Nature of Solovki: flora and fauna of Solovki. Solovetsky Islands. Place of power. Big Muksalma Island

Home gerbera description. What does a gerbera look like? The large range of vibrant flower shades has made the ornamental gerbera a very popular plant. A perennial plant in warm climates, which is grown as an annual in colder countries (regions with a temperate climate). The leaves are diamond-shaped, long, with jagged or wavy edges and distinct veins about 15 cm long, green, collected in a rosette, very thin and easily damaged.Damaged leaves must be removed to keep the plant attractive.

The lower part of the leaf blade is often pubescent with small hairs. Peduncles are thick, appear in the second year of the plant's life, each bears one or more flowers, similar to chamomile or daisy, 8 - 13 cm in diameter. Shades range from pink, purple, red, yellow to white. The most common are plants with single, but very large flowers resembling chamomile, but there are also varieties with double flowers resembling a pompom. Mature plants may die at the age of 2 - 3 years, however, small daughter rosettes will appear near them.

Height. Reaches 40 cm in height indoors, dwarf varieties, which are most often grown in pots, reach a height of 15 - 30 cm in height.

0.1. Flowering time

Flowering gerbera begins in spring and continues until autumn. Plants grown indoors can bloom at any time of the year. Each flower stays open for approximately 4 - 6 weeks.

1.Gerberas - home care

1.1. Growing in a pot - soil

Light and well-drained, a mixture of 2 parts peat moss and 1 part perlite will do. or coarse river sand to improve drainage. The soil should easily pass moisture and air to the roots. It is preferable to use soil with a slightly acidic or neutral pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5 for growing potted gerberas.

1.2. Transplanting room gerbera

Every two years in March, a deep, but not wide pot is selected for planting, as the plants have an impressive root system. The need for another transplant will be indicated by the roots that have appeared in the drainage holes of the pot. Gerberas are planted in new soil observing the planting depth - the root neck should not be buried in the ground. It is better to use transshipment, as gerberas do not like damage to the root system. Gerbera prefers to be slightly cramped in a pot - this way the flowering will be more abundant, so you should not pick up a large container for planting.

1.3 Pests and diseases

The leaves at the base are yellow or brown in case of excess water or lack of fertilizer. Leaves may discolor or droop when rot occurs. Gerbera stretches when there is a lack of sunlight. The plant turns yellow with a lack of sunlight. The deepening of the root neck during planting leads to a slowdown in development and decay.

Yellow leaves with green veins indicate an iron or magnesium deficiency. With high humidity or spraying in the evening, plants can rot and become ill with powdery mildew.

Neutral or alkaline soil can cause chlorosis. Thickened and deformed leaf blades indicate excessive watering. The plant can get burned if it is exposed to direct sunlight for a long time.

Flowering may not occur when grown in partial shade or lack of nutrients in the soil mixture. If the gerbera has drooped - perhaps it is under stress from a sudden change in temperature, or has undergone a flood or drought - it is worth accustoming the plant to any changes gradually. Of the pests, the gerbera is attacked by aphids, whiteflies and mealybugs.

1.4. Reproduction - cuttings, gerbera from seeds

In March, when transplanting, adult plants are divided and planted in separate pots. Try not to damage the roots while doing this. Sowing of seeds is carried out in February - March in barely moist soil, sprinkled with a very thin layer of soil or simply pressed a little into the surface of the soil and covered with glass. Only fresh seeds have the highest germination, even for those that have lain for several months, it leaves much to be desired.

For seed germination, the temperature should be 22 - 24 ° C, and the humidity should be almost one hundred percent. Under optimal conditions, the first shoots can be seen already on the 3rd day after sowing. Seedlings are kept at a temperature of 16 - 18 ° C, in partial shade. Ventilate the container by lifting the glass every day to avoid condensation that could cause the seedlings to rot.

After the appearance of the first true leaves, the air humidity is reduced to 50% by airing the crops. Plant young plants with the first true leaves in May in separate pots without deepening the root neck. The pick should be carried out carefully, trying not to damage the small tender roots. The first pick can be carried out in small containers up to 200 ml in volume, in which case the gerbera will quickly braid the earthen ball with its roots and will develop the ground part. When planting immediately in large pots, it is worth carefully watering - excess soil can accumulate moisture and the plant will rot. Seedlings are fertilized 10 days after transplanting and picking with fertilizers with a high content of potassium and nitrogen.

The first flowering will come in a month - in June. Gerbera seeds quickly lose their germination capacity, so use only fresh material for propagation.

