As pretty as the gerbera is as a pot or container plant, it is also demanding when it comes to care and location. As a houseplant, it does not always thrive optimally indoors. So send your gerbera on vacation to the balcony in summer.
How do I care for gerberas on the balcony?
To care for gerberas on the balcony, place the plant in a bright, airy but wind-protected location without the blazing midday sun until after the Ice Saints (end of May) and until September. Water from below, avoid waterlogging, and fertilize weekly. Let the gerbera grow at least 15 degrees Celsius.
Move to the Ice Saints
Gerbera in a pot does not tolerate temperatures below 15 degrees. Therefore, only bring the plant onto the balcony when the Ice Saints are over at the end of May. Then there is no longer any risk of it getting too cold for the tropical plant.
The outdoor season for gerberas ends in September. It must then be brought into the house and overwintered in a bright, frost-free window at temperatures of around 12 degrees.
The right location on the balcony
- Bright without blazing sun
- Airy but protected from the wind
- Moist but without waterlogging
As a child of the tropics, the gerbera needs a lot of light. It also likes direct sun in the morning and evening hours. On the other hand, you won't get blazing sunshine at midday. The delicate leaves burn when exposed to strong sunlight.
Provide a location where the gerbera is nice and airy and somewhat shady in the midday heat. If necessary, you should provide light sun protection, for example by placing a curtain over the balcony grille.
Don’t forget to water
Gerbera is very thirsty, especially in summer. So don't forget to provide water regularly. Always water gerberas from below. Then no waterlogging can occur.
On hot days, you need to water gerberas in pots on the balcony several times a day. Also spray the leaves regularly with a garden sprayer (€21.00 on Amazon) to increase the humidity.
The nutrient requirements are higher outdoors than indoors. If you want to achieve beautiful, long-lasting flowers, you should add some fertilizer to the water once a week.
Tips & Tricks
If you want to plant gerberas in a bucket or pot on a balcony or terrace, make sure you have good, loose garden soil. Refine soil that is too dense with perlite, a type of rock that keeps the soil permeable. Perlite prevents the soil from becoming moldy due to the high humidity.
