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Gerbera Daisy flowers grayish, not opening fully #762918

Asked July 20, 2021, 9:35 PM EDT

My Gerbera daisy in a container has great looking foliage, but the flowers are not opening fully and the edges of the petals look gray. I keep reading about mildews on the leaves and crown but nothing about the flowers. The leaves look great and the crown is not rotting. I have it in average soil. The pot it came in was mostly water-wicking sphagnum and peat. I let it dry out on the top before watering again. The flowers are not droopy, just don't open fully. Any ideas? Thank you.

Broomfield County Colorado

Expert Response

Hi Eva,


I apologize for the late response to your question. The intense heat we have been experiencing could be the reason your blooms aren't as nice as they should be. When it gets hot plants put more energy into survival. The focus moves to root and leaf survival. Another factor that may be effecting your plant is the poor air quality. The Front Range has been experiencing a lot of air pollution from the wild fires happening all over the western US, so this could definitely be part of the problem as well. 

You should just trim off these blooms with stems and see if the plant produces better blooms once the temps cool down a bit. Deadheading also helps the plant produce more and stay healthier.  Here is an article on heat stress that you may find helpful. 

Hope this helps.

Nancy

Thank you so much!

Eva Darrington    Artist   |  Writer  |      Art Gallery 


On Jul 28, 2021, at 11:48 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

The Question Asker Replied July 30, 2021, 1:07 PM EDT

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