1.5 Temperature for potted plants

In summer, the plant should be kept at a temperature of 18 to 22 ° C. Wintering should take place at a temperature of 15 - 16 ° C. It withstands temperatures down to 5 ° C, but not lower. It is possible to grow gerberas at home on the balcony, provided that the temperature there does not rise above 24 ° C. Flowering will be longer if the plant is kept cool, such maintenance can also encourage re-blooming. Gerberas do not like extreme heat, do not place bushes near sources of heating.

1.6. Fertilizer

From May to September, every 15 days, plants respond positively to both mineral and organic fertilizers. During the dormant period, feeding is stopped. With the advent of buds, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are used to promote flowering. At the first sign of chlorosis, feed the plant with iron chelate. Top dressing is carried out only after watering, since the ingress of a nutrient solution into dry soil can provoke a burn of the root system.

1.7 Care and pruning of gerberas

Flowers are easy to care for both indoors and outdoors. These tender plants do not tolerate frost. Regularly remove dry leaves that can cause root collar rot. Pinch off old flowers to encourage new ones to appear. Gerberas will appreciate being outdoors during the warm season. After acquiring a flowering bush in a flower shop, it should be transplanted into a nutritious flower soil in a slightly larger pot, and 2 weeks after transplantation, start feeding.

1.8 Lighting

In summer, the plant prefers a well-lit place without direct sunlight. When placed outdoors - find a place in partial shade. In autumn and winter, the gerbera needs direct sun and can be placed on the most lit window sill. For the onset of flowering, a long daylight hours is very important - at least 10 - 14 hours, in autumn and winter it is possible to use artificial lighting. With a lack of lighting, plants slow down the growing season and stop blooming.

1.9 Purpose

This is one of the most popular and beautiful sunny plants in floristry - its bright, large flowers are often used in bouquets - cut gerbera does not lose its attractiveness for a long time standing in the water. Plants can be used for forcing for any holiday and give them directly in pots.

1.10. Air humidity

Good air circulation around the plant can prevent leaf spot, which appears as brown spots surrounded by light-colored borders. Gerbera prefers high humidity - in winter, when central heating is turned on, it should be sprayed.

Spraying should be carried out in the morning, so that the moisture has time to evaporate from the leaves before dark. Droplets of moisture should not fall on the buds and flowers, and you should not spray plants that are under direct sunlight - they can get burned. The plant does not like exposure to cold drafts.

1.11. Watering

Gerberas are very sensitive to residual moisture - do not let the water stagnate in the pan. In summer, water regularly, but not excessively, drying the soil a few centimeters deep. During the winter months, reduce the frequency of watering according to the room temperature. Slightly lowered flower heads will indicate the need for another watering.

Do not water until the top 2.5 cm thick layer of soil is dry. For irrigation, it is desirable to use softened water at room temperature. Watering is carried out under the root, lifting and pushing large leaf blades to the side. Water during irrigation should not fall into the leaf socket - water along the edge of the pot or into the pan.

Note. With age, the plant can become quite lanky and unattractive, it is worth changing it every 3 years. Flowers of some varieties can reach a diameter of 18 cm.

Hydroponics. With the condition of gradual acclimatization, gerberas can be successfully grown hydroponically.

2. Varieties:

2.1. Gerbera Jameson - Gerbera jamesonii

Perennial herbaceous plant up to 45 cm high with large, green, deeply cut leaves covered with silky hairs. The leaves are collected in a basal rosette, reach a length of 25 cm. The inflorescence appears on an upright thin peduncle, resembles a chamomile, can be painted in a wide variety of shades, excluding blue. Flowering occurs in spring and autumn.

2.2. Gerbera mini Pomponi - Gerbera Mini ‘Pomponi’

A distinctive feature of the plant is their compact size - they often do not exceed 20 cm in height and the unusual structure of the inflorescences - they have many long petals, in connection with which they resemble a pompom on a children's hat. The diameter of the inflorescence can reach 5 - 7 cm.

2.3. Gerbera needle spider - Gerbera ‘Spider’

Small plants reaching 40 cm in height. Unusual are sharp, needle-shaped, bent in all directions flower petals, from which the inflorescences look disheveled. The shades of the inflorescences vary from white to yellow, orange, brownish, pink, red, burgundy.

2.4. Gerbera Germini - Wikiwand Gerbera Germini

Miniature, small-flowered gerberas with a very diverse color of the petals. The height of the plant can be 40 - 45 cm, and the diameter of the inflorescence reaches 5 - 7 cm. This variety is very popular with florists.

