Gerbera daisies are a little tricky to grow from seed, but it definitely can be done. Follow these tips for propagating and growing Gerbera daisies from seed in your garden.

    • Collect Viable Seeds: This is the most important tip! Your Gerbera daisy blossom will soon start to look like a dandelion, covered in seeds, but most of those seeds aren’t viable. The seeds look kind of like little brooms, with a hairy brush at one end and the seed at the other. Sort through the seeds, and choose only the ones with a fat, fertilized seed pod.
    • Help Pollinate Flowers: To help your plant make more viable seeds, use a small brush (like a makeup brush) to spread pollen from flower to flower. Or when you cut a blossom to use in a flower arrangement, rub its face against another flower to help spread the pollen.
  • Plant Seeds Now: Fresh seeds germinate better, so plant the seeds right away.

Gerbera daisy seeds.
Unfertilized Gerbera daisy seeds (left), and viable Gerbera daisy seeds (right).

How to Plant and Grow Gerbera Daisy Seeds

 Preparing to plant daisy seeds.
Preparing to plant daisy seeds.

Step #1: Prepare Trays: Fill trays or pots with a light seed starting medium, or make your own mix using peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite. Dampen the medium with water.

Step #2: Plant Seeds: Use a toothpick to poke a hole in the planting medium. Plant the Gerbera daisy seeds with the seed end pointing down, and the little brush part just barely at the top of the soil.

Step #3: Grow Seeds: Keep the seeds moist, but not waterlogged, and above 70° F, with eight hours or more of bright light per day. The easiest way to do this is to cover the trays with a clear plastic tent and place them indoors in a bright window or under grow lights. When the Gerbera daisy seeds germinate in two to three weeks, remove the plastic cover but keep the seedlings moist.

Gerbera daisy seedling.
Gerbera daisy seedling.

Step #4: Transplant Seedlings: After the Gerbera daisy seedlings have developed two sets of true leaves, you can carefully transplant the plants to larger pots.

Step #5: Harden Plants: When it’s consistently warm outside, and the Gerbera daisy plants are hardy and growing, move the pots outdoors to a protected spot for a few days to get the young plants used to the breezes and temperature shifts found outside.

Step #6: Enjoy Flowers: At this point, you can leave the daisies in their pots or plant them in the yard. Locate the plants in a spot with plenty of morning sun and a little afternoon shade to keep them from wilting. Feed the plants regularly with a balanced organic fertilizer, and keep them watered but not soggy.

Gerbera daisy flowers.
Beautiful Gerbera daisy flowers can brighten up any garden.

    Further Information

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    Danny Lipford

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    Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

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