Calendula, or marigold, is a medicinal plant of the Asteraceae family. Calendula seeds are used for its propagation, so complete information about when and how to collect them, store and use them for their intended purpose plays an important role for those who want to have this useful flower in your own area.
- 1 Short. The height of the bush is from 15 to 45 cm, medium-sized inflorescences. This type includes varieties: Calypso, Pigmi, Symphony of Summer, Apricot Jam, Bon-bon, Fiesta, Sun Goddess. Used in landscape design for carpet compositions.
- 2 Medium height. Bushes height from 40 to 60 cm, diameter of inflorescences 7-10 cm. Varieties: Radio, Sun of Egypt, Geisha, Confectioner, Citron, Lemon juice.
- 3 Tall. Tall bushes up to 80 cm, large inflorescences. Varieties: Orange Flamingo, Golden Emperor, Golden Prince, Golden, Apricot, Dragon.
- simple;
- terry;
- semi-double.
- 1 Planting seeds in open ground. It can be carried out either in late autumn (October, November) or in spring (April, May), the ground must already be sufficiently thawed, necessarily dug up with manure and fertilizers applied (3-4 kg of humus per 1 m² of soil, superphosphate and potassium chloride - 20g , urea - 30g). The dug up soil must be leveled and the seeds sown in rows to a depth of 2 cm, otherwise germination will deteriorate. If you plant seeds in a flowerbed for decorative purposes, then the distance between them should be up to 40 cm, between the rows - about 60 cm of space, which will ensure lush and bright flowering. If calendula is used for medicinal purposes, then it can be planted more densely, the distance between shifts is 10 cm, between rows 30-50 cm. The first shoots will appear in 7 days, and after another couple of days you will have a complete picture of the final germination of your seeds After a month, you need to thin out the crops to required intervals, the removed sprouts can be transplanted to another place, they will tolerate this perfectly. After 2-3 weeks, the plant begins to bloom and continues until the first frost.
- 2 Growing seeds for seedlings. It is considered a more difficult method of growing calendula, requiring more effort. However, calendula grown in this way begins to bloom earlier, which is excellent for low-growing plant varieties. They begin to plant seeds in March-April; special boxes or cups for seedlings are used, which after planting must be covered with film. The temperature of the room where they will stand should be +15...+20°C. The seeds germinate in 7 days, the film is no longer needed, the temperature is lowered slightly, watered 1-2 times a week, and fed with a weak complex of mineral fertilizers. When the seedlings have 2 full-fledged leaves, they are picked at a distance of 5 cm from each other or planted in separate pots. When 5 full-fledged leaves appear on the seedlings, it can be planted in open ground (somewhere in mid-May), having previously carried out additional hardening procedures: the seedlings, still in pots, are taken out into the open air for a while.
- 1 Powdery mildew. Whitish, darkening over time to Brown plaque on the surface of leaves and flowers.
- 2 Black spot. Black and white appear on leaves and flowers. brown spots.
- 3 White spotting. White spots.
- Landing: sowing seeds in the ground - in April or October, sowing seeds for seedlings - at the end of March or early April, transplanting seedlings into the ground - in mid-May.
- Lighting: bright sunlight.
- The soil: moist, nutritious and well drained.
- Watering: regular, more infrequent and abundant during dry seasons.
- Feeding: once a month with complex mineral fertilizers.
- Reproduction: seed.
- Pests: aphid.
- Diseases: powdery mildew, black spot.
- Properties: Calendula is a medicinal plant that has wound-healing, analgesic, diaphoretic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, sedative, bactericidal, antispasmodic and restorative effects.
- Sonnenstein– a compact bush 40-50 cm high with strong ribbed shoots of light green color, large light green oblong leaves and semi-double bright yellow baskets up to 7.5 cm in diameter with reed flowers curled down;
- Yuvel- a spherical bush of the same height with light green shoots, having the shape of an irregular pentagon in cross-section, wide, large, oblong light green leaves and double or semi-double inflorescences 5-8 cm in diameter with flat salmon-orange reed flowers and yellow tubular ones;
- Radio- a bush 35-45 cm high with strong ribbed shoots, oblong large light green leaves with raised veins and hemispherical double and semi-double inflorescences 6-7 cm in diameter. The reed flowers are bright orange, half rolled into a tube, at the base they acquire a yellow-orange tint to match the tubular flowers;
- Sensation– the height of the bush is about 45 cm, the leaves are dark green, the baskets are double and semi-double 7-8 cm in diameter with large, shiny, imbricated reed flowers of bright orange color and yellow tubular ones;
- Meisterstück- a bush up to 45 cm high with large, elongated, bright green leaves widened at the top, double and semi-double baskets 6-8 cm in diameter with slightly concave paddle-shaped bright orange reed flowers and light brown tubular ones.
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What is a plant
The plant’s homeland is the southern regions of our planet (Mediterranean, South-West Asia), but it has already taken root well in our area and has learned to tolerate subzero temperatures and is found everywhere. Every gardener and owner of a personal plot probably knows what calendula looks like. This is a herbaceous bush from 15 to 80 cm in height with highly branched stems and thick ribbed shoots of light or dark green, covered with glandular hairs, sticky to the touch. The leaves are simple, elongated, with a heart-shaped base. Main hallmark, familiar to everyone - small, daisy-like flowers of various shades orange color, having the shape of a basket.
Calendula is highly valued both in decorative floriculture as a decoration for flower beds and flower beds, and in domestic pharmacology, where it is used for the manufacture of various medicines (alcohol tinctures) that have excellent antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effects. Medicinal decoctions based on calendula can bring relief and recovery in cases of sore throat, stomatitis, thrush, barley, conjunctivitis, purulent otitis media, cure various skin diseases, burns, various stages of frostbite, clean purulent wounds and ulcers, and relieve pain from insect and mosquito bites. The flower petals are edible and have a soft, pleasant smell; they can be used in various dishes, and young leaves are added to salads as a piquant addition.
Flower varieties
There are about 20 varieties of perennial and annual marigolds, their average height is about 60 cm, the diameter of the flowers reaches an average of 10 cm. Depending on the height of the bushes, the following types of calendula are distinguished:
Modern varieties of calendula amaze with their wide variety; their shape can be imbricated, radiant, chrysanthemum-shaped, gerbera-shaped, anemoid.