2.5. Gerbera Monarch - Gerbera diamond monarch

Large-flowered gerbera up to 45 cm high, the distinguishing feature of which is the bright orange color of the inflorescences.

2.6. Gerbera Kimsey - Wikiwand Gerbera Kimsey

Very delicate hybrid gerbera up to 40 cm high with large white, cream or (more often) pink inflorescences with a diameter of 6 - 10 cm. The center of the inflorescences is often colored in a greenish tint.

2.7. Gerbera Twister Mix - Wikiwand Gerbera Twister Mix

Extremely spectacular and at the same time compact, two-color beauty 25 - 35 cm high. A distinctive feature of the plants are brightly colored inflorescences with petals of contrasting tones. The center of the flowers often remains dark brown. The diameter of the inflorescences can reach 12 cm.

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Gerbera is a perennial plant from the Compositae family. There are many varieties of gerbera, which are distinguished by color, doubleness and type of inflorescence. Let's deal with questions about how many gerberas bloom, how to plant and care for them.

The most popular varieties of garden gerbera

Today, 80 varieties of this beautiful flower are known. Most of them belong to two main plant species: the Jameson gerbera and the green leaf gerbera. In houses on the windowsills, it is customary to grow a dwarf variety of the Jameson gerbera. This variety is also used to create bouquets.

Did you know? Gerbera varieties are distinguished by the shape of the flower (double, semi-double and simple), the height of the peduncle (up to half a meter) and the color of the petals. There are even blue gerberas.

The most popular gerberas:

• white-flowering varieties with large buds and flowers with emerald greenery - Labilosa, Maria, Symphony;
• many red shades are represented by varieties Mars, Romeo, Robin, Alamak;
• if you want to decorate your garden with the most delicate pink inflorescence, then pay attention to the varieties Aldebaran, Migar, Viola, Vera;
• a small and delicate sun can be grown from varieties Jupiter, Kalinka and Malena.

Rules for planting seeds in open ground

It is customary to propagate gerbera by dividing the bush or by seeds.. Growing gerberas in open ground can only be done by dividing the bush. With the help of seeds, only seedlings can be sown, because if you sow the seeds immediately in open ground, they will not have time to germinate before the cold weather and die.

They begin to sow in early April. Sown seeds are sprinkled with a substrate or peat. For the first time, it is advisable to place the seedlings in a mini greenhouse, and when the first leaves appear, it can be removed. Strengthened seedlings are planted in open ground in warm weather. This is the only way to grow a gerbera from seeds at home.

Did you know?How you can use ordinary cellophane in a greenhouse - they cover a pot with sown seeds.

Growing conditions for garden gerbera

Gerbera loves moisture and warmth. Strongly intolerant of frost, the flower is an annual. To understand how to grow gerberas at home, it is important to know what is the best time to plant gerberas. The best time for planting a flower can be considered mid-late spring, when the frost has completely passed.

If you plant a flower later, then you risk shortening its flowering time. An important factor is the place of landing. It is important to protect the gerbera from drafts and strong winds. The area with flowers should be well lit by the sun throughout the day. The amount of direct sunlight depends on the growth and flowering of the plant.

The soil for the growth of gerbera should be nutritious and light. A mixture of peat, sand and leafy turf is perfect, you can add a little crushed pine bark. You can use special soil for gerbera or soil for roses. Gerberas need good watering during bud formation and leaf growth. But as soon as the first flowers appear, you need to reduce watering. Constantly monitor the condition of the soil - gerbera does not accept either waterlogging or excessive dryness.

Important! Gerberas need to be watered only with warm water, from cold it can get sick and rot.

Reproduction of garden gerbera

Let's see how to propagate gerbera at home. There are three ways:

1. cuttings. To do this, young shoots are formed on the bush. To do this, the bush is dug up, washed and cut off the leaf rosette. Then they are placed in a greenhouse. Two weeks later, you will get young shoots from the axillary buds, which will later become the basis for the cuttings.
2. The division of the bush. This method is considered the main one. In the spring, they dig up a bush and divide it into shoots, leaving a few leaves on each. Each shoot is planted in the ground, leaving a centimeter protrusion with a rosette on the surface.
3. With the help of seeds or ready seedlings. You already know how to plant gerberas using seeds, but let's take a closer look. Seeds should be soaked in water before planting. You can put them on a well-moistened gauze. Don't let the seeds dry out. After a few days, the seeds will begin to hatch, which means that you can transplant them into the ground. Next, a semblance of a greenhouse is made, and after the seedlings are planted in open ground.

