Marigolds are easy to grow and are available in different colors, including white, yellow, orange, red and mottled ones. The flowers will bloom from mid-summer until the onset of frost. They can be used for interiors, but they give off a peculiar smell that is sometimes too strong in the house. Marigolds can be of different sizes, from the smallest to the giant variety, which can grow up to 120cm in height! You can select the color and size suitable for your blooming garden. And don't neglect potted marigolds, as the smaller varieties grow well in containers.
Steps
Step 1. Enrich the soil when planting marigolds, as they love rich, well-drained soil, although they tolerate even the poorest ones well
Improving the quality of your soil will produce richer flowers and plants, so you better add some compost. Add adequate fertilizer once a month.
Step 2. Water the marigolds as needed:
seedlings should grow well even if left unattended. The soil should be moist, but not wet. Water them in dry weather once or twice a week.
Step 3. Add mulch around the plants to improve their appearance and to keep weeds away
Step 4. Around mid-summer, the plants will start producing flowers and will continue to flower until the first frost
There is no need to remove dried blooms, except for the appearance.
Step 5. Protect them from frost
Marigolds are annuals and frost sensitive. They can survive the first light frosts with only minor damage. They will not survive hard frost or freezing.
Advice
- When the flowers fade and dry, peel them off just above the first set of leaves. Break up the flowers, sprinkle them where you want them to grow and water them - more marigolds will be born.
- Did you know that marigolds are considered friendly plants? Many gardeners grow them in the midst of their horticultural crops, because they keep insects away, which do not like their pungent smell. From these plants you can make an insect repellent spray. Snails, on the other hand, love to crawl on their stem and chew its leaves. They can destroy an entire field of marigolds. You can see them on plants at night, in humid conditions and in the early morning.
- Sow the marigolds at the beginning of the season and cover them lightly with earth. Water only once very carefully - they germinate easily and grow quickly, starting flowering in mid-summer.
- The different types of marigolds have slight differences in the leaves.
- Transplant the marigold to the garden after the last few frosts. Space the different plants according to the variety: the small ones require 10 to 15 centimeters and the giant varieties 30 to 60 centimeters.
- Marigolds grow from seeds. They like full to partial sun. Marigold seeds can be sown directly in the garden or at home and then transplanted. It is advisable to plant marigolds in pots and containers at home, and then transplant them outdoors. This allows you to make the correct spacing without the need to thin out the seedlings.
