To decorate your summer cottage or loggia bright colors, you can plant marigolds. These flowers are so unpretentious that even an inexperienced gardener can cope with their cultivation. Marigolds can grow in almost any area, decorating with their decorative look landscape design. When to sow seeds, how to grow seedlings and when to plant marigolds in open ground you will learn from this article.
Annual herbaceous plant are compact or spreading bushes that can be from 20 to 120 cm in height. Marigolds are distinguished by:
- strong, erect stems;
- pinnately divided or pinnately dissected leaves, located alternately or oppositely on the stem;
- tubular central and reed-shaped marginal petals;
- red, orange, yellow or variegated inflorescences.
Marigolds grown from seedlings bloom from early summer until frost.
Based on the shape and color of the buds, marigolds are divided into several types:
Simple short ones. They are distinguished by reed-like marginal petals, which are arranged in a row. They can be yellow, orange, burgundy in color, have a dark or, conversely, light edging around the edges.
Rejected or French. Compared to simple low-growing species, the inflorescences of rejected marigolds are much smaller. But there are so many of them on the bush that the foliage is almost invisible. Depending on the variety, their flowers can have a variety of shades and be simple and double.
Erect African. They are distinguished by large single buds and a height of 60-100 cm. They can be planted in groups in flower beds or containers. Quite often, this type of marigold is grown for cutting.
Thin-leaved Mexican. These are spreading and rather large bushes, the stems of which have lacy leaves. The entire bush is strewn with small chamomile-like flowers, which, depending on the variety, can have different colors. By planting different varieties nearby, you can create a unique, bright flower bed.
When to plant marigold seedlings in 2019
In order for tagetes (marigolds) to bloom immediately after frost, it is recommended to grow them through seedlings. The timing of sowing seeds depends on the variety and type. But most often sowing is done in March - April.
By Lunar calendar favorable days for sowing marigolds:
- in March: 10, 12, 15;
- in April: 7, 11, 18;
- in May: 9, 10, 15, 17;
- in June: 5, 6, 12, 13, 16.
In May and June you can sow directly into the ground, however, flowering will only occur by the end of summer.
Features of sowing
Planting marigold seedlings will not cause any special problems. They have fairly large seeds that can be easily distributed into prepared grooves about 1 cm deep. Seedling soil can be purchased at a flower shop or prepared from garden soil and sand in equal proportions.
In containers or boxes with prepared wet soil grooves are made, the distance between which should be 3-4 cm. The seeds are laid out in them from each other at approximately the same distance. They are sprinkled on top soil mixture, sprayed from a spray bottle warm water and covered with glass or plastic film. You will get a greenhouse, which must be placed in a warm place before the sprouts emerge. Containers can be placed on sunny windowsills or placed under a radiator. You need to make sure that the soil does not dry out.
After the appearance of the first shoots, it is necessary to observe certain simple rules growing marigolds from seeds:
Containers with sprouted seedlings are placed in a well-lit area, but protected from direct sunlight. sun rays place.
The desired indoor air temperature is no more than +20 degrees. In a room with low humidity and high temperature the seedlings will dry out quickly. The smallest seedlings may wither completely. Therefore, if the room is hot, you need to carefully monitor the soil moisture.
As soon as 2-3 true leaves appear, the tagetes need to be picked. If they are grown to decorate a loggia, then they can be immediately planted in balcony boxes
with a distance between seedlings of approximately 5-7 cm. Marigolds intended for decoration of the site are planted in separate small pots or containers.
Tall varieties may need another pick. It will need to be done after the leaves of the flowers begin to overlap each other.
To prevent the seedlings from stretching, they should be placed in a well-lit place.
About a week before planting marigold seedlings in open ground, you need to start hardening the flowers. To do this, the seedling containers are placed outside for an hour on the first day. open balcony or outside. In subsequent days, the time the plants spend in the air increases. In this case, there should be warm, windless weather. Unprepared seedlings will take a long time to get used to new growing conditions, which will delay the flowering period of marigolds.
When caring for Tagetes seedlings, do not forget about watering. Water should be used that has been separated, room temperature.