   Application of gerbera

   Although the popularity of the gerbera is no longer as high as in previous years, it is still used very often. The plant is actively used in floristry as the main flower, constructing amazing compositions and bouquets around it, or additional, emphasizing its beauty and irresistibility of ready-made bouquets. A bouquet of gerberas is perfect for a gift for both a man and a woman. Gerbera is used as an element of decor. Massive, large inflorescences with a unique basket transform rooms beyond recognition.

   The undoubted advantage of gerbera is a gentle smell, which allows you to grow a flower at home, even for allergy sufferers and asthmatics, without fear of attacks.

   How to keep cut gerbera flowers longer in a vase

   
   In order for gerberas to please you with their appearance and aroma for a long time, you can carry out a few simple manipulations. Firstly, no need to cut the flowers with secateurs. This will squeeze the vessels in the stems, from which the flower will not be able to absorb water well.

   Using a sharp knife, cut the gerbera at an angle. In order for the flower to stand for a long time, you need to make the stems as short as possible. Since the flower stalks are quite heavy, try to make sure that the stems do not reach the bottom. In this case, the flower heads will not put pressure on them. Trim the stems every few days - this will provide better nutrition for the plant.

   If you constantly change the water in the vase, the cut gerbera will last more than 20 days. During this period, she will not wither and will not lose a single leaf. If you resort to a little trick - add an aspirin tablet to the water - then it can stand quietly for more than a month.

   How does the garden gerbera winter

   Freezing for gerberas is certain death. If you want to keep the flower, then at the end of September you need to dig up the gerbera. It is dug up together with an earthen clod and immediately transplanted into a pot. This is the ideal time to transplant your gerbera. In winter, put the gerbera in a cool, dry place. The ideal place for wintering would be the basement. If there is no basement, then place the flower in a dark, cool place. You can return it to the garden immediately after convincing warming.

   Diseases and pests of gerberas

   
   During the time that gerberas bloom, they do not often get sick, and if you find symptoms of the disease, then you should know that you are taking care of it incorrectly. Gerbera can be damaged by viral and fungal diseases.

Garden gerbera (also called Transvaal chamomile) is an amazing flower that looks like a chamomile in appearance and structure, but unlike it has different colors. Gerbera has won the love of many gardeners. The plant was discovered about a century ago by Reman (a botanist from Holland) in South Africa. To date, there are about 100 varieties of gerbera that can be grown both in a summer cottage and in an apartment.

Gerbera: general rules for growing

Gerberas can be grown from seed as spring arrives (but many gardeners plant the flower all year round, no matter the weather). For planting seeds, choose a good substrate (leafy soil, sand, perlite and peat mixed in equal amounts are ideal) and a container (boxes or pots). The soil is loosened, the seeds are laid out on the surface and sprinkled with earth. You can make shallow holes and plant seeds in them. By the way, seeds can also be planted in peat cups (this method is suitable for those who are going to transplant gerberas on open ground). The soil is moistened, and the seed container is covered with glass or film to create greenhouse conditions, not forgetting to ventilate from time to time. It is better to provide good drainage for growing gerberas from sand, pebbles or clay shards (so a large amount of water will not accumulate on the soil surface).

Despite the fact that the gerbera is a heat-loving plant, its seedlings do not tolerate direct sunlight. It is better to provide the plant with diffused light. When growing seedlings in winter, it will be necessary to provide additional lighting with the help of special lamps (a ten-hour day is optimal for gerberas). The temperature in the room with gerberas is maintained within the room temperature (optimally 20 degrees). Seedlings with proper care will germinate in 2 weeks, and when the first leaves appear, you can transplant the sprouts into open ground.

Gerberas: flower transplant technology

It is possible to transplant the plant into open ground only after the completion of frosts (end of spring), when the first leaves appear and when the roots have already grown and began to dry out. For comfortable growth, gerberas need a sunny place and slightly acidic soil. But keep in mind, these flowers do not like frequent replanting, otherwise the plant may die. During transplantation, the plant should not be planted very deeply, otherwise the roots may rot, and the gerberas themselves may be affected by fungal diseases.

Transplanted gerberas need regular and abundant watering. After transplantation, the flowers will bloom in 10 months from the moment of sowing the seeds, and garden gerberas will delight you with their beautiful and bright flowering for 4 months. By the way, after artificial pollination, it will be possible to find boxes with seeds on the flowers, which are perfect for planting new plants.

