Can gatsania be grown as an indoor flower?

Gatsania is a very beautiful and peculiar, thermophilic plant that migrated to us from distant and hot Africa. In our latitudes, flower growers and gardeners quite successfully grow about 50 varieties of this bright, beautiful and unpretentious flower. In its homeland, it is a perennial flower, but in the conditions of our climate it cannot exist in a flower bed during the winter cold weather, winds and frosts.

However, it is quite possible to preserve this thermophilic plant until the next hot season by transplanting it into a pot and placing it on the windowsill, loggia and glazed balcony for the whole long winter.

Growing up in the winter at home, gating in a pot or flowerpot, will demonstrate all its enormous potential, and will bloom for a long time, delighting everyone with its bright sunny inflorescences.

After the flowering period is over, the plant will delight you with its greenery until spring. How to grow gatsania in winter at home so that it retains its beauty and decorativeness?

How to grow gatsaniya at home

After the last warm autumn days are over, you need to take care of transplanting the gatsania into a pot. A short-term drop in temperature to at least 0 does not cause significant harm to the plant, but long-term frosts will surely cause it to die.

If there is a free outdoor flowerpot, you can place the gatsania for growing at home in it. A deep container is also suitable for this, especially if several flowers are transplanted for the winter. With this method of planting, the plants can be preserved and there will be no problems with planting in the ground in the spring. While cold winds and frosts will rage outside the window, the flower will delight household members with its bright flowering.

In addition, you can transplant the plant for wintering in a greenhouse, in which the temperature does not drop below +10 degrees. It is important to use containers with drainage holes so that excess moisture does not form and the plant does not die or start to hurt.

Some growers also practice preserving this beautiful flower in the winter in the garden. To do this, they cover the leaves with mulch or a thick film, however, not all varieties of this plant are able to endure such wintering and the bushes die.

Winter care for gatsania

It is known that the plant cannot be called too demanding, requiring any special care when grown in beds and flower beds. The same is true for home-kept plants. At home, gatsania feels great and remains unpretentious. The most important thing is to adhere to the basic recommendations for caring for it.

Correctly organized maintenance of gatsania in winter at home in a pot or flowerpot will allow the plant to quickly and painlessly adapt to growing conditions after spring planting in open ground.

Potting soil should be light and nutritious. The success of the entire event will largely depend on how correctly it will be prepared. At the bottom of the pot, it is imperative to place expanded clay, fragments of clay pots or vermiculite.

When choosing a place where a flower will winter, it is imperative to take into account the love of gatsaniya for sunlight and warmth. Therefore, it is best to place the pot with it on sunny windows and balconies. In order for the growing conditions for gatsania to be optimal, on cloudy days, the flower needs to be supplemented.

In the process of planting gatsania in the ground in the spring, you need to try to leave the root system of the plant intact, since if you accidentally damage it, it will certainly die.

Do not worry that growing a flower in winter can be difficult. This may seem difficult at first glance. Having completed all the described manipulations once, you will be able to save the gatsania flowers from the winter cold in a pot every year. If the plants still have not survived the winter, you will have to resort to further growing gatsania from seeds at home for seedlings.

An interesting plant - gatsaniya, planting and caring for which is not burdensome for a grower - will delight with its flowers until the first frost. Most of the varieties are perennial, but there are also annuals among these plants. The African flower has taken root well in our country, because it is this climate that is favorable for its development and growth. Despite the simple care of gazania, it has some features.

Gatsania - gazania

A flower resembling a large bright chamomile with a small stem, it amazes with a variety of color shades. He does not like highly moist soils and is able to withstand dry periods. A feature of this flower is the ability to retain moisture - this is facilitated by the leaves, covered on the underside with fluff, which not only retains moisture inside the plant, but also protects from frost.

Growing gatsania from seeds can be done in decorative containers anywhere. It can coexist with all plants without negatively affecting them. For the winter, a flowerpot with a flower can be brought indoors - gazania will continue to grow even at home. The variety of varieties is simply amazing: they differ not only in color, but also in some features of growth. For example, most flowers roll their petals at sunset. But there are species that leave flowers open even at night.

