Harvesting
The
Gerbera plant has a cultivation life cycle of 30-36 months and the plant is
ready for its first harvest within 7 to 8 weeks of planting. During the
harvesting period, the plant approximately has 14 to 16 leaves. The average
yield from each plant is considered to be 40 flowers per year. Harvesting the
flowers should be done when 2 or 3 whorls of stamens develop completely because
this decides the vase life of the flower. Picking should be done in the morning
or late evening when the temperatures are low. It is advisable to pluck the flowers
rather than cutting them. Harvested flowers should be placed in 2-3 cm of water
for about 4 hours and the temperature should be about 14 to 15˚C. The water in which the harvested flowers are
placed should be treated with sodium hypochlorite @ 7-10 ml per litre of water.