After the last frost has passed, young plants can be planted in flower beds or placed on open balconies.
Sowing marigolds in open ground
If you don’t want to bother with seedlings, then in mid-May - early June you can immediately sow the seeds directly into the flowerbed. True, in this case the marigolds will bloom only in July or early August.
The technology for sowing in open ground is similar to seedlings. But in this case, so that there are no bald spots in the flower garden, it is recommended to soak the seeds in advance on cotton wool or fabric and place them in a closed container. The hatched seeds can be planted.
For group and border plantings, tagetes are sown in furrows. For large single bushes, a depression is made in the soil where one or two seeds are planted.
With this method of growing, marigolds do not need picking. But if the sowing was done too densely, they will need to be thinned out, removing the weakest seedlings.
Marigolds: planting and care in open ground
Tagetes are one of the most unpretentious annuals, but still require a certain location and care.
In order for them to grow actively and bloom luxuriantly, it is recommended to plant them in well-lit areas. Under lush bushes or spreading trees, their flowering will not be very abundant, and the flowers will be small.
In dry summers, the bushes require daily watering. You especially need to ensure that the soil in boxes and flowerpots does not dry out. Although Tagetes are drought-resistant, however, due to lack of moisture they appearance will suffer.
For better growth and flowering marigolds need to be fed with fertilizers several times during the summer. In open ground, you can use both organic fertilizers in the form of ash, compost or manure, and mineral supplements. For flowers grown on balconies, mineral and organic fertilizers for flowering plants are used, which can be bought at a flower shop. It is best to alternate such feedings.
In flower beds with tagetes, you need to regularly pull out weeds and loosen the soil, since the root system loves oxygen very much. Otherwise, weeds can “crush” young plants, which will lose their vigor and die.
Marigolds can be used to decorate borders or the edges of a flower bed, in the middle of which tall perennials grow. They will look good in a flower garden against the background of plants with decorative leaves. Tagetes can be planted in flowerpots or flowerpots. A flowerbed will turn out very beautiful if you plant marigolds of different varieties and colors on it. These are famous beautiful annuals and theirs medicinal properties, which you can read about in one of our articles.
Well, who hasn’t heard about Chernobryvtsy, beloved by our mothers and grandmothers - marigold flowers? They decorate flower beds, delight the eye in squares and parks, and are frequent guests in vegetable gardens, palisades, and areas adjacent to shops. Marigolds are very famous for their varied bright colors and have a pleasant, specific smell that many garden insect pests do not like.
The scope of application of this plant is very wide: they are used for decoration decorative panels on the walls of house facades, loggias, balconies, and also grow well in flower beds and flower beds. Looks good when decorated decorative landscape in architectural design of site design.
How to grow marigolds?
How to plant marigold seedlings correctly photo
Marigolds are very unpretentious in care; it is not for nothing that they have gained the reputation of being one of the most unpretentious flowers that are grown artificially. They can grow on any soil. But they like bright places; waterlogging of the soil is undesirable. Watering is not frequent, which can be combined with fertilizing with mineral fertilizers, diluting fertilizers in water.
Gardeners often practice planting marigolds between beds or near a greenhouse
- Having a specific smell, this plant repels harmful insects. Marigolds can grow in flower beds, special containers, flowerpots and even shallow pots, decorating walls or loggias.
All varieties of flowers can be sown in open ground with seeds. To do this, it is best to purchase seeds from specialized retail outlets. With further breeding, those seeds that are produced after the seeds ripen will be sufficient. But you must take into account: if you use the seeds of the same plants for several years, they may lose the properties of the original variety and will not be similar to the variety that you purchased.
There are two ways to sow and grow:
- pre-grown seedlings;
- sowing seeds directly into the ground;
The choice of growing method may depend on growing factors: at what time flowers are needed, duration of flowering, quantity required, weather and growing conditions.
When to plant marigolds in open ground? Remember: night temperatures should not fall below 5 degrees. This is usually the end of April in regions with mild climates. You can plant seedlings in open ground until the end of May-beginning of June.