Garden gerbera: planting and care

This perennial plant will delight you with its flowering throughout the summer. In winter, gerberas need to be covered by digging up a flower along with the ground in the fall and stored indoors, the temperature of which does not fall below 7 degrees. During storage, the gerbera must be periodically watered and ventilated. Some gardeners do not dig up the plant, but cover it right on the site with a thick layer of straw or dry leaves.

Garden gerberas love sunny and sheltered areas. In general, the main criterion for successful growth for flowers is precisely the right lighting. Optimal light can prevent stretching of the plant. The substrate should be warm and well-drained, and be sure to apply inorganic fertilizers before planting. Florists recommend that before diving gerberas, thoroughly disinfect the soil from fungal diseases. During the flowering period, the plant is provided with abundant watering, and during dormancy and winter storage it is minimized. Remember that just as waterlogging the soil harms gerberas, so does drying out. Water for irrigation is used at room temperature, filtered or settled. Watering is carried out strictly under the root of the gerbera. If water gets on the leaves, it will drain into the leaf socket and provoke rotting and death of the flower. Top dressing during the growing season is carried out every 14 days, using mineral fertilizers.

Garden gerbera is an original plant that will become a bright spot on your site. Since it is undemanding in care, anyone can grow a flower. The only difficulty in growing is finding quality seeds, which are quite problematic to find. The fact is that most gerberas are grown in special nurseries, providing artificial conditions, such a flower does not live long. If you are still lucky enough to find a good garden gerbera seed, wait for the seed boxes to appear and save them for the future.

Garden Gerbera is a perennial plant that does not require colossal care efforts, but it still has its own requirements.

Garden Gerbera is a perennial flower, with basal leaves and chamomile-like flowers. Belongs to the Compositae family. It blooms in gardens from early spring to late autumn. Multi-colored chamomile, only large sizes.

The height of the bushes is average up to 30 cm, although there are also taller varieties up to half a meter. Flowers of various colors with a diameter of 10-15 cm.

The most famous varieties:

1. Gerbera Daisy.
2. Jameson.

Even apartment dwellers often plant this flower on their windowsill. It is not whimsical in care, grows and develops quickly, resistance to cut flowers.

It is better to pull out the flower stalks completely, leaving even a small cutting can lead the plant to death, it can rot. There are special types of gerberas bred for planting in pots, they are less demanding to care for.

Cut flowers can stand for up to twenty days, if you do not collect a full vase of water, thereby preventing the stem from rotting.

Gerberas are so unpretentious that even planting these flowers is possible not only in spring, but all year round, without significant dependence on weather conditions. On hot days, the leaves may wilt a little, and with the onset of a cool night, recover again. There is nothing wrong with this.

landing technologies

Basic principles for landing:

1. To grow this colorful flower in your garden, you need to take into account the fact that the warm summer climate is more favorable. For the winter, this flower is covered with fallen leaves or straw. If you live in a cold climate zone with harsh winters, then it is better to dig up the gerbera and transplant it into a pot. There is a high probability that the flower can freeze during severe frosts, the covering material will not save it in this case. You can grow them as an annual flower, planting new ones every year.
2. When landing, you should choose a place well lit by the sun. This is one of the main conditions. Your plant will be able to achieve both normal growth and beautiful inflorescences characteristic of the variety.
3. Planting is done in the garden in early spring. In an ordinary flower bed or garden bed. The earth should be well warmed up, and with sufficient drainage to prevent rotting of the root system.
4. During active growth, water the plant abundantly, but through a measured bay with water, it also has a bad effect. It is best in moderation, so that the plant does not dry out, and there is well-moistened soil, without stagnant water. Watering should be done without getting on the leaves and inflorescences. It is better to use water at room temperature, do not forget about fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.

