Plant Care and Gardening Tips

Gardening advice and plant care notes

March 20, 2009 · Garden Review / Gerbera Daisy

Start Gerbera from seed

GROW GERBERA DAISY FROM SEED
I want to start growing Gerbera Daisies from seed. I have some Gerbera daisies in bloom now, but don’t know how or where or when to collect the seeds from the flower.
When the flower is finished blooming and fully matured, the center will become fuzzy and the ripe seeds will be on the end of the thick hairs. The seeds should be plump, hard and slightly thick in the middle.
To collect the seeds,  place the dried flower head in a paper/plastic bag and shake to loosen the seeds. F1 hybrid plants will not produce many viable seeds and will revert to the parent plant characteristics.  Gerbera jamesonii is not a hybrid, seeds can be saved from this plant and should be viable.

Planting the seed
The best time to sow gerbera daisy seeds is in early spring. Plant the seeds 12 weeks before setting outside. Use fresh seeds. Plant the pointed end down and fluffy top up in pre-moistened well-drained soil mix of  1/2 peat and 1/2 perlite. Do not cover completely as they need light to germinate but avoid direct sun.  Enclose the container with plastic to maintain moisture & humidity. Provide light(12 hrs of incandescent light) and maintain a bottom heat of 72-78 (22-25C) or a soil temperature of 68F.  For even germination, keep the soil moist at all times. Germination takes 7-14 days or as long as 30 days. When the plants are 1″ tall or when two true leaves develop, transplant the seedlings into well drained potting soil.  It can take up to 6 months from seed to bloom.
The tiny Gerbera seeds are expensive to buy and come in a moisture proof package with a short shelf life. Some say less than a year. Seeds should be stored in cool temperature away from light.  Once you open the package you need to plant the seeds or they will loose their viablilty very quickly.  Any unused seeds can be stored in the frig for a short time.

More info on Gerbera daisy see:

http://hortchat.com/info/gerbera-daisy

http://hortchat.com/info/gerbera-daisy-cut-flower-care

From the reader archive

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Hello! I bought some cut Gerberas and I enjoyed it for about a week and then it started to die… I then hung it upside down and it allowed it to dry for decorative purposes… After it was completely dry i put…

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10 Comments

  1. Julian Kerr - April 24, 2009 at 9:45 am

    Hello!

    I bought some cut Gerberas and I enjoyed it for about a week and then it started to die…

    I then hung it upside down and it allowed it to dry for decorative purposes… After it was completely dry i put in a container with some dried roses…

    I was cleaning on day and knocked over that vase (it didnt break) and the gerber daisy exploded into hundred of seeds… I was excited and I just threw them all into a potted plant outside.

    I think all of them germinated becuase I must have about 60 little sprouts now… I am want to transplant them but since I planted them in clusters, they are growing in clusters!

    What do you recommend? They are over an inch long now, and we are going into the rainy season here in Costa Rica. Should I transplant them now or wait until they are a little older?

    Also, when I transplant them, should I plant the one by one or two by two? Or replant them in clusters? I have a limited number of small containers but I can get more.

    Thank you for your help.

    Hi Julian
    Lucky you! Sounds like you will have enough gerbera daisies for the whole neighborhood.
    Transplant the seedlings now-when they are 1″ tall into a 3-4 inch pot. It is easier to separate them before the roots get tangled. Because of the way they grow (rosette) each seedling should have its own pot, so that it isn’t crowded.

    Reply
  2. Mickie - August 16, 2009 at 12:37 pm

    GERBERA FROM SEED

    I live in North Dakota and would like to start Gerbera Daisy from seed. Will they do well in our climate, or are the better suited to be indoors in our zone? (zone 4)

    Treat it like an annual. You can grow it indoors as a potted plant which is short lived or outdoors in a sunny spot (4-6 hrs sun) during the summer. Be sure to bring it in before the frost, it is not hardy in zone 4.