How to plant marigolds with seeds in open ground
Planting marigolds Marigolds growing from seeds when to plant
When to plant marigolds in the ground with seeds? It all depends on the climate, the main thing is that there is no frost at night and the soil is ripe. Keep in mind that the seeds of Chernobyvtsy are not afraid of frost, and can even survive the winter or survive sowing before winter. They just won’t sprout before the earth warms up. Many people are also often concerned about how long marigolds sprout. If the weather is warm, you have to wait two to three weeks before the first shoots appear.
We sow like this:
- The depth of embedding is small; you can make grooves with a hoe or small holes up to 5 cm deep.
- They strive to make the distance no closer than 10-15 cm between plants. But you can also sow with a continuous ribbon, and then replant the excess plants.
- Cover the seeds with soil using a rake.
- We water it.
This is where all the wisdom ends. However, you can speed up flowering a little and improve the living conditions, more on that below.
When sowing marigold seeds in open ground, take into account the conditions that are necessary for the growth of young plants. Namely: the area should be well lit, they certainly tolerate shade, but still do not like it, reacting by reducing the abundance of flowering and stretching the bushes, which is why their decorative effect suffers.
To get marigolds without seedlings...
- In the garden they often strive to prepare a fertile one, well fertilized with minerals and organic fertilizers soil mixture, but there is no urgent need for this: the flowers are so unpretentious that they can grow on the poorest soils, it’s enough just to provide them required quantity moisture.
- They respond very well to watering, but drying out the soil is fraught with troubles: the lower leaves dry out, and the bushes themselves stop growing, the flowering is scanty and inconspicuous.
- Flowers will bloom only one and a half to two months after sowing, this should be taken into account. Early sowing (mid-April) and germinating seeds before planting will help to slightly reduce the time before the buds begin to open and increase the flowering time. This is the method that experienced flower growers use.
To do this, just place the seeds in a shallow plate, cover with damp gauze, folded in several layers, place in a plastic bag or wrap in transparent film. After completing these procedures, place the plate in a warm, sunny place: one suitable place is a windowsill.
After two or three days, the seeds can be sown, having previously examined them for germination; healthy seeds should be swollen and with a slightly cracked skin. You can lightly dry the seeds in the sun for two to three hours until they flow, or you can not wait, but mix them with dry sand and sow them together.
Before planting, it is necessary to moisten the soil, make holes or grooves 4-5 cm deep. It is best to sow the seeds using the square-cluster method, that is, the distance between the seeds should be 15-20 cm square. After the seeds have sprouted, it is necessary to thin out, leaving the healthiest seedlings.
For those who don’t like unnecessary actions...
- It is quite possible to limit yourself to simply sowing seeds in rows without any preparation or soaking. Chernobryvtsy will still sprout and develop beautifully. Just a week or two later. But don’t be lazy about watering, no flowers grow without moisture!
How to grow marigold seedlings from seeds at home
Planting marigolds for seedlings When to plant marigolds
When to plant marigold seedlings? To obtain flowering plants already in June, it is necessary to prepare seedlings in advance, which will be planted immediately after the end of the night frosts. Sowing dates begin at the end of February and shift until the end of March-mid-April.
You can prepare a nutritious soil mixture in the fall. Peat, turf soil, humus and sand are mixed. River sand can be used, but before adding it to the soil mixture, it is advisable to calcine it in the oven or treat it with potassium permanganate.
However, you don’t have to bother yourself and just buy a ready-made flower substrate in which you can grow beautiful seedlings with strong trunks and spreading leaves.
How to grow Chernobyvtsy seedlings on a windowsill:
How to plant marigold seeds for seedlings photo
- Needle seeds are easy to distribute evenly in the planting container; it is better to leave a distance of 3-4 cm to ensure powerful plants. The depth of embedding is 1 cm, two are possible.
- You can immediately plant the seeds in separate cups, which will simplify the task of replanting in the future. permanent place. Marigolds get sick longer if their roots are damaged than asters, so it’s better not to disturb them again. However, even withered bushes are accepted over time and take root perfectly.
- For quick germination, you can cover it with film or glass, creating a greenhouse effect. Marigolds take a long time to sprout, so you should be patient.
- When we see the first shoots, we open the greenhouse.