Reproduction of garden gerbera

This plant can be propagated in three ways, consider each of them:

1. For propagation by cuttings, it is necessary to form young shoots on a bush. To do this, you need to dig a bush, rinse it and cut off the rosette of leaves. We plant in a greenhouse and in two weeks young shoots will appear from the axillary buds, they will later be the basis for the cuttings.
2. For propagation of gerberas by dividing the bush, this is the main method of propagation of the plant. To do this, in the spring they dig up a bush and divide it into shoots with several leaves on each. And they are planted in the soil with a minimum protrusion of the outlet by one centimeter. If you do not have a bush, these two methods will obviously not work for you, and you will have to grow a plant from seeds. If you want to get early flowering from a flower, then seedlings will need to be planted in January or February.
3. For planting seeds and seedlings, both open and closed soils can be used. Do not forget that the flowering of a plant directly depends on the time of sowing the seeds. Seeds are soaked in water before planting, it is better to put them on gauze, abundantly moistened with water, you should not allow the seeds to dry out these days. After four days, most of the seeds begin to hatch. We plant them in loose soil, while sprinkling sand on top. From above it is recommended to cover with a film. The recommended temperature is 25 degrees. Shoots will appear in a week, while the soil should not be flooded or dry out from the sun. It is best to spray with a spray bottle, the soil will be moist, and there will be no excess moisture.

Therefore, you can begin to form seedlings even in the fall. The grown plant is planted in a garden bed or in a flower bed when 3-4 leaves appear at the seedlings. The soil should be warmed up, and it is better to disinfect the soil before planting.

So that the plant does not get sick with various fungal diseases. Do not forget that the soil must be with a drainage system. It is recommended to apply top dressing to the soil after disinfection before planting.

How to care for gerberas at different times of the year

1. During the period of abundant flowering, it is necessary to water the flowers abundantly, to prevent the root system from drying out. Drought will have a bad effect and you will not get a good result. With the development and growth of the gerbera, watering with fertilizer in a weak concentration is needed. Such top dressing is best done twice a month, and regularly. It is better to use mineral fertilizer. In autumn, top dressing is reduced to once a month, in winter they are not needed at all. Since the gerbera does not tolerate chlorine, potassium chloride should not be used when top dressing.
2. In autumn, you need to dig a plant if you have winters in a region with a harsh climate. Having dug it out, it is transplanted into a spacious pot or container, the dimensions are selected depending on the size of the bush. The optimal composition of the soil during transplantation will be a composition of peat (we take 2 parts), leafy soil (2 parts) and sand (one part). Good drainage when transplanting into a pot is a necessary condition; expanded clay is perfect for it. When transplanting, the root neck is placed above the ground to avoid rot.
3. If the winters are not very cold, you can not transplant the plant. In this case, it is well covered with dry leaves or a large layer of straw. In the spring, it will be necessary to remove the covering material when the snow finally melts and the weather is warm enough.

Diseases and pests

This unpretentious plant is very susceptible to various diseases. To prevent diseases during planting, the soil must be treated with special preparations.

Often there is a rotting of the roots of the plant, which causes fungus or excessive watering. For prevention, improve drainage, observe the irrigation regime.

The emerging gray rot is destroyed with special preparations. They can be purchased at any specialized flower shop. Handle flowers carefully, getting the drug on the leaves causes ugly spots.

A disease such as Powdery mildew mainly affects the flower in the summer heat at elevated temperatures. Fight such a disease using appropriate fungicides or sulfur-containing preparations.

Pests such as aphids, spider mites are diseases that can cause the death of a plant. Signs of their appearance will be the yellowing of the gerbera and its wilting. In this case, the plant should be saved with insecticidal special preparations.

How to care for a gerbera in Siberia

Growing a gerbera in a Siberian garden is not so easy. The middle zone of Russia, of course, is suitable for planting this amazing flower, although this zone is a bit problematic. After all, this plant is familiar in more southern gardens.

There it blooms from April to October, and in some areas until mid-November. It also depends on the weather conditions and the time of the onset of cold weather, it differs from year to year.

In the southern regions, gardeners do without shelter. But in the gardens of Siberia, shelter with the onset of cold weather will not work either. In winter, the temperature drops very low, and the sheltered material, and the abundance of snow cover, will not save it low.

Therefore, this marvelous flower is grown as an annual plant. In case of transplanting for the winter, it is worth digging with a large clod of earth, or placing this flower in a cellar in a box with sawdust. The temperature regime desirable for the winter period should not exceed ten degrees.

The month of March is better suited for planting seeds, when a sunny day will take a sufficiently long period of time. Plant in containers with good drainage and cover with foil.

Seedlings do not like direct sunlight. But at the same time, the illumination should be sufficient if the seedlings are planted earlier, they will not have enough sunlight and will have to be artificially illuminated with a lamp. Seeds are best germinated by soaking before planting.

The grown seedlings will need to dive when three leaves appear. After three weeks, when a favorable temperature regime is established on the street, it will be possible to plant them in open ground.