Landing

Planting the gatsania, as well as aftercare, requires a lot of patience. First, select a site with good soil for this plant. This flower grows best in dry areas with little rainfall.

When choosing a location, it is also important to consider that:

• gazania grows well and develops on light, fertile land;
• it is important that the soil passes moisture well without retaining it;
• gazania grows poorly on heavy soils and most often dies;
• the flower loves the sun, so it is better to plant it in sunny places.

For reproduction, two methods are used: from seeds and vegetative.

Seed method

Growing from seeds at home is done by seedling due to the long growing season of the plant. For better seed germination, it is important to observe the following sowing steps:

1. Prepare the soil. To do this, you need to mix the same amount of humus, fine sand, turf and leafy soil.
2. Sowing of seeds is done in early spring.The time is chosen taking into account the climatic conditions of the area, taking into account the fact that usually two-month seedlings are planted in a permanent place.
3. Seeds are spread in small grooves at a distance of 3 cm. It is better to plant them in a checkerboard pattern.
4. When the seed has been lightly sprinkled with earth, spray water on top with a spray bottle so as not to wash the planted seeds.
5. Then the container is covered with transparent polyethylene and transported to a light and warm windowsill with a temperature of at least 18 degrees.
6. Before shoots appear, you need to periodically ventilate the resulting greenhouse and remove condensate that appears on the film.

When the first seedlings appear in a couple of weeks, they need to provide optimal lighting. Due to the short daylight hours, the sprouts need additional lighting, therefore, lighting devices must be installed next to the seedling containers. It is also important to keep the temperature at least 15 degrees, otherwise the sprouts will grow weak. Water the seedlings with settled water.

Important! Gazania seedlings are not dived to avoid the possibility of injury to the weak root system.

Before planting in a permanent place, you must first prepare the area where the flower will grow. Gazania is planted in a deep hole along with a lump of earth where it grew. It is important to try not to injure the main root of the plant. The distance between future bushes should be at least 20 cm. Soon after transplanting, the first flowers will appear - first single, and then in groups. Growing seedlings from seeds at home is more effective than cuttings.

Advice! For a longer and faster flowering, it is necessary to regularly cut off wilted buds.

Vegetative way

Used for breeding in summer. To obtain new plants in a vegetative way, the following actions are performed:

• At the main stem, a lateral shoot is necessarily cut off with a thickened base of no more than 10 cm.
• For better survival and prevention of drying of the shoot, the cut is treated with a root formation stimulator.
• Remove all the lower leaves from the shoot.

Advice! To accelerate the growth of the shoot, it can be soaked overnight in a growth mixture, which can be derivatives of urea and other drugs.

• The cutting is planted in a container filled with earth. It is important that the container is large enough - at least 9 cm in diameter.
• The shoot is well watered.
• They create conditions for growth and development the same as when growing seedlings from seeds. It is important to exclude the influence of drafts and direct sunlight on weak shoots. It is also necessary to consider that the future of the bush needs good lighting.

After about a month and a half, root formation occurs, but gassing remains in the container until the onset of Vesta. Only then can the perennial be planted in a permanent place.

The cultivation of some types of gatsania is possible only by this method, since they do not produce seeds. When choosing a shoot from which a new bush will form, it is necessary to give preference to elongated and healthy cuttings. To increase the likelihood of root formation, it is necessary to choose processes with a heel - a thickening near the base.

Care

Growing and caring for gatsania is not difficult, the main thing is to take a responsible approach to the choice of soil on which the future flower will grow. You should not plant the plant on heavy soil, including clay.

• Watering should be moderate. Otherwise, cultivation in any way will not make sense. After all, a flower can protect itself from a lack of moisture - its long root is able to get water from the soil, and the fluff on the leaves prevents too much water evaporation. But it cannot protect against waterlogging - it weakens and begins to rot.
• Feeding is also necessary for flowers.On fertile soil, plants are fed once a month and a half, and on poor soil - twice a month with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
• Timely removal of weeds and thorough loosening of the soil at least twice a month.
• Protection from pests. To combat aphids, you can plant onions or garlic, which will scare away insects with their specific smell. Treatment with Bordeaux liquid will help prevent damage to gray mold. Spider mites are exterminated with special insecticides. When snails and slugs appear on the plant, they are harvested by hand. Garlic, sage, or parsley planted nearby will help get rid of harmful insects.