- You need to water regularly, but not overdo it, so that rot does not develop and the seedlings do not die. Simply keeping the soil moist is enough.
- Do not overheat the air in the room where the seedlings are growing. The temperature should be less than 25 °C.
- If you notice that the seedlings are stretched out and have a pale color, it means that they do not have enough light. Need to choose sunny side apartments or organize additional lighting.
- If you really want to try, water the seedlings 1-2 times with a solution of complex fertilizer for flowers, with an interval of 10 days.
- Before planting, a couple of weeks before planting, we begin to harden the seedlings, accustoming them to the sun, wind and coolness. Take it out onto the balcony, loggia, or threshold of the house. We gradually increase the time spent outside so that by the time of planting the plants are completely accustomed to the street.
At a height of 10-15 cm, marigold seedlings are ready for transplanting into open ground.
How to sow marigolds for seedlings video:
As you can see, everything is simple: the seeds are large enough, which allows unnecessary hassle plant them one at a time in cups and simply water until the time comes to transplant the seedlings to a permanent place.
Here’s another interesting way: sowing marigolds into a snail on paper, a video will tell you about this:
Well, probably even the laziest gardener will find an acceptable way and grow blackbrews for his flowerbed!
Planting marigold seedlings in open ground
How to plant marigolds in open ground correctly
It's very simple:
- We prepare shallow holes so that the lump of earth fits completely into them.
- You can pre-water it and put a handful of humus on the bottom.
- Carefully release the seedlings from the cups and place them vertically, covering them with soil.
- We water so that the soil subsides, but the water does not stagnate.
- You can immediately mulch the surface with what you have on hand. These could be last year's leaves, fresh grass, hay or pine needles from the forest.
- The distance between the holes depends on the selected variety. For low-growing varieties, 10-15 cm is enough; for medium- and tall-growing varieties, leave more space, about 30-40 cm.
Chaotic plantings look original, creating a simple naturalness. We have all long been accustomed to rows; they look boring and familiar. Create a composition, for example, by planting petunias in the foreground and blackbirds in the background.
Another video on how to grow marigold seedlings, plant them in the ground and care for flowers:
A luxurious flowerbed that does not require special care? Now you see that with marigolds it is easy!
Care when growing in open ground
Marigold flowers planting and care in open ground photo
The plants are low maintenance and do not require special costs and effort. However, perhaps, like everyone else cultivated plants, requires watering and weeding from weeds and soil cultivation in the form of loosening.
How to water
Watering is necessary in moderation, but you cannot do without it, otherwise your flowerbed will be covered with dried brooms, only the tops of which will retain a fresh look. Especially if it's a hot summer. Don’t just rely on rain, water at least once every three days, remembering to loosen the soil after watering to conserve moisture. Simultaneously with watering, you can fertilize by diluting mineral and organic fertilizers in the water.
In summer, when the weather is hot, to prevent crust formation on the ground, watering is best done in the morning or evening after sunset. If watering is carried out during the day, then it is necessary to loosen the top layer of soil.
Foliar and root feeding
If the soil is prepared correctly before planting, then marigolds do not need additional feeding. If it is clear from the plant that development is rather weak, you can fertilize the leaves with complex fertilizers.
It must be remembered that an overdose of fertilizers has a harmful effect on plant growth. Mineral fertilizers are applied the first time during the period of intensive plant growth, the second time when the first buds appear, and the third time before flowering begins.
Formation of bushes
Very rarely does anyone bother with this. However, if you have time, you can give marigolds beautiful shape. Prune some additional branches from the main stem. This procedure will significantly improve the nutrition of the remaining buds. Optimal time pruning - summer, when you can already see how the buds are blooming. Buds with signs of any diseases, small or wilted, are also cut off. After the bush is formed, the appearance of new additional branches of the stem stops.
Seed collection
To land on next year It is enough to use seeds that can be collected from flowers grown on the site. To do this, just choose a bright and healthy bush, let it ripen completely, then cut off the buds and dry them. After which the seeds will easily separate and can be stored in paper bag. When using this method, it is necessary to take into account that this will not affect the health of the plant itself, but you can get a different color of the baskets, different from the mother one.