Calendula is an annual herbaceous plant with erect shoots, a powerful shortened stem root system, reed and tubular flowers. The shades of the inflorescences range from pale yellow to bright orange. They are:
Terry calendula, due to its attractive, showy appearance, is the most preferred variety of this plant for planting in flower beds and lawns. Reed-shaped flowers are arranged not in 1 row, as in the usual type of calendula, but in several rows, the inflorescences are large, their diameter can reach 10 cm. The best varieties of double calendula are considered to be Meteor, Golden Ball, Favorite, Sensation, Radio, Orange King, Hamlet.
It is important to take into account the fact that if you allow double varieties of calendula to grow together with non-double varieties, they will quickly cross-pollinate and lose their decorative uniqueness. Since calendula is a cross-pollinated plant, every year you can receive unexpected “surprises” in the form of changes in color, size of bushes and other features.
Appearance of seeds, period of their ripening
If you are going to grow calendula for the first time, the seeds can be purchased at a specialty store; in the future, it can be grown using seeds collected from your plants. They begin to bloom in June and end in September. At a time when the marigolds have already completely faded, namely at the end of summer - beginning of autumn, an ovary is formed in the core, which has the form of hook-shaped fruits-seeds, boat-shaped, without tufts, up to 3 cm in size, arranged in 2-3 rows. On the outside the fruit has uneven surface with small thorns. The color of the seeds is no longer green, but dark brown; they are easy to separate from the base, then put in a box for additional drying and later for storage in a paper envelope. It is important not to be late when the seeds are ripe and not to miss the moment when they can be collected, otherwise they will simply end up on the ground. To avoid this, you can put a gauze bag on each flower to catch the falling seeds.
Existing methods of planting calendula
Calendula, growing from seeds is a fairly simple task that does not require special effort and accessible even to a person inexperienced in gardening matters, is useful medicine. The question of when to plant calendula has a simple answer: this is done both in late autumn and spring, and planting in open ground can be carried out even during frosts, because its seeds withstand perfectly low temperatures(up to -50°C). There are 2 ways to plant seed fruits:
Having sowed calendula on the site manually once, its further propagation can occur by self-sowing. Sowing calendula seeds can be done several times in 1 season. Seeds remain viable for up to 5 years.
Rules of care
Now that you have full information about how to grow from seeds, and have chosen for yourself how to do it, you need to choose a suitable place for this on the site and take care of proper care for a plant that is unpretentious and does not require much effort from you.
Marigolds prefer a lot of light, but they do not like the heat; if the lighting is not selected correctly, calendula flowers will have small, dim buds and a short flowering period; in the shade, its stems will become very elongated. The best site for this plant is an open area with fertile soil. The soil, which is poor in microelements, requires the application of humus and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. They also prefer abundant moisture, but the soil must not only be watered, but also regularly loosened and weeds removed. During dry periods, calendula needs to be watered at least 3 times a day so that it does not dry out and die. Do not forget to remove already faded buds during rapid and lush flowering to prolong it; they can be used to make alcohol tinctures, so popular in folk medicine. Diseases that most often affect calendula in open ground:
To combat them, fungicides (Skor, Fundazol, Topaz) are used only when the plants have already bloomed. Of the insect pests, calendula is only attacked by aphids, which can be controlled with special insecticides (Fufanon, Karbofos, Biotlin and Antitlin). It is not recommended to plant this type plants in the same place, this depletes the soil and causes the development of various diseases, especially infections of fungal origin.
Every gardener should know the procedures for planting and caring for calendula, because such a useful and beautiful medicinal plant with an antiseptic effect can be planted near beds with strawberries and wild strawberries, rows of onions and garlic. This will repel various insects (ticks, caterpillars, scale insects) and others garden pests and increase the yield of these crops. Bright flowers Marigolds will attract beneficial insects, such as honey bees, to the garden. However, it must be taken into account that the release of specific substances into the soil by marigolds inhibits the growth of radishes and basil, so you should not plant them next to calendula.
Finally
So, important points: calendula is an unpretentious, cold-resistant plant that does not require much effort in care. It can grow on any soil, but it is better on fertile soil, well fertilized and drained, sufficiently moist. Loves sunlight, but not hot. It reproduces well both by seeds planted by hand and by self-sowing. Calendula grown from seedlings blooms faster. Sowing seeds can occur either in late autumn or spring. Plants planted in winter are more resistant to impacts environment, bloom early and are less susceptible to diseases.
Calendula releases specific antiseptic substances into the soil that disinfect the soil and are useful for some plants, but slow down the growth of others. The flowering of the plant drives away garden pests and attracts honey insects. Calendula has unique decorative and medicinal properties, which make this seemingly simple bush a storehouse of inexhaustible imagination, both for amateur gardeners and fans of traditional medicine.
Calendula (or marigold) is an unpretentious and easy-to-care plant of the Asteraceae family. Calendula flower - herbaceous plant, pubescent with glandular down, with orange or yellow flowers, which are multi-flowered apical baskets, consisting of outer pistillate fertile pseudolingulate flowers and inner tubular, sterile flowers, sometimes of a darker color. The leaves of calendula are simple, alternate, oval, lanceolate or elongated. Curved, sometimes ring-shaped achenes - the fruits of calendula - are arranged in 2-3 rows. Calendula blooms from June to November, bears fruit abundantly, and the seeds remain viable for up to 5 years. A huge variety of calendula varieties allows you to select flowers that improve appearance flower beds, add more bright, sunny colors to it. It is enough to devote a minimum of time to the plant so that it pleases the eye. Calendula is a cold-resistant plant (tolerates negative temperatures down to -5°C).
