Marigolds: planting, growing and care in the open field, when and how to sow with a photo

As practice shows, bright, with many small inflorescences, marigolds are unpretentious in cultivation. Plant seeds are purchased at retail, garden stores. The plants will need a lot of light when growing, so it is best to plant them in areas exposed to the sun. But even in the shady twilight they will not stop growing. Flowers are perennial, so seeds will be needed for the very first planting.

Description and features of the plant

Tagetes have several different species, differing from each other in appearance, size, color.The planted plant will be guaranteed to exist for more than one year, which is why marigolds are so popular with amateurs and experienced gardeners. The leaves are green, in a shade from light to dark, cut at the edges (pinnate, dissected). On the stem, the foliage is arranged in an orderly manner, this is one of the signs of the plant.

The height of the bush ranges from 20 centimeters to 2 meters. The stem is strong, straight. The inflorescence is formed by a combination of tubules and tongues - this is how marigolds bloom.

By the number of petals, they are distinguished by the following types:

1. Regular or non-terry. Contain up to 3 reed rows of inflorescences.
2. Semi-double. Their tongue-shaped petals take up about half of the total.
3. Terry. This group includes anemone-like, clove-flowered and chrysanthemum marigolds. Each of them will have more than half of the tubular (reed) petals in the inflorescence.

The plant has a sharp, peculiar smell, which is offset by the richness of colors and species. The growing season lasts from June to October (until the first frost). The natural result of flowering will be the formation of a seed box, there are from 2 to 7 hundred seeds per gram of weight. Germination persists for years. Perennial marigolds bloom in various shades, from pure white to mixed variegated.

Can marigolds be sown in autumn?

Most sources authoritatively state that marigolds are sown only in spring. The arguments are weighty: the plant is thermophilic, it does not tolerate frost well. And in order for the landing to give a positive result, a certain temperature regime is required - not lower than plus 5 on the Celsius scale.

So novice gardeners plant marigolds exclusively in the spring, missing the opportunity to experiment. The vast majority of marigold fans will recommend the “spring” method, as it is familiar and fully justified.

Meanwhile, winter planting is just as good. The main thing is to know how to sow marigolds.

Benefits of autumn planting

When deciding when to plant seeds, which planting is preferable - autumn or spring, many will choose the latter without hesitation. And they will bring weighty, iron arguments in defense of their position. Everything seems to be so, but not quite.

Autumn planting has the following benefits:

• during hibernation, plants gain strength, get used to life in the open outside world;
• formation of the marigold root system due to early planting is faster;
• you don't need to choose the "correct" planting date, by the warm season the flowers develop on their own, growing from seed to seedling.

A serious disadvantage of cold planting is the increased use of seed stocks. You need to be prepared for this so as not to get into trouble.

Preparing for landing

It begins with the choice of location. It is important to take into account 2 points here: the absence of fluid stagnation and the planned slope on the site. Additional nuances relate to the soil. It should be more loose and permeable than dense. The latter circumstance automatically solves the problem of waterlogging.

Therefore, preparations for planting begin with bringing the soil into the required consistency state. For this, soil, peat, river sand and humus (compost) are mixed. The next subtlety is planting in frozen ground, not cold. The preparation of the landing site (digging grooves and holes, mixing) is carried out in September, and with the onset of cold weather, seeds will fall into them.

Seed Selection

The seed fund of plants is selected based on the color range, variety (if they are purchased). Or they use seeds collected in autumn from their plantings, selecting large and he althy ones.The ability to germinate remains up to 3 years. Treatment with a stimulant (soaking in water) increases the chances of hatching, at the same time reducing the time for the appearance of the first shoots by 5-7 days.

Lulu, Golden Jam, Gnome, Bonanza Orange, Flame, Carmen, Antigua or Kilimanjaro varieties are most often chosen.

Choosing a seat

It depends on the place whether the seeds will sprout, develop from them full-fledged plants or die. It is desirable that it be a site with a slight slope, not too saturated with moisture. The soil, most likely, will have to be replaced with a complex composition. This will increase the permeability of the mixture, allowing you to get rid of excess water (thawed or watered).

It did not work out to plant immediately in a sunny, open place - it does not matter. Marigolds allow transplantation after they are accepted, let out leaves and strengthen the root system.

Sowing process

Before the start of sowing, plants determine its timing: will it be winter or spring. Also, depending on the choice made, they plan to plant in open ground, immediately to the “permanent place of residence” or in seedling pots, so that later, when the seedlings are formed, move them to the flower bed.

Open ground

Standard planting in open ground implies 2 options. Which one is to the liking of the gardener, he decides for himself. Is it spring sowing or autumn.

To implement the first method, a suitable time is selected (such as when the night temperature does not fall below plus 5 degrees). At first, the plants are planted shallow. Be sure to observe a step between future bushes one and a half to two centimeters. With a sparse planting, the marigolds will begin to grow, become long and sluggish, too frequent - they will jam each other. From above, the planted seeds are sprinkled with a layer of soil (up to 1 centimeter), watered.

With the water regime, it is advisable not to be zealous so that the seedlings do not rot. After pecking the first 2-3 leaves, transplantation with deepening into the ground is allowed.

Podzimny sowing of plants is different in that the seeds lie in the frozen, cold ground. They take them 2 times more, taking into account possible losses. Fresh plantings are covered with a layer of soil, mulched. In the spring, sprouted sprouts are planted, moved to a new place or thinned out.