04 Apr 2018
Marigold have established themselves as unpretentious, abundantly flowering, bright sunny flowers. These plants are quite resistant to unfavorable conditions - poor soil, drought, can bloom when planted in flower beds and containers or balcony boxes with limited land. Thanks to the compact, dense shape of the bushes and bright flowering, marigolds are excellent for creating carpet flower beds, ridges, and borders. Marigolds go well with other lushly flowering annuals - ageratum, gomphrena, coleus, salvia and other flowers that have a deep purple or red hue.
Many marigolds are grown among garden plants, since plants emit a specific odor that repels many insect pests from vegetable crops, and in the land where barats grow, the risk of fusarium and nematodes is reduced.
The Latin name for marigolds is tagedis, but because of the shape of the inflorescences, people affectionately call them marigolds. These flowers are native to Mexico, where they were brought to Europe in the 16th century. More than a hundred varieties and hybrids of marigolds have now been created. In total, the Tagedis genus includes about 50 species of plants that grow in warm climates South America, but in our country they are grown only as annuals.
Marigolds rejected have been known to us for a long time. These plants form a lush, branched bush with an erect stem. Varieties of rejected marigolds are tall, they reach a height of more than 30 cm, medium ones do not exceed 30 cm upward and dwarf ones up to 20 cm. On the central stem, the side shoots are always rejected, for which the plant got its name.
The flowers of rejected marigolds are 4-6 cm in diameter, consist of many reeds and tubular flowers, come in different shades of yellow, orange, red and bicolor. Based on their shape, marigold flowers are divided into simple, semi-double and densely double.
Marigolds erect At first they were not popular, since all varieties were very tall, their stems reached a length of 80-120 cm. But when they appeared low-growing varieties about 30 cm high with numerous large inflorescences, they are in great demand among flower growers and flower bed designers.
Inflorescences of erect marigolds in diameter from 6 to 13 cm always uniform in color, from light yellow, almost white to deep golden or orange color. Inflorescences of erect marigolds are different forms: semicircular, spherical, flattened chrysanthemum-shaped.
Marigold thin-leaved - the most luxuriantly flowering and compact, these plants are 20-40 cm high with strongly branching stems from the base. The plants have light green, thin leaves. The inflorescences are small with a diameter of 1.5-3 cm, they are always simple yellow-orange in color. These marigolds bloom very profusely and are used for borders, flower beds and flowerpots.
Growing marigolds from seeds:
If you decide to grow marigolds in your flower garden or on your balcony, take into account the care requirements of these plants.
Temperature. Marigolds are heat-loving; they develop well at a temperature comfortable for humans from +18 to +25 degrees. Flowers can tolerate extreme heat, but with regular watering, if the soil dries out on a hot sunny day, the plants may wilt, but after timely watering they recover. What marigolds don’t like is the cold, when the temperature drops below +10 degrees, plant growth stops, leaves and stems become purple shade. When the temperature drops to 0 degrees, marigolds die; keep this in mind when sowing seeds in the spring and when planting seedlings in the ground.
Lighting. Marigolds are sun-loving flowers, they bloom most luxuriantly in open sunny places, but can tolerate shading for several hours a day. Marigolds love summers with clear, sunny days and do not like rainy weather, as moisture saturates their double flowers, causing them to rot.
Soil for growing marigolds you need loose, nutritious, but without adding manure or large amounts of humus. With an excess of nitrogen, plants increase green mass and bloom poorly. On heavy clay soil or in a wetland, marigolds do not bloom, but survive.
Watering. Marigolds are drought-resistant and need to be watered regularly only on hot days. You need to water the flowers at the root so that water does not get on the flowers. When watering once every two weeks, dilute a complex mixture in water. mineral fertilizer, then they will prolong their lush flowering until frost.
When to sow marigolds?
Like all annual flowers, marigolds are grown from seeds. Marigolds bloom 40-60 days after germination. Can sow marigold seeds directly into the ground from mid-May, but there is a risk of seedling death during return frosts, so crops require shelter. The emergence of seed germination in the spring when sown in the ground takes up to 1-2 weeks, depending on the established air temperature. Thus, marigolds sown in the ground will bloom only in the middle of summer, and will reach maximum decorative value by September, when their growth will be restrained by the oncoming coolness.