Proper cultivation allows for plants with large, bright inflorescences. Despite the fact that most of the gatsania is a perennial crop, it is quite difficult for them to winter outdoors under our harsh climatic conditions. Therefore, for the winter, the perennial is simply transferred to a closed room, and in the spring it returns to its place. In winter, in the room where gazania will winter, it is better to maintain the temperature from 10 to 15 degrees.

Caring for gatsania in winter consists in periodic watering. Growing gatsania in pots or pots at home allows you to bring the plant indoors for the winter without much difficulty and transplanting, where it will continue to delight with flowering inflorescences. When spring comes, the containers can be taken out again to the street so that they decorate the area with bright flowers.

Gardeners and ordinary people adore this flower for a riot of colors. Gatsania, a perennial or annual, really has a vibrant, exquisite beauty. And blooms like a multi-colored chamomile. These plants are native to Africa, which is probably why they like sunny days.

The bright sun, which gives warmth, allows us to admire such a creation of nature. And in the cold season, we can also observe such a plant as gatsaniya. How to preserve these flowers in winter so that later in the summer they decorate the garden area? Such questions are often asked on the forums of amateur gardeners.

Types of gatsania

Gatsania belongs to the Astrov family. Such plants come in several forms: annual or perennial, subshrub or shrub.

They gained fame thanks to the variety of colors. In fact, there are quite a few varieties of this flower, they can be counted up to fifty.

The most popular are gatsanii shiny, or harsh. Our breeders have bred flowers of various colors. And now not only a monochromatic chamomile, but also a motley gatsaniya, the photo of which you see in the article, pleases us. The main varieties are gatsania one-flowered, shiny, peacock, white, feathery, and so on.

Plant features

This interesting southern specimen has its own uneasy character. It manifests itself in the fact that if it is cloudy outside, the petals close, and the middle of the flower becomes invisible.

Initially, these plants, accustomed to heat and light, could bloom from sunrise to sunset, but in bad weather they keep closed. But flower growers would like more. And then, through trial and error, they began to experiment with the response to weather conditions with this plant. And so, thanks to their actions, a hybrid called Talent appeared.

As a result, now you can admire the colorful shades of the flower in any weather. So our specialists, despite the plant's capricious mood, quickly found a way out.

Love African chamomile watering. It is advisable for them to arrange it systematically in the heat. If this is not done on hot days, then the flowers before our eyes will become smaller and smaller. And, of course, they will no longer be able to delight us with their beautiful coloring.

Let's talk about hybrid and long-shot gapping

Floriculture uses in our latitudes mainly hybrid and long-shot gatsania.Long rifle gatsaniya native to South Africa. This type of gatsaniya is a perennial. Grows with short and creeping stems. It blooms from August until the beginning of winter. These flowers are seven centimeters in diameter.

Hybrid gatsania has a harsh structure, and the flower is 8 cm in diameter. It can be specified in any shade of orange, as well as white and yellow. It grows as a bush in a rosette of basal leaves.

The hybrid flower is distinguished by the decoration of the leaves. They have a linear spatulate structure. Leaves with a shade of silver underneath, resemble velvet to the touch. By the way, such pubescence is not accidental. Thanks to him, the plant is not afraid of the cold. In addition, the leaves help to retain moisture on the flower.

Hybrid varieties are more in demand among our compatriots. The fact is that they have perfectly adapted to our climate. They have large flowers and a large number of semi-double or double petals. And a lot of hybrids and main varieties have been bred. And they bloom in white, crimson, pink, yellow, bronze-lemon, cream, orange, striped and spotted flowers.

