Effect of medium amendments on growth and flowering in gerbera.

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of different amendments in growing medium on growth and flowering in gerbera under greenhouse condition using available materials viz. soil, farm yard manure (FYM), vermicompost, samridhi (a soil conditioner) and sawdust. The experiment was conducted using completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications having five plants per replication with single plant per pot. The results revealed that the medium amended with soil + FYM + vermicompost + samridhi + sawdust took maximum number of days (9.81days) for the appearance of first new leaf. Leaf length (35.45 cm) and Leaf width (17.24 cm) was found to be significantly higher in medium amended with samridhi. Maximum plant height (29.89 cm), number of leaves per plant (31.10 leaves), number of flowers produced per plant (10.03 flowers), flower head diameter (10.82 cm), flower stalk length (59.20 cm) and vase life (13.17 days) was found highest in medium amended with samridhi. Based on the results obtained, samridhi was found to be a better soil conditioner for enhanced growth and flowering in gerbera.