Calendula: types and varieties
There are about 20 species in the genus Calendula. Depending on the height of the plant, varieties of marigolds are divided into low-growing (not higher than 25 cm), medium-growing (from 30 to 45 cm) and tall (from 0.5 to 1 m). Flowers are regular and double. Consider the most popular varieties of calendula:
|
Variety name |
Color of inflorescences |
Plant height |
| Simple (ordinary) marigolds | ||
| Diana | Yellow-orange | up to 55 cm |
| Indian Prince | Orange | up to 60 cm |
| Evening dawn | Creamy apricot petals, reverse side painted in contrasting red color |
up to 50 cm |
| Double and semi-double marigolds | ||
| Hamlet | Orange with dark brown center | up to 60 cm |
| Goldball | Golden yellow | up to 70 cm |
| Goldgelb | Golden yellow | up to 60 cm |
| Geisha | Bright red, orange | up to 60 cm |
| Golden balls | Golden yellow | up to 60 cm |
| King Lemon | Lemon | up to 60 cm |
| Green heart | The color is yellow at the edges, transitioning in orange towards the center, core - unusual green tint |
up to 60 cm |
| Sun of Egypt | Bright red with black core | up to 60 cm |
| Lemon balls | Lemon (yellow-green) | up to 60 cm |
| Radio | Orange with twisted petals, shaped like a dahlia |
up to 60 cm |
| Touch of Red | Carmine with a dark center and red strokes on the petals |
up to 45 cm |
| Silk Road | Salmon pink | up to 40 cm |
| Kablun group - anemone-like form with an unusual core of tubular flowers | ||
| Kabluna Goldgelb | Yellow | up to 50 cm |
| Kabluna Orange | Orange | up to 50 cm |
| Gitana group - compact flowers with double inflorescences of small diameter | ||
| Orange Gitana | Orange with dark core | up to 35 cm |
| Fiesta Gitana | Mixed color of inflorescences | up to 35 cm |
| Patio | Mixed color of inflorescences | up to 35 cm |
Calendula growing from seeds
Any soil is suitable for cultivation, but it blooms beautifully in sunny, moderately moist places. When there is insufficient lighting, the plants become stretched and the flowers become pale. Although, as experience suggests, the sparse penumbra in the young zone orchard quite suitable.
But the most honorable place in our garden for marigolds is the vegetable garden. They have a ton beneficial properties, and their phytoncides have a beneficial effect on the phytosanitary properties of the soil. Therefore, in the fall we under no circumstances cut them off; in winter they go away just like green manure. Calendula is also good in the garden against pests - it protects potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle; spider mites do not like it. To prevent marigolds from crowding out vegetable crops too much, we usually plant low-growing varieties of the Gitana group.
When and how to plant calendula
Calendula is propagated by seeds, which are sown in the spring or autumn immediately into the ground at a distance of 30 - 40 cm from one another, deepening by 2 - 4 cm. With this method of sowing, flowering begins after 50 - 80 days, and for early flowering the seedling method is used. Before planting calendula, the seeds are rarely soaked or stimulated - after all, the seeds of the plant are large, and germination is not lost for 5 years.
If flowers are grown for cutting, the seeds are sown from March to April; when grown for flower beds, the sowing time is postponed to the end of February - beginning of March. The soil for sowing consists of 50% peat, 30% humus, to which lime and sand are added. A week before planting in the ground, the seedlings are hardened off and planted when the threat of frost has passed. But you shouldn’t delay planting seedlings in open ground - it can withstand mild spring and autumn frosts.
Calendula care
Caring for the plant is simple: water it in a timely manner, mulch the soil, and feed it with a solution of weed infusions. Abundant flowering is achieved due to the formation of many shoots. And to maintain the decorative appearance of the bush, regularly remove faded inflorescences and damaged leaves. This will increase the duration of flowering.
Seed collection is carried out from August to September. When they ripen, they fall out of the basket. Therefore, it is better to collect them gradually as they ripen. Seeds for planting are stored in a paper bag.
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Marigold or calendula is a common horticultural crops. They have been known since ancient times for their healing properties. Growing calendula flowers is not particularly difficult; the plant usually reproduces by self-sowing. But for early flowering it is necessary to grow calendula seedlings from seeds so that in early spring decorate your site with the cheerful sunshine of blossoming buds. About when to plant calendula when growing from seeds, it is described in the proposed material, where you can learn about the timing and subtleties of agricultural technology. It also describes in general terms how to use calendula, and presents the history of the appearance of this plant. The main varieties are considered, accompanied by detailed descriptions and images illustrating distinctive properties.
What does a calendula flower look like: photo and description
Starting the description of the calendula flower, it can be noted that it is easy to recognize among thousands of others. It stands out for its bright colors and delicate petals. Like scatterings of small suns, bushes of double marigolds burn on the green lawn - this is what people call calendula. Where can you find this flower?
Latin name for calendula – Calendula officinalis .
Calendula officinalis is the official name of the plant genus. It belongs to the order Angiosperms, the class Dicotyledons, the Aster family and the subfamily Asteraceae. Calendula is a relative of asters and chrysanthemums, only much more unpretentious, but in terms of the variety of shades, size and shape of flowers, and the size of the plant itself, it is in no way inferior to them. There are about 20 types of calendula in double and non-double forms. Traditionally, yellow and orange flowers can be very light, almost white, or dark to brown.
Look what calendula looks like in the photo, which shows the different stages of plant development:
Botanical description of the calendula plant and its leaf
Let's start the botanical description of calendula with the fact that the height of the bushes ranges from 10 to 70 cm. This is a densely pubescent plant with a peculiar strong odor. The stem of the plant is erect and highly branched, which is why calendula is called bushes. One plant produces several dozen medicinal inflorescences. Continuing the description of the calendula plant, we note that its stem is ribbed and covered with very stiff and short hairs. The root of calendula is also taproot and branched. It is never used either for food or for treatment. Only the flowers and sometimes the leaves and stem are healing and beneficial.
The description of the calendula leaf is very characteristic: it is light green and regular. The lower leaves are very different from the upper ones. They are elongated, petiolate with a solid edge, and the upper ones are smaller, sessile and oblong.
Calendula cannot be confused with any other ornamental plant because of its flowers, which have a rich golden yellow or orange color. The flowers sit at the very tops of the stems and are collected in inflorescences - baskets with a diameter of 4–5 cm. The leaves are very delicate, densely pubescent with short hairs, resting on a flat, bare receptacle. If you examine the flower baskets close up, you will notice that the marginal flowers are long (2–3 cm), they are arranged in several rows and have a developed pistil and a curved ovary, and the middle flowers are shorter (only 0.5 cm), tubular, five-toothed , with an underdeveloped pistil and five stamens.
The fruits of calendula are large, convex, with thorns. From the outside, they look like sickles and reach a length of 3 cm, and the seeds themselves look like large hooks about 1 cm. Calendula blooms from mid-summer until late autumn frosts - it is not afraid of light frosts. The fruits ripen already in mid-summer, so the harvest of flowers and fruits can be harvested over a long period of time.
Calendula blooms from June to October; it is not afraid of light frosts. Already in mid-summer, the fruits ripen, so the harvest of flowers and fruits can be collected over a long period of time. The period of flowering and seed ripening is very extended due to large number shoots.
Distribution of calendula officinalis. In our country, calendula does not grow wild, but is cultivated as an ornamental and medicinal plant.
In the wild, calendula grows in South America, in the Mediterranean and Middle East countries. In Ukraine it is found as a medicinal plant in specialized state farms and experimental stations or as an ornamental plant throughout the south of Ukraine.