Their names are suitable for color. For example, there are the following names of varieties (mixtures of varieties): Sunny flare, Sunny dance, Wonderful miracle, Sunshine, Sunshine, Big kiss, Bonjour and so on.

How to care

After two weeks of planting, feed the gats with mineral fertilizers. If there is poor soil on the site or flowers grow in a container, then use complex fertilizers, but also after a while, within 14 days.

Be sure to feed a plant such as gatsania at the beginning of the season. Cultivation and care, properly organized, are those actions that will help her to constantly delight you with her flowering.

The most favorable soil for gatsania is sandy loam. It should not be waterlogged. And, what is important, there should be a lot of humus in it. When the flowers gain strength, feeding can be canceled. Remove constantly faded inflorescences and peduncles.

How such flowers feel in winter

Such a unique flower as gatsaniya, care, careful and thoughtful, is necessary, however, like all plants. But it won't be too burdensome for you. The plant needs light, fertile soil with good drainage.

When the flowers mature, they become cold-resistant, you can admire them almost until the first frost. Although gatsania, a perennial or annual, is a native of the south, it has almost adapted to our latitudes.

Only when you already feel the onset of winter, carefully transplant your favorite flowers into pots. If you have a glazed balcony and the temperature there is not lower than +10 degrees, then they will winter well in this place, in order to return to the garden plot in the spring. Do not forget about moderate watering.

Try to transplant flowers very carefully so as not to damage the roots. You can also use flowerpots in areas for growing a plant such as gatsania. How to keep such flowers in flowerpots in winter? Do not transplant them from pots, but simply take the flowers home with them.

Can a flower overwinter?

In order to keep gating until spring, there are several ways:

1. In winter, the flower will be good indoors. Only good lighting will be needed. The plant is unpretentious. If you live in a region with mild, wet winters, free from frost, then you don't even need to take the pot home.

Although they love warmth, as they grow up, the flowers adapt to the local climate. You can use special containers to grow in your garden. And then, with the onset of cold weather after -3 degrees, pick them up, put them on the balcony, so that she could get used to the new gating conditions.

The wintering of the plant can then continue in warm rooms, but only after the flower gets used to the balcony climate, where the optimal temperature for it will be 9-11 degrees with a plus sign.

2.But if you live in a frosty place in winter, gatsanias are best grown as annuals. To do this, you can sow gatsania seeds in early spring. Try to water the plants in winter, but very rarely. And make sure that the soil does not dry out. Gatsania (cultivation and care in this case will not be very different) can grow if you either did not transplant it from the pot, or carefully, without damaging the roots, tried to transplant it.

Gatsania-perennial is a low-growing bushy plant, therefore, when you transplant it to open soil, carefully separate the bushes.

About seedlings

Gatsania is sown in the first month of spring. After the seeds have cut through, the seedlings must be sown in greenhouses or in earthen pots. And as soon as the spring frosts end, plant them in the ground.

We advise you to still use peat pots if you are growing a flower from seed. This is necessary in order not to accidentally damage the roots. And in this case, there will be no need to dive. So you will solve the problem of vital activity in the winter of a plant such as gatsaniya. We have considered how to preserve it in winter, as well as how to grow seedlings from seeds.

And already from April, the weather usually allows you to send seedlings to a cold greenhouse or to an open ground area. Seedlings must be gradually hardened. This can be done from the moment the thawed spots disappear.

The shoots will gradually get used to cold up to -3 degrees and bright sunlight. If you notice that the temperature is lower at night, use lutrasil to cover the young growth. When the temperature outside is more than +17 degrees, shoots should be expected in a decade or a little later.

How to propagate a plant using cuttings

Reproduction of gatsania can also be done using cuttings. Midsummer is exactly the period when gatsania, perennial or annual, quietly propagates with the help of cuttings, which are obtained from lateral shoots at the base of the stems.

First, treat the cuttings with drugs that stimulate root formation, then plant them in the shade so that the sun's rays do not fall on them. It is necessary that they get used to the new place. When you see that the cuttings are rooted, take a clod of earth along with the cuttings and plant them in the place you have chosen.

