African daisy (Osteospermum ecklonis) from May to October is showered with flowers similar to daisies, which can be of different colors and interesting shapes. Under natural conditions it is a perennial plant, while in our climate the African daisy is usually grown as an annual plant. However, there is a way to keep the African Daisy until next year. See what it is like to grow an African daisy in a garden and in a pot, and how to winter an African daisy so that it will enjoy its beauty again next year!
African Daisy - Osteospermum ecklonis
Fig. © Agnieszka Lach
Growing African Daisy
The African daisy can be grownboth in the garden in the ground and in containers on balconies and terraces. It grows well on any soil, it is only important that the soil is not too heavy and waterlogged.To grow an African daisy in potsa universal substrate for balcony plants mixed with coarse sand (in a proportion of 3: 1) is enough.A sunny position is necessary to grow an African daisyIn the shade, the flowers close and the plant gradually stops producing new buds and dies.
Worth knowing!African daisy flowers also close in cloudy and rainy weather, which is a natural phenomenon.
African daisy grown in the groundtolerates drought, but when planted in a pot, it requires systematic watering.In hot weather, it should be watered even twice a day (morning and evening) with small doses of water. The containers should have holes in the bottom so that excess water can drain freely. Too moist a substrate makes the plant easily attacked by fungal diseases, e.g. downy mildew.
African daisy grown in pots requires regular fertilizationThe first fertilization should be done 2 weeks after planting the seedlings. We fertilize once a week. We can use a universal fertilizer for balcony plants. A very advantageous solution is the use of surfinia and pelargonium fertilizers, the composition of which prolongs the flowering of the African daisy and takes care of the he alth and vigor of the plant.Grown in the field, the African daisy does not require fertilization , because it is rich in nutrients in the garden soil.
Bloating inflorescences should be regularly removed. This way, we will make theAfrican daisy more lush and bloom longer(even until mid-October).
Good to know!During long summer heat the flowering of the African daisy is inhibited. This is because the plant needs cool nights to set flower buds. Don't worry about it, because after a short break the plant resumes flowering and continues to bloom until the first frost.
African daisy - reproduction
African daisy can be propagated from seedscollected from faded flowers. Seeds sown at the turn of January and February on the seedbed. Before sowing, we can stratify the seeds in the refrigerator for 100 days or soak in warm water for 8-12 hours. These treatments will accelerate the germination of seeds. Cover the pots with foil and place them in a warm (18-20 ° C) and sunny place. The seedlings of the African daisy obtained from the seedsshould be planted permanently after May 15, when the risk of frosts is over
African daisies grown from seedsdo not bloom until the second half of June.Unfortunately, offspring plants grown from the seeds collected by us usually do not repeat the characteristics of the mother plants. Not all varieties of African daisy produce seeds as well. Therefore, a better solution istaking cuttings from the tops ofshoots in August, and then rooting them in a bright and cool room.
African Daisy - Osteospermum ecklonis
Fig. © Agnieszka Lach
African daisy - wintering
To winter the African daisyuntil spring it should be moved at the turn of September and October to a room with a temperature of 9-12 ° C for a period of 2 weeks. After this time, cut off the cuttings from the top parts of the shoots and place them in peat mixed with sand. At a temperature of 18-20 ° C, the often sprinkled seedlings take root after about a month.Rooted cuttings of the African daisywe grow them over the winter on a sunny window, and after May 15 we can plant them outside.
Anotherway to overwinter the African Daisyis to move the entire plant with its pot to a bright and cool (10 ° C) room. Before that, we shorten the twigs by 10-15 cm. During the wintering period, we make sure that the substrate in the pot is slightly moist at all times. At the end of February, the African daisy is transplanted to a fresh substrate and moved to a room with a higher temperature, ie approx. 15 °. From the beginning of May, we harden the plant for 2 weeks, which means that we put it on the balcony every day for a few hours so that it gradually gets used to the conditions outside. We plant the plant outside permanently after May 15.
Thisway of wintering the African daisyis very unreliable and rarely successful. Moreover,African daisy blooms most profusely in the first year of cultivation.In the following years the flowering is clearly weaker. For this reason, it is worth considering whether wintering it makes sense at all.In our climate, the African daisy does not hibernate in the ground.
MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
