Growing gazania and caring for it

Gazania is a short South African plant of the Aster family and most of all resembles a large beautiful colored chamomile. This perennial plant does not even tolerate frost, therefore, in the middle lane, cultivation of gazania is practiced as an annual, or the plant is planted in flowerpots and brought into the house for the winter, where they winter well at temperatures above 10 degrees.

An interesting feature of gazania is the curling of the petals when the sun is not enough for the flower (in cloudy weather and at night). However, the hybrid variety Talent has already been bred, the flowers of which are constantly open. It is also worth noting that gazania is resistant to pests and diseases.

Gatsania loves light, fertile soil with good drainage and open, sunny areas. In hot weather, she needs intensive watering, otherwise it will bloom worse, the number of inflorescences will decrease, and the flowers themselves will be small. If you carry out the cultivation of gazania as an annual, then you will have to grow seedlings every year. If you bring the plant indoors for the winter, then you can propagate it with rosette cuttings in the middle of summer, which, of course, is easier.

Gazania seeds germinate for a long time, about two weeks. Seedlings dive without waiting for the appearance of real leaves and always breaking off the tip of the root. After 10 days, the seedlings need to be fed with complex fertilizer. Before planting in the ground, the seedlings need to be hardened, gradually accustoming them to the changes in day and night temperatures. In the middle lane in open ground, the plant is planted in May, and flowering begins in July. Gazania, which has wintered indoors, blooms in April.