Plant cap baskets correctly
The time window opens at the beginning / middle of May to plant out the cape baskets that have been brought forward or bought ready-made. Place the potted root ball in water until no more air bubbles rise. In the meantime, create small planting pits at a distance of 15-20 cm in the sunny location in order to insert the potted young plants in them. Before doing this, enrich the excavation with compost and fill the small pits with the optimized substrate up to just below the lower pair of leaves. Finally, pour on and spread a layer of mulch. In the pot or balcony box, the planting proceeds in a similar way, with an additional drainage made of pebbles or potsherds being inserted between the opening in the bottom and the substrate.
also read
- Cape basket or cap marigold: which one is poisonous?
- Why and how to hibernate the cape basket
- Cape basket - feel at home in this location!
Care tips
The main pillars of professional care consist of a modest water and nutrient balance and a cut at the right time. These measures are important:
- Water the cape marguerite moderately without causing waterlogging
- In the flowerbed, fertilize with compost twice a season, in May when planting and in July
- Apply liquid fertilizer in the balcony box and pot from May to September every 2 weeks
- Consistently cut off withered flower stems to encourage re-flowering
Carry cape baskets in pots or balcony boxes to a light winter area in good time before the first frost. At 10-15 degrees Celsius, pour every now and then. There is no fertilization during hibernation.
Continue reading
Which location is suitable?
The Cape Marguerite feels at home in a warm, sunny location. A sheltered location is ideal so that the upright flower stalks do not tip over. A sandy-loamy, humus-rich and moderately dry soil drives the summer flowers to maximum floral performances.
Continue reading
What soil does the plant need?
Planted in the summer flowerbed, the cape daisy thrives vitally and abundantly in humus, well-drained, sandy-loamy soil. Look out for fresh to moderately dry soil, because waterlogging doesn’t like the little beauty. For cultivation in balcony boxes or pots, we therefore recommend high-quality compost-based potting soil, enriched with sand, lava granulate or expanded clay. (€ 17.50 at Amazon *)
What is the best time to plant?
For cape baskets that have been bought ready-made or that have been brought out in-house, the move out of the Eisheiligen in mid-May signals the start of the planting time. That makes sense, given a temperature minimum of 10-15 degrees Celsius.
When is the flowering time?
Settled in a sunny, warm location, the Cape Marguerite shows its most beautiful flower flora from May to September. It is not uncommon for the distinctive summer flower to take a short break from blooming. Don't let that confuse you. Cut off withered flower stems and continue tending to the cape basket. After a short time, the ray flowers unfold again.
Continue reading
Cut cap baskets correctly
Careful pruning at the right time will elicit numerous new buds and flowers from a cap daisy. If you cut out withered flower stems continuously, the well-groomed appearance will be preserved. Do not wait for seed pods to form, as they cost a cape a lot of energy that is better invested in a re-flowering. As a vase decoration or a bouquet, cut the most beautiful flower stems when they have just opened in the early morning hours.
Continue reading
Pour cap baskets
The Cape Marguerite particularly likes constant soil moisture at a moderate to low level. Only water the flower in the bed when there is not enough rain. Check the moisture content of the substrate in the flower box (€ 13.18 at Amazon *) every 1-2 days. If the surface is dry, pour water on the root disc until the first drops run into the saucer.
Fertilize cap baskets properly
For cape baskets outdoors, the nutrient supply is limited to the administration of compost and horn shavings (€ 6.39 on Amazon *) in May and July. Work the organic material very lightly into the soil and then pour. If the cape daisy thrives in the balcony box, apply a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every 14 days from May to September.
Overwinter
The cape daisy has the floral vitality to grow over several years. Since the South African beauty cannot stand frost, the flowers in the planter can be put away in autumn. Cut the plant close to the ground as soon as all the leaves are in. In the bright winter quarters at 10-15 degrees Celsius, water the root ball from time to time. There will be no fertilization until next spring. Before wintering, repot the plant in fresh substrate and gradually accustom the young shoot to the sun.
Continue reading
Increase cap baskets
To propagate a cape daisy using cuttings, do not cut back the flower before placing it. Instead, choose the strongest stems with a length of 6-8 cm in February / March. You put these in small pots filled with poor potting soil. Any leaves are removed beforehand. In the partially shaded, warm window seat, keep the substrate constantly moist. Until mid-May you will have vital cape baskets in your hands, ready for planting in the bed and flower box.
Alternatively, collect the winged seeds in autumn before the wind blows them in all directions. Keep the seeds in a dry, dark jar until February. It is sown on lean peat sand or seed soil. At 18-20 degrees Celsius on the partially shaded window sill, germination begins within 14 days.
Cap baskets in the pot
Use a light-colored pot so that the root ball does not overheat in the sunny location. A pottery shard above the water drain effectively prevents waterlogging. Choose a compost-based, poor peat substrate to which you add some sand or lava granules. Water the cape marguerite moderately and fertilize every 14 days from May to September. Cut off withered flower stalks promptly, the plant will continue to branch and produce numerous fresh buds. Before the first frost, put the pot in the bright winter quarters with 10-15 degrees Celsius.
Is the cap poisonous?
The cape daisy is ideally suited for the greening of a family garden, because the flower does not contain any toxic components. Of course, another daisy family is also known as a cape basket and also presents an aster-like growth. We are talking about the cap calendula from the genus Dimorphotheca. Their ingredients are considered dangerous for humans and animals. When purchasing, ask carefully whether it is a Cape daisy of the genus Osteospermum.
Continue reading
Nice varieties
- Double Berry White: Beautiful cape daisy with a filled center, surrounded by white-purple ray flowers; 20-40 cm
- Elektra: New breed with a lavender-blue wreath of flowers around a purple-colored disc; 35-50 cm
- Akila Daisy White: Award-winning cape daisy with 5 cm white flowers, a yellow heart and a very long flowering time; 25-30 cm
- Pink Whirls: Futuristic look thanks to spoon-like flowers around blue, yellow-framed cup-shaped flowers; 25-30 cm
- Emotion Yellow: The yellow ray flowers shine in competition with the sun from May to September; 25-40 cm