History of calendula
The name of this plant is directly related to the history of calendula and the peculiar behavior of the flower. Even the ancient Romans noticed that bright yellow flowers, themselves resembling the sun, turn after him, opening their petals, like the hands on a watch dial. And in the shade, the flower collects its petals in a heap. This is why calendula has been called the flower of the sun, the sun dial and the bride of summer. It was also noticed that the plant notifies the beginning of day and night as a kind of calendar, hence the name calendae, which is translated from Latin language means "first day of the month".
Exactly at Ancient Rome, and then in Ancient Greece recognized the unique medicinal properties of the plant and began to use it for medicinal purposes. Later, the fame of the flower’s ability to heal ailments reached Europe and penetrated into Russia.
Or maybe people themselves understood healing power flower and came up with various ways its use. In Russia, calendula began to be grown as a medicinal and ornamental plant from the 12th century.
In Europe, the history of the flower is overgrown with legends and traditions. Calendula was especially loved in medieval France. It was the favorite flower of the Queen of Navarre, Margaret of Valois. The statue of the queen holding a calendula flower, standing in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, has become a monument not only to the woman, but also to the flower.
Calendula was considered a symbol of constancy in love, so grooms gave bouquets of sunny baskets to their lovers, these flowers decorated wedding celebrations, and girls wove wreaths from calendula to decorate themselves on birthdays or name days.
The use of calendula (marigolds) and photos of flowers in the flowerbed
Traditional healers of the Middle Ages believed that not only the appearance of the flower, but also its aroma had a beneficial effect on people, relieving headaches by removing “harmful fumes” from the head. In addition, to use calendula (marigolds), the juice was squeezed from the flowers, considering it a healing liquid that eliminates tinnitus and relieves inflammation of the eyes. Moreover, calendula was called a herb that heals stomach cancer, and any ailment associated with this important organ was successfully treated. And calendula was used everywhere to treat skin diseases. She was considered the best remedy against scab and unclean skin.
Documentary sources indicate that scientists also recognized calendula as a medicinal plant. This happened in the 1st century AD. The ancient Greek physician and philosopher Dioscorides noted that an infusion from this plant has a beneficial effect on the liver, healing it.
In the 6th century, Aesculapians wrote a book about the medicinal properties of plants, “The Dream of Health,” which even today arouses the interest of scientists and traditional healers. In it, calendula is credited with the properties of stopping bleeding and disinfecting wounds.
The famous physician Avicenna, who lived in the 11th century, confirmed the wide capabilities of calendula in treating not only the digestive system, but also the nervous, endocrine, and joint diseases. Calendula has also become a popular remedy for removing warts and treating calluses.
Interestingly, over time, scientists have discovered more and more new healing properties of calendula. Thus, already in the 12th century, diseases of the female reproductive system were treated with calendula (ground leaves and flowers).
In addition, women were recommended to make jam from fresh calendula flowers to improve their mood, and also use it as a spice. Since ancient times, calendula has been used to tint dishes yellow and with its help give food a tart taste, replacing the more expensive spice - saffron. Calendula is still used in cooking to this day: the dye found in calendula petals is used to tint some types of cheeses, butters, soups and meat dishes.
Our distant ancestors also believed that calendula calms the heart and strengthens the spirit, and also protects against infectious diseases, so garlands of calendula flowers were hung on doors and ceilings.
One of the first Russian scientists to officially recognize calendula was the outstanding Russian pharmacologist A.P. Nelyubin. He studied the uses of this plant in folk medicine and confirmed positive action calendula on the human body, noting in particular that this flower helps “with chronic vomiting, atrial pain, skin cancer, malignant, venereal, lichen and scabies ulcers.”
Today the name “calendula” has taken root, but earlier in European countries the flower was known by a different name. One legend says that in the 12th century, Saint Hildegard dedicated this flower to Mary the Mother of God and called it Mary’s gold, which translated means “Mary’s gold.”
Perhaps calendula was named after the Holy Virgin precisely for its qualities of healing women, helping their motherhood to take place. After all, the plant has healing powers against cysts and fibroids of the uterus and ovaries, as well as lumps and tumors in the breast, it helps restore normal monthly cycle, relieves uterine tone, relieves pain during menstruation and reduces bleeding.
Look at the photo of calendula flowers in a flowerbed, which illustrates the rich possibilities of using this plant for landscaping purposes:
How to plant calendula for growing through seedlings
If you have never grown calendula, but after reading about its wonderful healing properties, you want to create a small pharmacy garden on your property, listen to the following tips. Firstly, before planting calendula, you should not allocate a special bed or flower garden for this purpose. Pay attention to its properties to repel pests and diseases, and you will understand everything. For example, calendula, “caring” for a growing head of cabbage, looks very impressive against a green background. And you will save your energy, which you previously spent on destroying cabbage pests: calendula will do this for you. In addition, calendula is an excellent honey plant and attracts a huge number of bees and other beneficial insects. Calendula is a very cold-resistant plant; it will “serve” you all summer and half of autumn, continuing to grow and bloom even in light frosts.
When growing calendula from seedlings, plant marigolds in large quantities, sparing no seeds. But do not forget that this flower is extremely decorative, and its bright shades allow you to successfully combine calendula with other plants, so it will find a great place among other flowers of blue, blue, purple or white.
For example, in combination with lilac verbena, purple alyssum, soft blue delphinium, the sunny bright inflorescences of tall calendula will look excellent, perfectly complementing and enhancing the effect of the “neighbors”. When planting calendula on the lawn, you will always enjoy its rich shades of color, which stand out especially brightly on green grass. And the marigolds near the fence or gate will delight you with their tenderness and, again, richness of color. The more flower sun you plant in your garden, the better your mood will be and the higher your productivity, and there’s nothing to say about health. It is not for nothing that in the old days they believed that calendula energizes anyone who looks at it for a long time with health.
Where calendula, or marigold, as the flower is popularly called, grows, there are no nematodes in the soil. Calendula protects vegetables and strawberries from mites and root rot. Other pests of gardens and vegetable gardens - aphids, raspberry flies, leaf-eating insects - are also afraid of the presence of this plant nearby. berry bushes. Calendula planted among roses will protect them from many diseases. And the soil itself where calendula grows is disinfected from pathogenic microbes. In a word, plant calendula everywhere - between flowers, strawberries, shrubs and vegetables. And they will grow up healthy and blooming.