If there is a possibility of frost, it is necessary to cover with material at night, no matter what frost damages your seedlings. Otherwise, plant care will be the same as in other regions. Once every two weeks, it is necessary to feed the flower with mineral fertilizers. When watering them, you need to avoid getting on the leaves, because of this, red spots appear on them. Which significantly spoils the appearance of Gerbera.

Weed and disease control is also part of the care. Gerbera is especially susceptible to the appearance of gray rot. Therefore, the ground for seedlings and before planting in open ground should be disinfected, thereby protecting it from the appearance of this fungus in the ground.

Having planted this wonderful flower in your garden or in an apartment, on the windowsill, you will be satisfied with its constant flowering, because during the flowering period it produces up to twenty peduncles.

Nature of Solovki

It was nature, or rather, a permanent pass to leave the Kremlin, which at the beginning of 1929 was issued to me by the clerk of the administrative unit, the former flag officer of A.F. Kerensky - Alexander Ivanovich Melnikov, helped me to maintain mental health on Solovki. After Melnikov's departure from Solovki at the very end of 1929, this pass was constantly renewed for me, since I had to go to the Detcolony (later renamed Labor Colony) on Krimkab business.

I used this pass as soon as and whenever I could: I walked along the Rebold road to Glubokaya Guba, secretly - to the Negotiating Stone (here negotiations were held between the monastic representatives and the command of the English squadron during the Crimean War); along the Savvatievsky road, along the Muksalom road, etc. Despite the strictest prohibition to appear in the coastal strip, several times I went to the Metropolitan Gardens, where on sunny days I lay in the sun for an hour or two, completely forgetting about the danger. On Hare Bay, near Metropolitan gardens, I met a wonderful hare family. I lay in the bushes and dozed off. When I opened my eyes, I saw right in front of me at a distance of a little more than an outstretched hand a charming hare and several little hares. They looked at me without stopping, as if at a miracle. The monks taught animals not to be afraid of humans. The hare obviously brought her kids to show me to them. I didn't move, neither did they. We looked at each other, probably with the same feeling of cordial affection. Such mindless contemplation could not go on forever: I stirred, and they disappeared, but for a long time there remained a surprisingly warm feeling of love for all living things. All around grew undersized and twisted by the winds of the Solovetsky birches, trickles of water murmured, with ebb or flow passing through the dam of the Metropolitan Gardens, built of relatively small stones.

On the Rebold road I walked safely with a thin birch stick in my hands. He reached Deep Guba and once bathed there. The water here kept the cold of winter. I entered it without fear, but when I plunged, my breath caught, and I barely crawled out. Immediately I discovered a half-rotted cross with the designation that Meshcherinov's army landed on this place during the Solovetsky uprising at the end of the 17th century. The cross board fell off, and a forged nail stuck in it. I took it, and I had it before the blockade, when, in the hustle and bustle of my forced departure (I was expelled from Leningrad with my family by the OGPU), I forgot to take it with me.

The Rebold road was amazingly beautiful, and one day I walked all the way to Rebolda, from where the crossing was to Anzer. Near Rebolda began the "running forest", subsequently cut down. These were perennial pines with thick trunks, which were bent to the ground by the constant wind and therefore they seemed to be “running” and alive. What might they be needed for? Their wood was dense and difficult to saw.

But what logs were in the log cabin of the sentry hut, where in the warmth one could wait for the crossing in rowing boats! Giant in length and thickness, smoked logs that gave the impression of deep antiquity. It seemed to me that I was right in the 17th century. Yes, it probably was...

The nature of the Solovetsky Islands seems to be created between heaven and earth. In summer, it is lit not so much by the sun as by a huge high sky, in winter it is immersed in low pitch darkness, softened by the whiteness of snow, occasionally broken through by flashes of the Northern Lights, now pale green, then blood-red. On Solovki, everything speaks of the illusory nature of the local world and the proximity of the other world ...

Islands - different in landscape. Two Zayatsky, Big and Small, on which not a single tree grows, the beauty of which is in amazing color combinations of lichens, stones and boulders, bushes and polar birches and the ability to see the sea from everywhere. You can't get lost here. Everything seems wild and deserted, and only low labyrinths remind of the customs that man has created for himself. Two islands - Bolshaya and Malaya Muksalma, are covered with forests and marshes, hills that break off by the sea, and rich pastures where cows have been grazing for centuries. An artificial dam connects Bolshaya Muksalma and Bolshoi Solovetsky Island. Great Anzer. Its nature is magnificent and even cheerful. Sandy beaches and beautiful deciduous forests are reminiscent of the south. But the high mountain of the island is crowned by the Golgotha ​​Skete, which by its very name predicted the unbearable suffering of the elderly, the crippled and the hopelessly ill, who were dying here, brought here from all over the camp, frozen, starved to death, buried alive. The central island - Bolshoi Solovetsky, has collected in its landscape everything that other islands have. In addition, three hundred lakes, large and small, often carrying new islands, on which especially secret prisoners could be kept, who were deprived of the opportunity to see other people, and once hermits shut themselves up.

