Gerbera care tips
The Gerbera, our new Flower of the Month, barely needs introducing. Such a popular cut flower, surpassed only by the rose, carnation, chrysanthemum and tulip! There is a great variety of shapes and sizes available, in a wide range of colours covering much of the spectrum. Petals of a single flower can even have several different colours. The origin of the Gerbera lies in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa and South America.
Gerbera care tips for the florist
Hygiene is always very important, but never more than for the Gerbera. Ensure clean materials, buckets and a clean work environment as the stems of Gerberas are extremely sensitive to pollution. Gerberas do not drink much and the stems contaminate easily. Therefore you should put the Gerberas in a clean bucket with 1 litre of water and Chrysal CVBN tablets, affectionately also known by some florists as Viagra for Gerbera! These are available in convenient clicker dispensers containing 400 tablets.
Gerberas that have been treated with Chrysal CVBN have a firm stem and therefore don't additional support e.g. wiring. Wiring stems and particularly inserting into the head of the flower will have a negative effect on the vase life, particularly when Gerbera are included in mixed bouquets. Keep in mind that some types of Gerbera continue to grow once cut, which is something you may need to consider when mixing with other flowers.
Gerbera care tips for consumers
To help you enjoy your Gerberas the longest at home, we have the following care tips for you:
- As Gerberas are sensitive to contamination, it is extra important to use a clean vase, preferably made of glass.
- Cut the stem 2-3 cm with a clean, sharp knife or secateurs.
- Gerberas don’t need a lot of water: half a litre of water with a 0.5 litre Chrysal cut flower food sachet gives the best result for a single bouquet of Gerberas. This increases the vase life with 60% compared to water alone.
- If your Gerberas come as part of mixed bouquet, you're likely to need more food and water in the vase and remove dead flowers as soon as they start to fade. Leaving them will detract from the overall appearance of your bouquet, but will also speed up the aging process of the other flowers.
- Keep flowers away from drafts, heat and direct sunlight.
- Most of all, enjoy these colourful flowers!