Although the sight of a flower with such positive energy simply cannot get boring, you can diversify your plantings with different varieties of calendula: alpine slide plant low species marigolds with more small flowers, in ridges - medium semi-double varieties, and in borders and flower beds - tall, with large baskets of flowers.
Plants are selected according to size and height for planting between bushes and on vegetable beds. Varieties of calendula officinalis are extremely diverse in color.
The most decorative of them are two terry varieties:
Lemon Queen
Orange King
In special catalogs and flower shops you can choose seeds to suit your taste.
Varieties of calendula (marigold): description and photo
Calendula Green Heart, Orange variety
The middle of the orange inflorescence of this calendula variety is green with a tuft up to 7 cm in diameter. It blooms from June to September. The bush is spreading, 60 cm high. The soils are fertile, moderately moist, and tolerates frosts down to – 5°C. Sow in open ground in early May or before winter in October.
Calendula "Golden Princess". Bush up to 55-60 cm high with bright yellow flowers up to 7 cm in diameter.
Calendula "Yellow"
This variety of marigolds has bright yellow flowers with a diameter of 10 cm, semi-double, the height of the bush is up to 50 cm. It has medicinal properties and blooms from July to September.
Extraordinarily beautiful calendula variety "Kabluna" is dark orange.
Bright large flowers. The bush is densely branched. The inflorescences are large, 7–10 cm in diameter, semi-double, anemone-shaped, dark orange. Reed flowers are flat, raised up, tubular flowers are greatly expanded. The plant is cold-resistant, light-loving. Prefers fertile, moist soils and sunny places. Used for flower beds, ridges, borders and cuttings. Has medicinal properties. Blooms July, August, September.
"Calypso"
Large flowers, bush height up to 30 cm. The species can be grown in the garden and in pots and flowerpots. The inflorescences are densely double, deep orange or golden orange.
"Pigmy"
Compact, up to 15 cm, bush with densely double flowers. The color can be orange, cream, gold, apricot.
"Apricot Pygmy". Twilight variety with soft apricot flowers.
"Fiesta Gitana"
Height – up to 30 cm, flowers from deep orange to creamy color, shape – tiled. The middle is dark brown.
"Sun Goddess". Terry calendula, petals are orange, rolled into a tube, similar to rays.
"Symphony of Summer"
A variety with strong stems and dense, dense flowers of yellow and orange shades. Used for growing in containers, on balconies, for cutting.
"Apricot jam". The bush is compact, branched, up to 45 cm in height. Is used for garden plantings and in the cut.
Balcony calendula. Small inflorescences look like anemones. Color – yellow, peach, lemon, orange.
"Bon Bon". Densely double dense caps of various colors: orange and yellow shades.
"Candyman Yellow"- large double yellow or orange flowers. Used for planting in flower beds, borders, borders and for cutting.
"Fiesta"- a variety of universal use, yellow and orange flowers with a dark core. The bush is densely branched, compact.
"Radio". Compact bushes up to half a meter high, inflorescences radiant, hemispherical.
The color of the petals is golden yellow or bright orange, the tubular petals are lighter. A universal variety for cutting and for gardening.
"Sun of Egypt" Terry variety with red flowers and a dark center. The variety can be grown on balconies and gardens.
"Epricot." Strongly branched bushes and long peduncles, hemispherical, double inflorescences, the tips of the petals are darker. Color depends on the variety.
"Silk Road". The inflorescences are salmon-pink in color, the height of the bush is up to 40 cm.
Calendula Kabluna. A variety of versatile uses, the flowers can be golden, yellow, or orange.
"Geisha". The flowers are large, up to 10 cm in diameter, the calendula is densely double, similar to a chrysanthemum, orange in color, the tips of the petals are red.
"Magic Sari". Compact, branched plant with bronze-orange flowers.
"Confectioner". The main advantage of the variety is that the double orange and yellow flowers have a delicate aroma.
"Pink Surprise". Large inflorescences with imbricated golden-cream inflorescences with a pinkish tint. The color is emphasized by the dark center of tubular petals.
"Red Visa Black". Red-orange color, dark center. The variety is ideal for cutting, but also grows well in plantings.
"Touch of Red". Large semi-double and double flowers of yellow, orange or pinkish color with a dark center.
"Citron". The inflorescences are light yellow, double.
"Epricot twist." A variety for flower beds, borders, borders, yellow, double inflorescences.
"Lemon juice". Lemon-cream inflorescences with a burgundy center.
"Orange Flamingo"
Relatively new variety with an unusual fruity aroma. The flowers are dense, densely double, orange. The variety tolerates bad weather well.
"Pacific" or "Beauty".
The plant forms a tall bush up to 80 cm, the peduncles are long, hemispherical or flattened, large, up to 10 cm in diameter. Flowers can be creamy yellow, orange, straw yellow, lemon, golden orange, salmon, or striped.
"Golden Emperor" The petals are golden, darker below.
"Art Shades". The bushes are highly branched, long peduncles, inflorescences are orange and golden yellow.
"Golden Prince" The height of the bushes is up to 70 cm. The flowers are yellow, double, with a contrasting center. A variety for an accent in the garden or in a bouquet.
Look at all these varieties of calendula in the photo, where you can see the main differences, which will allow you to right choice plants for your site:
Calendula flowers from seeds: planting and care in open ground
The location for planting calendula and its subsequent care in open ground plays a very important role. So, the varieties have been selected and the seeds have been purchased. Now it's time to start planting. Calendula loves the sun very much, it literally reaches out for it with all its petals, and in the shade closes them. Therefore, if you want the petals to be open most of the day and flowering to be strong and abundant, then plant calendula in sunny, open places. But partial shade is also a suitable place for marigolds. When planting calendula from seeds, care is needed immediately after germination.
The soil for planting calendula flowers and caring for them in the future needs to be well-structured and loose. Distinguished by its unpretentiousness, marigold can grow anywhere, on almost any soil. However, in order to grow a beautiful and well-groomed plant, you need to create the best conditions for it.
Namely: this flower loves not only the sun, but also moderately moist and loose soil rich in humus. The most preferable places for it are light loamy and sandy loam soils with sufficient amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus. And the best predecessors of calendula are winter garden crops, which are harvested in late spring. Calendula blooms depending on the sowing time from June to late autumn.