    Reply
  3. Jill - August 16, 2009 at 12:40 pm

    I live in Pa and I am getting married this Fall 07 I wanted to grow my own Gerbera dasies for my wedding. I bought some seeds off the internet. I have read that they are very hard to grow and require specialization and a steril environment. Also, I have found varying directions on how to care for them(ie keep soil moist between waterings vs let the soil dry between waterings. Please help me!

    Gerbera do need special care when growing from seed. It can take up to 6 months from seed to bloom. You might have better luck growing potted plants. Gerberas should be kept moist (not wet) while they are blooming but allow them to dry out a bit before watering when they are not in bloom.

    Reply
  4. Kathy M. - August 16, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    I started gerberas from seed and had good germination.They are in a hobby greenhouse
    with night temps in the 50s and day temps up to 80.They are not growing very well, having put on only 2 leaves so far. They have been up over a month. What should I be doing for them to promote faster growth? Also will they possibly flower this year?

    Hi Kathy
    Your night temperatures may be too cool and that may be slowing down your growth rate. Recommended night temperatures are 68-72F for the first 3-4 wks followed by 65-68F for the next 2-3 weeks. You can also begin fertilizing the seedlings with a weak dose(1/2 strength) of 15-5-15 or a balanced (10-10-10) and be sure they get enough light . If all goes well they should bloom for you this year. Here is a link for gerbera seed growing that you might find useful.

    Reply
  5. Jozef N - October 4, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    Dear Sir/Madam I’m a hobby plants grower I also have a small lab. I would have two question:
    1) Ca I start propagating from seed gerberas in the lab and what media is ti be recommended.
    2) Can you clone gerberas and what would be the best method to that.

    Hi Jozef
    Here’s a site that may help you with some of the info you are looking for.http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1144/

    Reply
  6. Mai - October 25, 2009 at 11:46 am

    Winterover annuals
    Wow! talking about annual Plants. Did anyone know here annual Plants will stay indoor for the next year just to keep some money out from your pocket?. I’ve doing this for 6 years now so far so good and have seeds from annual also. and keep my annuals indoor for the next year.

    Hi Mai
    It’s a great money saving idea. Some annuals can be expensive to replace each year. Yes, annuals can be kept indoors in a sunny spot for the winter. They may not grow vigorously but will survive to perk up in the spring at which time new cuttings can be started to make new plants.

    Reply
  7. Jean Smith - June 19, 2011 at 10:30 pm

    Though these gerberas are not an easy plant to grow from seed, they are kept in chambers with precise temps and humidity to produce the plants. But these plants are easily grown in hydroponics method. Start growing in a general hydroponics growing medium, so that it can deliver nutrients once a day and provide drainage.

    Reply
  8. Gerbera lover - February 12, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    Julian Kerr

    I seriously douobt what germinated in your pot are gerbera plants.

    Viable gerbera seeds can only come from a flower that has completely gone through it’s life cycle. The gerbera head has to be allowed to grow, mature, and the head to change into what looks like a fluffy sphere similiar to the mature head of a dandelion.

    When a gerbera flower is cut to be used in a vase as a cut flower, that stops the maturation process immediately and the mature head with ripe seeds are not produced by the flower.

    You probably have some weed growing in your pot that blew in, but not gerberas.

    Reply
  9. Cheryl - May 11, 2012 at 5:06 am

    I own a flower shop Iam having a problem with the petals curling under not all varitys do this but some do is there a trick to bringing them back up Thank you Cheryl

    Reply
  10. LaRee - June 26, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    My gerber has finished blooming and put off a tall weed looking stem that has leaves and it looks like seeds on the top of it. Is this a part of the daisy or is it a weed that I should pull. The only reason I ask is because I have several gerbers in pots and they have all have done this.

    Hi LaRee
    It sounds as if the flower is done blooming and is producing a fuzzy seed head.

    Reply

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