In this way, gating will always grow on your site. How to preserve such a flower in winter, now you already know.

Where can you plant gatsania?

They are planted on curbs, paths. Flower beds are arranged next to stones or stunted flowers. Unique flower arrangements with ageratums, lobelias and other floral creations will definitely not leave anyone indifferent. It turns out to be a wonderful sight that cannot but be immortalized.

No one remains indifferent, contemplating such a gift from nature as gatsaniya. Photos are proof of that.

Does gatsania get sick?

She can catch a disease called gray rot. As you can see, the gatsania plant can also get sick, like everything alive in the world. Growing (and caring for it) during this period will be slightly complicated by the fact that you will need to resort to the help of a fungicide.

Treat the diseased flower with its solution. Preventive measures will also be useful. They are simple: make the flowers grow in non-waterlogged soil.

Also protect them from aphids, snails, slugs, spider mites.

By performing such simple actions, you will constantly enjoy the vibrant exoticism of a native of Africa, and will delight you at any time of the year. Wintering is not terrible for her. So enjoy the sight of these lovely flowers!

Gatsania, or gazania, is a low-growing plant of the Aster family, beloved all over the world for its bright flowers and unpretentiousness. It was brought to Europe in the middle of the 18th century from South Africa, therefore it is often called the African chamomile.The African name of this plant is translated as "oil flower", because the petals taste like oil.

Description of the plant

Gazania is a bush up to 15-50 cm high. Dense narrow dark-green or gray-green leaves are collected in a basal rosette, from which peduncles emerge with single inflorescences-baskets with a diameter of 3-9 cm.

Gatsania petals are of various colors: pink, red, white, but most often yellow or orange, often with longitudinal stripes of darker and brighter shades with a dark spot at the base. The outer surface of the petals is often shiny. At the same time, there can be up to 30 peduncles on gatsania. Flowers open only in bright sunlight, and remain closed in cloudy weather. The seeds are hairy achenes with a tuft.

Gatsania is a perennial, but in northern latitudes it is grown as an annual. The flowering period lasts from early summer until frost.

Reproduction of gatsania

Florists can buy gatsaniya with already grown seedlings. But it is much more interesting and cheaper to grow seedlings yourself using seeds or cuttings.

Growing gatsania from seeds

It is unlikely that you will be able to collect your own gatsania seeds, since in our country they ripen only in very hot summer. But buying them is not difficult. Seeds are sown in February with the expectation that in late May or early June, 3 months after germination, gazania will begin to bloom.

There are two ways to grow gatsania seedlings: with and without a pick. In the first case, a shallow container is sufficient for planting, in the second, a box with a depth of at least 10 cm will be required, since gatzania usually has a long taproot.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• a light soil mixture is poured into the box, moistened, grooves are drawn;
• seeds are planted quite rarely, the minimum distance between rows is 3 cm, in a row - 2 cm;
• after planting, the seeds are covered with a layer of earth or sand no more than 5 mm,
• sprayed from a spray bottle,
• cover with a transparent lid or bag and put in a bright place.

The optimum temperature for germination is 18-20 ºC. Every day the box with seedlings must be ventilated by removing condensation from the lid. Seeds germinate in 1-2 weeks.

Seedling

If the seedlings have sprouted too often or the seedling box is shallow, then when 2-4 true leaves grow, the seedlings are dived and transplanted into separate pots or cassettes. After transplanting, the plants need a temperature of 12-16 ºC, in warmer conditions they can stretch out. Water as the earthen coma dries up, without flooding.

Propagation by cuttings

Hybrid varieties of gatsania do not give ripe seeds, so they are propagated by cuttings. To do this, at the end of summer, a part of the lignified stem is cut off from a well-grown bush and, having powdered the cut with root, is placed in a mini-greenhouse. After 1.5-2 months, the cutting will grow roots, and it will be possible to transplant it into a pot for wintering, and plant it on a flowerbed in the spring.

Planting and leaving

Gatsania care is simple, you just need to follow the basic recommendations for watering, soil composition and placement of plants on the site.