Planting calendula seeds for seedlings
Planting calendula seeds is carried out according to the standard scheme: planting to a depth of 1 cm. Planting calendula seedlings is not a mandatory event; you can plant it before winter or from early spring to early summer, in order to have time to enjoy the flowering and harvest good harvest flowering baskets. The seeds are sown directly into the ground, as calendula does not tolerate transplantation well. But first ( better in autumn) a plot of land is dug up and fertilizers are applied: for each square meter, 1 bucket of rotted compost and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate, and in the spring, during sowing, 1/2 teaspoon of urea or ammonium nitrate. In the absence of manure, apply 1 tbsp to the same area. a spoonful of ammonium nitrate, 1 teaspoon of potassium salt and 3/4 cup of superphosphate.
Since seeds begin to germinate at temperatures of 2–4 °C, and actively germinate at temperatures above 15 °C, it is best to sow calendula in early spring or before winter. Then, with the first rays of the spring sun, as soon as the snow melts, delicate light green sprouts will appear from the ground.
Planting calendula seeds for seedlings at home allows you to get the plant flowering as early as possible.
How to sow calendula for seedlings (with video)
The seeds are sown in rows with row spacing 60–70 cm wide, with a planting depth of about 2–3 cm. After 10–12 days, shoots appear, and after another 40–50 days, the bright petals will open towards the sun - the calendula will bloom.
Watch how to sow calendula for seedlings in the video, which shows the entire technology of this process at home and in the open ground:
Sowing calendula seeds for seedlings
To ensure that marigolds begin to bloom early, you can grow seedlings in boxes or greenhouses, sowing the seeds in April. Sowing calendula seedlings for low-growing varieties is especially effective. Sow seeds for seedlings in the third decade of March in small pots with an air temperature of 14 - 15°C. If calendula seeds are sown for seedlings, then seedlings with 5-6 true leaves are planted in the spring on permanent place with distances of 20 - 30 cm or 30 x 30 cm between plants. During drought, calendula plants are watered more often: 2-3 times a week, since it is a moisture-loving plant. To prolong flowering, you should regularly pluck faded inflorescences; this stimulates the formation of new flowers, prolongs flowering time and preserves the decorative appearance of the plant for a long time.
Care. In order for the flowering to be bright and the plants to rise together, do not forget to care for the seedlings. Maintenance consists of 2-3 loosening of row spacing, depending on soil compaction. In dry weather, plants need to be watered. As the plants grow and close between rows, treatment stops. No fertilizing is required during the growing season.
It is useful to grow calendula among strawberry bushes, onions, and garlic to avoid strawberry and onion nematodes.
Pests. Main enemy- black spotting. If black or dark brown spots appear on the leaves, mercilessly remove the entire plant. The main reason for this problem is dense plantings.
Before flowering, against powdery mildew and other spots, calendula must be treated with the preparation “Hom” (40 g per 10 liters of water) or the preparation “Topaz” (4 ml per 10 liters of water), using 2 liters of solution per 10 sq. m. m.
Application
In many countries around the world, calendula is grown as an ornamental and medicinal flower. Calendula has rightfully earned such recognition, because it is suitable for the table as a beautiful bouquet, seasoning for cabbage soup and salads, and is also used as a cure for many ailments and as a means of maintaining beauty and youth.
Many gardeners collect inflorescences, dry them or infuse them with alcohol to cauterize abrasions and gargle.
But not everyone knows about all the properties of calendula, which can not only treat minor ailments, but also restore health in such serious ailments as heart failure and malignant tumors. Of course, in these cases, one flower cannot cope with the disease, but the huge role of calendula in restorative treatment is noted by doctors who actively use this medicinal plant along with other drugs, especially in cases where the drugs give many unwanted side effects.
Calendula (lat. Calendula), or marigold, belongs to the genus of herbaceous plants of the Asteraceae family, representatives of which naturally grow in the Mediterranean, Western Asia and Western Europe. The genus name comes from the Latin word calendae, which means the first day of the month. There are approximately 20 species of annual and perennial plants in the genus. Some of them, for example, medicinal marigolds, in addition to high decorative qualities, also have the most valuable medicinal properties, which can be found mentioned in the works of Dioscorides - ancient Greek philosopher and a doctor of the 1st century AD Galen, Avicenna, Amirdovlat Amasiatsi and the famous herbalist Nicholas Culpeper also treated their patients with calendula. Calendula was also used as a vegetable plant: it was used to make fillings for dumplings, puddings, wine, and added to soups and oatmeal. Calendula was called a spice for the poor, since real oriental spices brought from overseas cost a lot of money, and the calendula plant successfully replaced saffron, giving dishes a tart taste and a yellow-orange hue. Due to its virtues, calendula was incredibly popular in Europe, Shakespeare himself wrote about it, and Queen Margarita of Valois of Navarre, the same Queen Margot, preferred calendula to all the flowers of the royal garden.
Planting and caring for calendula (in brief)
Read more about growing calendula below.
Calendula flowers - description
The calendula flower is a herbaceous plant with glandular pubescence, orange or yellow inflorescences-baskets, consisting of outer pistillate fertile pseudolingulate flowers and inner tubular sterile flowers, sometimes of a darker color. The leaves of calendula are simple, alternate, oval, lanceolate or elongated. Curved, sometimes ring-shaped achenes - the fruits of calendula - are arranged in 2-3 rows. Calendula blooms from June to November, bears fruit abundantly, and the seeds remain viable for up to 5 years. Calendula has been used in decorative floriculture since the 16th century.
Growing calendula from seeds
Sowing calendula seeds in open ground
The easiest way to sow seeds in open ground is in April or before winter in October. In the spring, the time to sow comes when the ground has warmed up enough and dried out after the snow has melted: tightly squeeze a handful of garden soil in your hands and then throw this lump onto the ground from about a meter high, and if it disintegrates easily, then it’s time to sow calendula. A couple of weeks before planting, the soil on the site is dug up with humus at the rate of 3-4 kg per m², adding 20 g of superphosphate and potassium chloride, as well as 30 g of urea to the same unit of area. It is better, of course, to dig up the area with humus, phosphorus and potassium additives in the fall, so that in the spring, before sowing, all that remains is to add nitrogen fertilizers. Calendula seeds are sown in the ground to a depth of 1-2 cm with an interval of 25-30 cm from each other, and the distance between rows is left about 60-70 cm if you grow calendula for its decorative qualities, but if you need calendula as medicine, then the interval between the rows may be less - 30-40 cm. In this case, the distance between the seeds in the row can be reduced to 7-10 cm. 2-3 weeks after the sprouts appear (and the seeds correct landing begin to germinate within a week) they are thinned out in such a way that intervals of 25-35 cm are eventually formed between the seedlings. “Extra” seedlings can be immediately planted in another place - calendula tolerates transplantation well. Calendula blooms approximately 10 weeks from the moment the seeds are sown in open ground.
