Last updated on January 29th, 2023 at 06:24 pm
At first glance, the African daisy (Osteospermum) may look like an ordinary daisy, with symmetrical petals that radiate from a central eye that is charming. The flowers come in many colors ranging from white to deep purple, such as white, purple, yellow, pink, etc., with single or multi-colored centers, and the petals can be double, fringed, or spoon-shaped. The plants are small, about 60 cm (up to 1-2 feet tall) and bushy in nature.
From this post today you can know about Easy to Grow and Care African Daisy Flower Plant. The scientific name of African daisy is Osteospermum another name – African daisy, cape daisy, osteospermum. Trailing African Daisy or Shrubby Daisybush, Osteospermum fruticosum etc., the plant is also known as Arcotis. It is a herbaceous, evergreen, perennial or annual plant of the Asteraceae family.
Easy to Grow and Care African Daisy Flower Plant
The most attractive flower in winter and spring is African Daisy (Osteospermum). African Daisy (Osteospermum) comes in different colors like Purple, Pink, Yellow, Orange, White, etc. African daisy, a flower native to South Africa. Despite being a foreign flower, the beauty of this flower will impress you. The eye or center of this daisy flower can be of different colors like Purple, Pink, Yellow, Orange, White, etc. While most African daisies come in solid colors, some fade to other colors toward the center of the flower for an almost tie-dye effect. You have to collect many plants to get different colored flowers; unless this daisy plant is transplanted in the garden, the beauty of this flower cannot be expressed in words.
African daisies bloom when the rains arrive in the spring season in South Africa. This flower blooms in winter and spring. It is a perennial plant but it is difficult to save plants in dry conditions, so it is grown as an annual.
African Daisies Place Selection:-
Choosing the right location before transplanting African daisy seedlings is a must. This plant likes the sunlight very much, so the plant should be transplanted in a place where it gets about 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day, it will improve the growth of the plant and reduce the incidence of diseases. The plant should be transplanted to a sloping, fertile loamy soil or well-drained sandy-loamy soil.
African Daisy seedlings Collection:-
While collecting seedlings you should pay attention to selecting good and healthy vigorous seedlings. You can get seedlings from any nursery, you will get good quality seedlings for less money. African daisy seedlings are available in nurseries in December-January.
African Daisy Soil Preparation and Transplantation Procedures:–
African Daisy prefers sandy soil/light loamy soil and does not like dense soil, wet clay soil at all, i.e. The plant needs to have soil that is moist but not waterlogged; too much moisture will damage the plant. So it needs one part garden soil (loamy soil), two parts river white sand (if sand-loamy soil is used then sand is not needed) and one part vermicompost or leaf compost or cow dung. With this, a handful of bone meal, a handful of horn meal, and a handful of neem cake should be mixed for an eight-inch tub. In this way, light, high quality fertile soil should be prepared.
The pH value of the soil should be between 4.5 to 5.5. African daisy prefers acidic soil like rose, azalea. A lot of organic fertilizers should be applied in the pot/land to get a lot of flowers.
If transplanting in soil, the seedlings should be planted by digging shallow holes at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other. Best of all, before digging the hole, mix some bonemeal, horn meal, neem cake, vermicompost and a small amount of mustard shell with the soil, sprinkle some water and cover it for 15 to 20 days. After 15 days the seedlings should be transplanted. Since the root system of the plant is very sensitive, you should work very carefully. After planting the seedlings, water should be sprinkled to moisten the soil slightly. After 15 to 20 days of transplanting, the new roots of the seedlings slowly penetrate deep into the soil.
Apply NPK 00: 52:34 one teaspoon once at a month when the plant begins to bud, or one spoonful of potash 15 days after 15 to 20 DAP/TSP seed applications for 10-inch to 12-inch tubs. Excess chemical fertilizers are dangerous for plants. If you take proper care of the tree, the tree will be full of flowers in the season.
[Read More: 15 Best Flower Blooms in Winter – Winter Flowers]
Sunlight:-
If you want to grow an African daisy plant in pot, then place it in a location that receives full light. African daisy plants need full and bright sunlight.
Temperature:-
A temperature of 8 to 14 degrees Celsius is most suitable for African daisy plants. If the temperature is 25 degrees or more, the leaves will develop sunburned lesions and be covered with brown spots and the shoots will begin to wither. The plant has a temperature tolerance of -7º Celsius.
Watering:-
African daisy plants require moderate amounts of water, in April, when the temperature is 20 degrees or higher, the leaves and shoots begin to dry, so enough water should be given to maintain the soil moisture.
This plant loves moisture, so it does not like wet or damp soil at all, it should be noted that the soil should not be too wet, the soil should be kept moist during bud formation. Overwatering can cause problems such as root rot, root rot, etc. So, when the soil of the tub dries up an inch or two from the top, then it should be watered again.
Fertilizer:-
Fertilizer should be applied twice a month for faster plant growth and larger flower size. In winter, fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are needed, and for flowering in spring – fertilizers with phosphorus should be applied.
Diseases and Insects Spider Management:-
Root or Shoot rot disease:
Root rot can be caused by overwatering the plant or by a soil-borne fungus. Infested with eros, plant growth is stunted, plant growth is stunted, and eventually the entire plant withers and dies. Therefore, erogen is reduced if the soil is sterilized before transplanting the seedlings.
African daisy plant shoot rot disease is much like root rot, a soil borne disease. As a result of this disease, the central part of the tree first acquires a black color and later the plants rots.
Remedy:
- Spraying Ridomil or Diathane M-45 fungicide at 0.2% every 7-10 days gives good results.
- Streptocycline Sulfate is an antibacterial antibiotic formulation that controls bacterial diseases of plants and Carbendazim and Mancozeb are used as fungicides. You will use these insecticides of these two compositions.
- Erosion can also be suppressed by spraying Topsin 0.05% every 7-10 days. Also, the trees are attacked by insects such as beetles, spiders etc. If insect infestation is high, Rasarnik insecticides should be used.