In order for marigolds to delight you all season long and show the full power of their beauty, they are grown from seeds through seedlings at home. Sowing marigolds for seedlings is carried out from mid-March to mid-April. It is recommended to sow upright marigolds from March 15 to early April, and sowing of rejected and thin-leaved marigolds is carried out in the first half of April. With such sowing dates, seedlings of all types of marigolds will bloom in early June, it is at this time that the plants are planted in the ground with buds and the first opened inflorescences.
Growing marigold seedlings:
It is not difficult to grow marigold seedlings at home, following the rules of flower care.
To sow seeds, purchase universal soil, consisting of equal parts of turf soil, humus, peat and sand.
Marigolds sprout quickly , if the crops are kept warm at 18...22 degrees, sprouts appear on the fifth day. To improve germination, flower seeds are soaked for a day in a damp cloth or napkin.
Seeds of varietal marigolds are sometimes sold individually; they can be sown directly in cups, then the seedlings grow without picking. When sowing flower seeds in boxes, they are distributed at a distance of 1-2 cm.
For sowing, cups or boxes are filled with earth and poured well with boiling water or potassium permanganate. Then the seeds are sown individually on a wet surface in cups or boxes in shallow grooves. The seeds are sprinkled on top with a layer of no more than 1 cm of soil and moistened by spraying. To retain moisture in the soil, the crops are covered with film.
Immediately after germination, marigold seedlings are placed in the sunniest place , since with a lack of light the seedlings stretch out. Elongated seedlings can be buried down to the cotyledon leaves during picking.
Picking flower seedlings can be placed in separate cups or in boxes with a distance of 5-7 cm. Picking is carried out when the sprouts have 2-4 leaves. Marigolds can be replanted at any age and during the flowering period. After transplantation, seedlings from boxes quickly take root with good moisture and shade in the first days.
These flowers are truly “folk”. They can be seen in almost every area. Tall and very small, red, yellow and orange “suns” unusually decorate the flower garden. And growing marigolds is not at all difficult.
So, marigolds - planting and care in open ground.
Today, flower growers can purchase dozens of varieties of marigolds.
According to the structure of the inflorescences, they are divided into simple, semi-double and double varieties.
But more often, marigolds are chosen for planting based on their size:
- Giant - up to 130 cm.
- High – up to 90 cm.
- Medium – up to 50 cm.
- Low-growing - up to 40 cm.
- Dwarf - up to 15 cm.
Lovers choose one variety or another, depending on where they plan to grow flowers. For example, only short and dwarf ones are suitable for balconies. And giant marigolds, planted in the middle of the flowerbed, will become its pride and main decoration.
Marigolds are also divided into erect, deviated and thin-leaved.
Erect - annuals, can grow more than 1 m in height, flowers - monochromatic, from yellow to orange. The most famous variety is Kilimanjaro.
Rejected - got their name because of their escapes. Lush bushes, with small flowers. The variety most beloved by summer residents is marigold “Antoshka”.
Thin-leaved - rarely higher than 40 cm, the flowers resemble daisies, and are decorated with thin carved leaves. A popular variety is “Gnome”.
How to grow marigolds?
Most often, summer residents buy bags of seeds of certain varieties. Self-collected seeds are less commonly used.
Sowing seeds in the ground
If you live in a fairly warm area where frost will not threaten the seedlings at the end of spring, you can plant marigolds from April 20 to May 15. Then in about two months you will admire their flowering.
When preparing for planting, it is advisable to germinate the seeds. Take a separate saucer for each variety, put a clean cloth there, pour seeds onto it and pour a little water at room temperature. Each saucer is placed in plastic bag and place it in a warm place - for example, on a windowsill near a radiator. After 3-4 days, the seeds can be planted.
It must be remembered that each seed will turn into a bush, so when planting you need to maintain the desired distance between future flowers.
Then the soil in the garden bed is leveled and watered. When the shoots appear, look to see if they are located too close to each other. Thin out the sprouts if necessary.