Sowing calendula for seedlings
In order for calendula to bloom earlier, it is grown in seedlings. Low-growing varieties of calendula are also best grown as seedlings. Seeds for seedlings are sown at the end of March or beginning of April in a common container or in separate cups with flower soil at a shallow depth - no more than 2 cm. Containers with crops are covered with film and kept at a temperature of 18-20 ºC in a light, but protected from direct sun place.
Caring for calendula seedlings
When shoots appear (usually this happens after 6-8 days), the film is removed and the temperature is lowered to 14-15 ºC. Caring for a calendula flower at this stage consists of watering the soil and feeding the seedlings with a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer once every ten days or two weeks. At the stage of development of seedlings with two true leaves, seedlings are planted at a distance of 5 cm between specimens or planted in separate cups.
Planting calendula in open ground
When to plant calendula in the ground
When the seedlings develop 5-6 true leaves, the calendula flower is planted in open ground - usually this happens in mid-May. However, despite the fact that the calendula plant is cold-resistant and can easily withstand spring night frosts, it is still necessary to carry out hardening procedures with the seedlings before planting. To do this, boxes or cups are taken out to the balcony or covered terrace for a short time every day for a week.
The site for calendula should be sunny, and the soil should be well-drained, moist and nutritious. Experienced gardeners plant calendula between the beds of other garden and vegetable crops, which allows you to protect them from the harmful activity of ticks, butterflies and their larvae. However, calendula roots release substances into the soil that can slow down the development of radishes or basil planted nearby. Take this into account when choosing a site.
How to plant calendula
Planting calendula in the ground is carried out according to the same scheme as sowing: the distance between the specimens in the row is maintained within 25-30 cm for decorative species and 7-10 for medicinal forms, and row spacing for decorative forms is left 60 to 70 cm wide, and for medicinal forms - 30-40 cm. Calendula flowering begins 40-50 days from the moment the seeds are sowed for seedlings.
Calendula also reproduces well by self-sowing.
Caring for calendula in the garden
How to grow calendula
Growing and caring for calendula does not require any special conditions or much effort. Everything is as usual: watering in dry weather, loosening the soil, weeding the area and monthly fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer. However, growing calendula has one subtlety: if you want your calendula to bloom long and profusely, immediately after the reed flowers of the baskets take a horizontal position, pick off all open flowers. This measure promotes the formation of such a number of buds that lush flowering will last until late autumn. However, you need to constantly collect fully opened inflorescences-baskets. If this is not done, calendula will bloom only until the end of July.
Calendula propagation
Calendula reproduces in a generative way - by seeds.
Pests and diseases of calendula
Sometimes calendula is affected by fungal diseases such as black spot or powdery mildew. Black spot causes black or brown spots to appear on calendula leaves. Powdery mildew forms a whitish coating on the ground part of the plant, which turns brown over time, causing the calendula to lose its decorative appearance, and the affected areas stop developing and turn black. Even a slight infection by this disease leads to a noticeable decrease in the cold resistance of calendula. If immediate and radical measures are needed, treat the calendula against spotting or mildew with fungicides, for example, Skor, Topaz, Fundazol or Topsin. But it is better not to be lazy and preventively thin out the calendula in case of very dense planting, weed the area in a timely manner, monitor the amount of fertilizers applied to the soil, especially nitrogen, so that the soil does not become oversaturated with them, thoroughly clean the area from plant residues in the fall, and dig deep for the winter soil, observe crop rotation and, of course, immediately remove diseased plants from the site.
Of the pests, calendula can only suffer from aphids; it repels other insects. As for aphids, it seems that calendula takes the blow on itself, collecting aphids from all over the garden in its area. You can fight aphids on calendula by treating with Fufanon, or Karbofos, as well as Akarin, Actellik, Biotlin or Antitlin.
As you can see, planting and caring for calendula in open ground is not difficult.
Calendula after flowering
How and when to collect calendula seeds
Calendula seeds need to be collected when they are almost fully ripe. In order not to be late, a gauze bag is put on the fading inflorescence, into which the ripe seeds are sprinkled. The problem is that calendula seeds do not ripen, which is why it is important not to miss the moment of their ripening. Otherwise, you risk abundant self-seeding.
Calendula in winter
Garden calendula is an annual crop, so in the fall its plant remains are disposed of and the area is dug up.
Types and varieties of calendula
Only two types of calendula are grown in culture:
- a less popular species than marigolds, up to 30 cm high, with reed flowers of a modest ocher- yellow color. Under natural conditions, it grows in wastelands and abandoned areas in southern Europe. The rules for growing field calendula are the same as for calendula officinalis;
or marigold, or pharmaceutical calendula, or pharmaceutical marigolds, or balaban, or full crocos, or roast - a herbaceous annual from 20 to 75 cm in height with thick, light green ribbed shoots covered with sticky glandular pubescence. The leaves of this species are simple, oval or elongated, also covered with stiff, sparse hairs. The basket inflorescences with a peculiar invigorating aroma consist of orange or yellow reed flowers that are shiny on top and matte on the underside and small yellow, dark brown or orange tubular flowers. With proper care, this species blooms from June to November and bears fruit abundantly. Selection work with calendula officinalis is carried out in two directions: medical and decorative. In America and Europe, breeders are developing and improving the decorative qualities of calendula. For example, the group of varieties Pacific Beauty represents forms of calendula for cutting with a stem height of up to 70 cm and baskets with a diameter of up to 9 cm, and the Patio group, on the contrary, is made up of varieties of compact sizes with a height of only 30 cm. The Kablun group includes anemone-shaped varieties - with greatly expanded tubular flowers. The best varieties decorative calendula:
In addition to the varieties described, Orange Koenig, Gold Koenig, Gold Kugel, Canarienvogel, Kabluna Gold, Calypso, Golden Emperor and others are also interesting.
The improved medicinal qualities of calendula are represented by the domestic varieties Ryzhik, Kalta, Sakharovskaya orange and others.