Here is a great natural Paradise, but at the same time a great Hell for prisoners of all ranks, classes, all peoples inhabiting Russia! Here, in this world of holiness and sin, heavenly and earthly, nature and man are united in extraordinary closeness.

Huge boulders served as the main building material: towers and walls were erected from them, together with plinth and brick, they formed the foundation of temples. The roofs are covered with boards, the domes - with a plowshare. But icons and books, altar carvings and wrought iron testify to the enormous efforts of man to overcome nature, to put the spirit above matter, to create a gigantic temple from nature. The sketes seem to "narrow" the distance across the island. Dug-outs of hermits and copper crosses, grown right into the trunks of trees, on which the teeth of two-handed saws were broken by prisoners at logging sites.

Three hundred lakes of the Bolshoi Solovetsky Island, the largest of which are interconnected by canals in order to constantly replenish the large Holy Lake with clean water, along the shore of which the main buildings of the Solovetsky Monastery rise, placed on the isthmus between the Holy Lake and the sea. The difference in level was said to be 8 meters. This difference made it possible to create water supply and sewerage in the monastery, use various equipment, build quickly filled and emptied docks for repairing ships, an excellent bakery, a port wash, a smithy (exceptional for the 16th century), supply a refectory with water, etc. etc. The monastery could serve as a clear refutation of false ideas about the backwardness of ancient Russian technology. The Holy Lake is, in fact, a giant pond, artificially created to make all the life-supporting mechanisms of the monastery live and work.

Eight meters of the difference in the levels of the sea and the lake, formed from the lintel, made it necessary to build the walls of temples with a wide foundation, to create walls and temples, as it were, hard, unshakably standing on the ground in order to protect the inhabitants of the monastery from enemies and bad weather, to create conditions inside the monastery for the prosperity of a small picturesque garden, where everywhere there were places convenient for spiritual response and prayerful reflections of elderly monks.

The Solovetsky Islands is a place where the feeling of a creative God and the temporality of man is constantly supported by the change of seasons, the rhythm of the day, long nights in winter and long sunsets in the evening, long sunrises in the mornings, rapid weather changes, a variety of landscapes, a sense of the duration of the history of these places, marked by pagan labyrinths and votive crosses, temples and chapels, where intense peasant and handicraft labor would be so holy and so pleasing to God.

And at the same time, already in monastic times, purely worldly concerns also burst into the peaceful prayer and labor life of the monks: a clash with heretics, the stay of exiles in it, a great Old Believer uprising, which led to a long siege in 1668-1678. and hundreds of the dead, whose bodies lay unburied in front of the monastery on the ice ...

My walks to the sea ended on the opposite side of the monastery - not far from the Negotiating Stone. I knew that it was necessary to choose a place for rest on some cape, where the “chief surgeon” Solovkov, the Latvian Degtyarev, usually did not stop by. But I did not know that he had a small dog with an unusual flair, trained for a person. She felt people at a great distance.

I chose a place to rest on the shore of the bay on the opposite side from the one from which Degtyarev, the head of the troops of the Solovetsky archipelago, made his detour on a white horse. It was hard to see me behind the rocks. And suddenly I heard the disgusting squeaky barking of a little dog. Degtyarev, the chief shooter of the Solovki, galloped to me around the bay. I managed to pull on my trousers and rushed into the forest, taking everything else under my arm. Fortunately for me, there was a long swampy strip in the forest, apparently, which was once the bed of a river. Across this swamp "ditch" lay a huge spruce. I stepped on the trunk, and I was directly transferred to the opposite side. If it weren’t for the fear of getting to Degtyarev (and from him straight to Sekirka), I would never have been so “brave” to go along the trunk from one side of the swamp to the other. Degtyarev stopped and, having violated the amazing benevolence of the Solovetsky forest with selective abuse, did not pursue me, and he could not dismount and run after me. Why he didn't shoot, I don't know.