Gazania seedlings ready for planting in the garden

Landing rules

In May-June, when the soil in the garden area warms up enough, the seedlings can be transplanted into open ground at a distance of 25 cm from each other.

This African plant prefers light, poor sandy and rocky soils. Gazania can develop normally and bloom profusely only in sunny areas where water does not stagnate.

Gatsania care

The plant is extremely drought-resistant, watering is needed only in the absence of rain for a long time. Caring for gazania consists in removing old peduncles, as well as weeding and loosening, which can be replaced with mulching.

On poor soils, it will not be superfluous to feed gazania with complex mineral fertilizers 1-2 times a month.On fertile soil, you can do without fertilizers or apply them 2-3 times per season.

Diseases and pests

Gatsania practically do not get sick and are not affected by pests. The only possible problem is gray mold causing decay. To save the plant, it is treated with fungicides. To avoid the disease, it is necessary to plant gats only in light, well-drained soil.

Wintering

As a perennial crop, this African chamomile grows only in warm countries, where temperatures usually do not drop below zero. However, a short-term decrease to -5-7 ºC will survive the gating. But in Russian conditions, the cultivation of this plant in the open field is impossible.

The strongest bushes are selected for wintering and in October-November they are transplanted into pots, which are brought into a bright room with a temperature of 8-10 ºC. Water occasionally when the soil is thoroughly dry. In the spring, overwintered gazania are planted in open ground, after pruning the shoots.

Growing at home

Gazania in a pot

Gatsania can also be kept as a houseplant. Intense lighting is a prerequisite for successful cultivation. In summer, the plant will feel better on the balcony.

Popular types of gatsania

In nature, 18 species of gazania are known, the most popular of which are grown as ornamental.

Gatsania ampelous

A very decorative variety of gazania thanks to the flowing lashes with silvery pubescent leaves and bright yellow flowers 2.5-4 cm in size. The color of the flowers is solid, without spots at the base of the petals.

Gatsania harsh (Shiny)

This is the most famous variety of gatsaniya. It does not occur in nature. Bushes up to 40 cm high are decorated with bright golden yellow or orange shiny flowers 4-8 cm in diameter. There are dark spots at the base of the petals. Leaves are whole, sometimes moderately cut, dark green on the upper side and white pubescent on the bottom.

Linear gatzania (Long rifle or Potsey gatzania)

The bushes of this variety of gazania up to 10-15 cm high consist of a rosette of narrow leaves up to 13 cm long and yellow and orange flowers up to 8 cm in diameter. The leaves are green and shiny on the outside and white pubescent on the inside. The flowers often have dark spots at the base of the petals.

Gatsania Krebsa (Peacock)

Gazania peacock

A low-growing type of gatsania, forms bushes up to 15 cm high. The upper side of the leaves is dark green shiny, the lower one is white pubescent. The root system is rather weak, without a taproot. Flowers 5-9 cm in size, dark red or orange with dark brown spots at the base of the petals.

Gatsania hybrid

There are many hybrid varieties based on glittering, linear and other species. Varietal plants have larger flowers with various showy colors, and the newest hybrids bloom even in cloudy weather. The most interesting groups of gatsania varieties:

Daybreak

With golden-yellow, orange and red-brown inflorescences, some varieties of this group have longitudinal contrasting stripes on the petals or rings of various colors. Pictured is the Red Stripe variety.

Easy Grow, Sonnenshine, Auslese

Ancient varieties; bushes up to 30 cm high with large flowers of bright colors. The photo shows the Easy Grow variety;

Ministar

Ministar yellow

Plants up to 20 cm high with yellow, orange and white inflorescences

Talent

Talent white

A series of varieties with silvery leaves and flowers that do not close even on cloudy days; on the right - Talent White.

Ornamental value

Due to its short stature, drought resistance and unpretentiousness, gatsaniya is ideal for alpine slides and rockeries, where it goes well with blue lobelias and ageratums. Creeping species can form a solid carpet, while compact varieties are ideal for container growing on balconies. Ampel varieties are very decorative in hanging pots.

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