Properties of calendula
Beneficial properties of calendula
As medicinal plant Calendula is grown on an industrial scale. For the production of medicinal products, freshly blossomed calendula inflorescences, which contain many carotenoids (carotene, flavochrome, flavoxanthin, rubixanthin, lycoline, cigroxanthin), are harvested. The composition of calendula also includes saponin, paraffin hydrocarbons, mucus, resins, phytoncides, bitterness, proteins, flavonoids, glycosides, malic, salicylic, pentadecylic, ascorbic acids and essential oil. Calendula flowers are used as a wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and antispasmodic agent. Calendula is used in treatment nervous system and diseases of internal organs as a sedative, diaphoretic, expectorant, analgesic and restorative. Calendula preparations help relax the smooth muscle structures of the stomach, liver and intestines, which enhances bile formation, bile secretion and secretory activity of the stomach. Calendula acts as a strong antibiotic against streptococci and staphylococci, but without such destructive consequences for the human body and without side effects. For some skin diseases (psoriasis, allergic dermatoses, vitiligo), calendula preparations are taken both internally and externally. An aqueous solution of calendula tincture provides effective assistance in the treatment of stomatitis, tonsillitis, sore throat, and reduces bleeding gums. Calendula ointment is used to treat burns, cuts, cracks in the skin, bruises and eczema. Calendula oil is effective for varicose veins, bedsores, dry eczema; it is also recommended to be taken orally for gastritis, stomach ulcers and duodenum, liver diseases, colitis, enterocolitis. The drug relieves manifestations of nervousness during neurasthenia and menopausal disorders.
Calendula is also good as a cosmetic product: washing your hair with calendula infusion in combination with chamomile and hop cones in equal parts improves the appearance and condition of the hair and scalp.
Calendula - contraindications
Calendula preparations should not be used during pregnancy, low blood pressure and heart failure, as well as for persons with individual intolerance to the product. However, even if you do not belong to a risk group, it would be wise to consult your doctor before starting to take a calendula product.
Depending on the variety and purpose decorative varieties calendulas are grown in the garden in flower beds and flower beds, patio calendulas are grown in pots and balcony boxes, medicinal varieties are planted in the garden and on the lawn; in the cold season, calendula is grown for cutting in greenhouses. Usually, growing calendula brings many pleasant moments: a minimum of effort, rapid flowering, virtually no problems, aesthetic pleasure and a large amount of medicinal raw materials. All this is explained by the unpretentiousness of the plant, which can be cultivated on any soil, and can withstand short-term frosts down to -5 ° C in autumn and spring.
Growing calendula in the garden.
Despite this, the most spectacular plants grow on fertile, moist, well-drained soil, preferably loamy, in a sunny location. When planted in the shade, the calendula inflorescences become smaller and the plant itself becomes elongated. When preparing the soil in the fall, add humus (half a bucket per sq. m) and 20 g of superphosphate and potassium chloride. Before sowing in spring or summer, urea (30 g/sq.m.) is added to the soil. As an alternative, complex mineral fertilizer "Fertika" or ash from the stove can be used together with humus.
Calendula is easily grown by direct sowing of seeds in the ground to a depth of 2-4 cm. Its flowering occurs on average after 50 days. Taking this into account, the sowing time is determined. With May sowing, the peak flowering of calendula will occur in July; with June sowing, calendula will decorate late summer and autumn flower beds. With winter sowing (late October) and early spring (in April), calendula blooms already in June.
After germination, usually after 2-3 weeks, the calendula is thinned out, leaving a distance of 20 cm between plants for compact planting and 30-40 cm for single planting. For medicinal use, calendula is grown in rows according to a 10x40 cm pattern. Calendula tolerates transplantation well, so “extra” calendula shoots, along with a lump of earth, can be planted in another place.
Caring for calendula involves watering in dry weather, removing weeds while simultaneously loosening the soil. Fertilizing is carried out with complex fertilizer once every 10-14 days. For better tillering, calendula is pinched, then its bushes become more lush and more inflorescences form on them. Cut varieties of calendula should not be pinched. The fewer buds there are on their bushes, the larger their flowers will be and the slimmer the peduncle. Removing faded calendula flowers will prolong flowering. This will cause new buds to form.
A few calendula inflorescences can be left for the seeds to ripen. Terry varieties produce especially many of them. When leaving calendula seeds for sowing, keep in mind that the best double flowers obtained from comma-shaped seeds or large claw-shaped seeds. Ripe dry seeds are sown before winter and left for sowing next year. If you have different varieties of calendula growing nearby, then perhaps the new plants will have new uniform and color, because calendula cross-pollinates very well.
Thickened plantings of calendula, especially in cold and damp weather, can cause powdery mildew, rot, and bacterial cancer. For preventive purposes, decorative calendula is treated with phytosporin or another fungicide. Excessive fertilization also provokes disease. When the first signs appear, damaged plants are removed and the plantings are treated with appropriate preparations. Pests of calendula are aphids, slugs, wireworms. They are disposed of using generally accepted methods. To prevent diseases and pests from accumulating in the soil, the planting site is changed annually.
Growing calendula seedlings.
For early flowering, calendula is grown through seedlings. Seeds are sown at the end of March - April in separate cups filled with soil mixture for flower crops, or in a common container for seedlings. Until the shoots appear, the container is kept under a film. After the appearance of two true leaves, the seedlings are planted at a distance of 5 cm from each other or planted in separate pots.
Calendula shoots appear at a temperature of +20-25 oC. After this, the temperature of the calendula is reduced to +18 °C. Caring for seedlings includes watering and fertilizing with soluble complex fertilizer for seedlings every 10-14 days.
Before planting in open ground, calendula seedlings are hardened off for a week, exposed to the balcony for a while. Seedlings are planted in open ground or containers in mid-May. Calendula seedlings, even flowering ones, take root very well. Grown in pots, it can be planted in the ground or flowerpots throughout the summer.
Growing calendula for cutting.
Most varieties of calendula in America and Europe are created for growing as cut flowers, where they are successfully used for this purpose. Although for us this is for now unusual look On culture, however, one should take a closer look at best practices. For cutting, calendula is grown through seedlings using several sowing dates. Sowing calendula from February to April provides summer cutting when grown in open ground. In the cold season, cut calendula is grown in protected soil. The cultivation scheme in this case is as follows.
When sown in late July - early August, calendula seedlings are planted in a greenhouse at the end of September. In this case, flowering occurs at the end of November and lasts until the beginning of February. When sown in late September - early November, seedlings are planted in a greenhouse in December, and flowering occurs from February to April.
When growing calendula in protected soil, prepare soil mixture, containing peat, humus, sand in proportions 6/3/1. For one cubic meter of mixture add 5 kg of slaked lime and 1.5 kg of azophosphate. The seeds are sown in the usual way. After sowing, the soil is compacted, watered and covered with film. After the shoots appear, the film is removed. Scheme for planting calendula in a 30x25 cm greenhouse. Calendula is grown in protected ground, similar to growing it in open ground.