Planting seeds for seedlings
Since the warm season in Russia is relatively short, it is preferable to grow marigold seedlings. Typically, flower growers who do this buy ready-made soil in Priroda stores. But you can compose it yourself. To do this, they take soil, maybe forest land, peat and a little river sand. IN in this case To disinfect, the soil is calcined in a stove on a baking sheet or watered with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Soil is poured on top, grooves are made - if there are no special tools, you can use a stick or pencil. The seeds are planted at a distance of approximately 3 cm from each other.
The soil should be moist and watered carefully so as not to wash the seeds out of the ground. The container should be placed in a well-lit place, but not in drafts.
After a few days, when shoots appear, the box is periodically turned to the window, first on one side or the other. This is done so that the plants do not stretch in one direction towards the light and do not bend.
Seedlings dive when 3 leaves appear. It is recommended to plant in the garden in the last ten days of May.
Planting marigolds in open ground
This is the most crucial moment in growing flowers. Need to determine appropriate place, prepare a garden bed, grow or purchase strong, healthy seedlings.
Selection of planting material
If you are going to grow seedlings yourself, remember that you need to sow the seeds at different times. Tall marigolds are planted first - in March, but in April it is the turn of low-growing varieties.
When buying marigold seedlings in a store or market, carefully inspect them - are the plants healthy, do they look strong? It is better when each plant is planted in a separate container - this way there is less risk of injuring the roots during planting.
Soil preparation and site selection
Before planting, it is advisable to enrich the soil - dig up the bed, adding peat, humus, river sand, and mineral fertilizers.
The distance between seedlings will depend on the type of marigold. Tall ones need space: plants should be separated from each other by 40 cm; for dwarf marigolds this distance is halved.
It is advisable to put a little drainage at the bottom of the holes, and then plant the plants. After planting for a couple of weeks, marigolds need regular watering.
Caring for marigolds in open ground
Caring for these flowers is easy. It consists of watering, loosening, weeding and periodic feeding.
Watering and fertilizing
During the growth period, marigolds need regular watering; with the beginning of flowering, watering can be done less frequently.
It is advisable to use a watering can rather than a hose, and leave the water in a container beforehand to warm it up. Best time for watering - in the evening, when the sun is approaching sunset.
If the summer is rainy, drainage will help prevent root rot.
If the bed is prepared according to all the rules, additional fertilizing may not be applied. Do you want to pamper the plant, achieve lush flowering? Use any fertilizer other than manure. Apply fertilizing 2-3 times before flowering, that is, during the period of active plant growth. The best option– use complex fertilizers.
Loosening and trimming
Marigolds hate it when the soil becomes crusty. It is necessary to ensure air access to the roots. This can be achieved through regular loosening. This must be done carefully so as not to damage root system. It is also important to remove weeds.
To make the bushes look more beautiful, fading marigold flowers are periodically pruned. Then new buds will appear and the overall flowering will intensify.
How to collect seeds?
Most often this situation occurs. You purchased marigold seeds of a certain variety. In the summer the plants bloomed and you really liked them. I would like to decorate the flowerbed with these flowers next year.
Nothing could be simpler. Wait for the marigolds to bloom and collect the seeds. You can store them throughout the winter in paper bags.
But since most marigolds are hybrids, the flowers that bloom next summer may look slightly different from the mother plants.
Diseases and pests of marigolds
Marigolds are strong and healthy plants largely due to its smell.
The most common threats to flowers are:
- Slugs. There are especially many of them if the summer is rainy. At small quantity Pests can be collected by hand. If there is a massive attack, a drug such as “Thunderstorm” will help.
- Spider mite. To combat it you can purchase special drugs at the Nature store. According to folk recipes– use onions, yarrow – prepare solutions and spray the flowers.
- Gray rot. Occurs when watering rules are violated. It is better to immediately remove the affected plant from the garden bed - otherwise other flowers will get sick and die.
At proper care Marigolds, as a rule, do not get sick.
Using marigolds in landscape design
Bright unpretentious marigolds They will decorate any area and will delight the owners for a long time with abundant flowering.
