good luck with the wedding.
Diane

4/16/2011 at 4:13 am · Reply →

My boyfriend sent me a small beautiful bouquet of pink Gerber daies in a vace, along with baby rose’s and beautiful greenary. He had them delivered on Mar28th for our two year anniversary. Tomorrow will be three weeks since he had them delivered, and they look the same with the exceprion of the baby roses.. Has anyone heard or had any Gerber Daiseys that have lasted thast long? The other thing is that I have only changed the water once in that time…
Courtney

3/30/2011 at 8:08 am · Reply →

I am buying gerber daisy stems on Thursday for a party on Saturday. I plan on putting them in vases with water. How long will they typically last in water and should I do anything special to preserve them for the party? Also, how should I cut them when I shorten them for the vases?

Hi Courtney
A cut flower will last 7-10 days in water, if they are fresh and conditioned properly. Keep the flowers in cool temperatures(40-50) away from light and fruits and vegetables. Add a floral preservative in the water. When hydrating Gerberas suspend their heads to keep the stems straight, they have a tendency to turn to the light (phototropic). Designers sometimes wire them as a precaution to droopy heads. When cutting the stems, use a sharp pair of clippers to get a clean cut. more info see cut flower tips
Karen Scott

11/20/2009 at 8:54 pm · Reply →

I bought gerber daisies today from Whole Foods. Had netting on the flower, a clear plastic sleeve on the upper part of the stem. Both are removeable. I removed the netting kept the sleeve on the upper part of the stems so they wouldn’t wilt. Doesn’t look all that great. I was wondering if I can you mix vodka w/ water and keep the gerber daisies from wilting? Vodka works extremely well with tulips, so what about gerber daisies. The party is this Sunday, November 22nd, you may not be able to reply Saturday, but still let me know for future parties. Thanks, Karen

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
Liz W.

7/31/2009 at 6:03 pm · Reply →

I was given a bunch of 6 cut gerberas and a bunch of pinks/carnations last Saturday and I put them together in the same vase. Within a few days the gerbera stems were wilting and going slimy, I wiped them and cut the stems at a slant, and used clean water, resorting to drinking straws to keep some upright, but I have gradually lost them and now the final four have died off. The carnations are still fine, the room was cool so what happened to my gerberas, did they react with the carnations, and should have been in a seperate vase or was I just unlucky. I am so disappointed.

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.
Donna

5/19/2009 at 2:09 pm · Reply →

Root rot
Hi, a friend was going to throw away her Gerbera Daisy that has root rot,(it is watered well and all the leaves are sagging) I took it today hoping that I’d be able to help it. I have it outdoors in Chattanooga, TN in the sun. Can you tell me how to keep it alive? Thanks

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.
Amanda

4/29/2009 at 7:29 am · Reply →

Last week I received gerbera daisies as a gift in a small 5″ pot. They started to wilt so I watered them and watched that the soil never dried, they came back to life. This morning when I came into the office I noticed they are wilted. They are not over or under-watered. How can I bring them back to life?
I should also mention that the others who recived flowers are doing the same thing as myself and their daisies are doing just fine.

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?
Anne

3/31/2009 at 8:46 am · Reply →

I wanted to use mini Gerberas for the guy’s boutonnieres for my wedding, but I was told they don’t hold up well. Would they last a few hours?

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.
Joi

3/14/2009 at 7:53 am · Reply →

I wanted to know if there is a way to dry or preserve a wedding bouquet of gerbera daisies. I have been told by some the you can not dry gerbera daisies like you can other flowers. I would really like to keep my bouquet in tact. Thanks.

Gerberaâ€™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 donâ€™t know about Gerbera. Try googling preserving/drying flowers perhaps there is someone in your area that does this sort of preservation.
admin

3/14/2009 at 7:38 am · Reply →

Anita
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:43 pm Â· Reply Â· Edit
I bought a single Gerbera daisy and put it in vase with water right away. Do I need to buy flower food to give to it? Or is a vase full of water good enough? Thanks!

HI Anita
No, you donâ€™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.
admin

3/14/2009 at 7:36 am · Reply →

Â· Reply Â· Edit

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
ALICE SILVESTER

3/14/2009 at 7:30 am · Reply →

Cut flowers

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.