In pots

In addition to the well-known methods of planting marigolds immediately into the soil, others are used in horticultural practice. Plant the plants in pots (in early spring), wait for their normal development, and send them to the flower bed in May. The method, in fact, is simple, does not require deep knowledge and excessive expenditure of effort. It is necessary to provide future bushes with warmth and light, as well as regular, but not excessive watering.

The timing of planting varies depending on the variety. Direct large-flowered or thin-leaved plants are planted in early March, rejected - in the same month, but towards the end. Subject to these conditions, marigolds will bloom in May-June.

When cultivating seedlings, it is important not to miss the moment when it outgrows (begins to bloom). Such bushes are reluctant to take root in a new place. The situation can be corrected if the buds are mechanically removed.

How to care for marigolds during cultivation

Care for seedlings consists in carefully observing the light regime, getting enough heat, timely watering. Weak, rotten sprouts are removed, at the same time (if necessary) thinning is carried out. Once the seeds are sown, the pots are placed in a shaded area with a constant temperature of 18-20 degrees. You can use a film or cover with a sheet of plastic, periodically opening the boxes for ventilation.

When sprouts appear, shoots of marigolds are transferred to a brighter place (on the windowsill), not forgetting to cover from direct sunlight. The temperature regime in this case is 17-18 degrees Celsius. These are optimal indicators so that the seedlings do not burn out and do not rot.

It is allowed to “walk” seedlings of marigolds, take them out into the fresh air, trying to protect them from drafts. Top dressings are welcome, there should be several of them. Watering plants is carried out moderately so that the roots do not rot, the development of fungi and mold.

Water and fertilize

When watering the growing marigolds, it is important not to overdo it. Plants should receive enough liquid, but not excessively. To avoid the accumulation of water, it is useful to use a box with a drip tray or periodically drain the excess after watering. For additional nutrition of marigolds, complex preparations (water-soluble) are used.

At the first feeding, it is permissible to use Crystalon (green) - a modern universal remedy for plant nutrition. It is carried out approximately 10-14 days after the emergence of seedlings. 5-6 days before the planned planting in the ground, seedlings of marigolds are watered again with a solution of yellow Crystal.

This step will help to endure stress and have a positive effect on strengthening the roots of marigolds. After the seedlings have taken root, they are also fed. It is advised not to do this very often, so that the plants do not grow at the expense of flowering.

Despite the fact that the plant belongs to the unpretentious, well-managed nutrients embedded in the soil, an additional portion of fertilizer will not harm it. It is only important not to exceed the dose.

Weeding and loosening row spacing

Experienced gardeners know the benefits of loosening plantings with plants: this way the roots are provided with oxygen in the required amount.Marigolds are not an exception, but a confirmation of this simple rule. Only in them loosening can be combined with weeding, destruction of weeds, weak sprouts.

Until marigold seedlings are strong, they are exposed to unwanted pest neighbors. Gradually, as they grow, marigolds will learn to defend themselves. All that remains is to regularly loosen the beds and break soil clods.

Preparing for winter

If you do not plan to collect seeds, relocate marigolds to another site, they are able to endure the winter. Plants are covered with a film, sprinkled with foliage, small branches. For a mild southern winter in Central Russia, this will be enough to keep the velvet fabrics until spring. When harvesting a plant “for seeds”, marigold bushes are dug up, transferred to a warm, dry place, where they are kept until the stems darken.

Disease and pest control

The tart aroma of blooming marigolds guarantees protection against fungal pathogens, so they can be used as a prophylactic to ensure the safety of nearby garden plantings.

But the plants themselves are vulnerable to pests and diseases. With insufficient watering, there is a possibility of the appearance of a spider mite. Excessive moisture of marigolds is accompanied by rot, the development of fungi.

It is treated in reverse: dryness - moisturizing and spraying, rot - drying, transfer to a warm place. When slugs or snails appear on plants, it is better to refrain from chemical treatment in order to avoid shedding flowers from marigolds.

Gray rot occurs when marigolds are cold, damp, overly humid. Signs of the disease are wet spotty brown formations. It is recommended to immediately isolate diseased plants and then destroy them so as not to harm he althy ones.

“Spoiled” marigolds can be used to repel pests: if they are thrown into the compost, midges and parasites will never start there.

Combination of marigolds with other plants

Velvet flowers make wonderful flower beds that form carpet paths and entire areas in combination with begonias, asters, cineraria or ageratum. In addition to their decorative purpose, marigolds perform a very real function: they protect garden areas from the penetration of pests, scaring them away from plants with their smell. Bright, yellow-red inflorescences of Chernobrivtsy go well with purple, blue or light blue asters.

Collecting and storing marigold seeds

Chernobrivtsy are one-year-old plants, but their existence is easy to prolong if you collect, save the seeds, and then sow again.Inflorescences in plants are female and bisexual. The latter do not need additional pollination, they give the most seeds. At the same time, the qualities of velvety, terry petals are obtained from "female" seeds. The choice of the source of obtaining plant seed depends on this.

The average ripening time for marigold seeds is 40 days or more. As soon as the inflorescences began to turn yellow, and the stems of the plant turned brown, you can harvest. To do this, the marigold flowers are cut off, trying not to damage, then the seeds are poured into a bag or envelope. Collection is carried out in dry, calm weather. Storage is carried out in a warm place with normal humidity to avoid rotting of marigold seeds. They are stored for several years, completely preserving their properties.

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