Features of growing marigold from seeds: when to plant in open ground and how at home?

Marigolds are plants with which you can very nicely decorate a flower bed in the country, their bright flowers fit perfectly into the garden or park landscape design.

Growing plants from seeds is a very interesting activity. You go with a flower from a tiny seed to an adult blooming pet. Invest in this process not only time and effort, but also a piece of your soul.

In this article we will talk about growing marigolds from seeds for home decoration. Slightly unusual, but there really is something in this idea.

What kind of flowers are these?

In nature, marigolds live in America, in the 16th century they were taken to Spain. Then they quickly spread to European and Asian countries, including in Russia. The Latin name of the flower tagetes comes from the name of the Etruscan deity.

Flowers are simple and double, bright red, yellow and orange colors, often there are two-tone. The base of the flower is elongated, covered with green leaves. The stems are straight. The foliage is thick, dark green, consists of cirrus-divided leaves with a serrated edge. The height of the bush is from 20 to 120 cm. The root root system. The plant has a peculiar smell. Blossom very long and plentifully. You can familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the flowering of marigolds, as well as the necessary conditions and photos of blossoming plants in this material, and here you will find a description and photos of various perennial and annual species and varieties of these plants.

Reference! Marigolds are very simple in maintenance and care, they easily tolerate various climatic hardships, air pollution, and the bush itself is quite strong. That is why they are widely used in landscaping streets and other public areas, as a border plant, along the edges of flower beds and along sidewalks and paths.

Breeding methods

There are only two ways to propagate a new plant:

1. Stem cuttings. This method is used extremely rarely for the propagation of hybrids, which, when propagated by seed, do not produce a similar plant.
2. The seeds. The main method of propagation of marigold using seeds. Do this by growing seedlings. Shoots appear together and grow rapidly.

What are the seeds of a plant?

Marigold Seeds:

• thin;
• long
• two-tone.

Length about 1.5 cm. Half white split, the other half black, smooth and dense. From one flower you can collect up to 500 pieces.

What is needed for appearance?

Simple flowers have both male and female reproductive organs, and therefore are self-pollinated. Terry flowers are only female, they are pollinated in a cross way.

If you want to get a plant similar to the parent in all respects, do not plant closely different varieties of marigolds. At home, pollen from a male flower is transferred to a pistil stigma with a brush. Pollen is taken from later flowers, as it ripens a couple of days before the pistil.

When do they ripen?

Seeds ripen in late summer and early fall. On average, the seeds ripen 1.5 months after the opening of the flower.

How and when to collect?

When the bud is completely dry and the stem turns brown, you can start collecting seeds. Choose the largest and healthiest flowers. The flower is cleaned of dried petals, the base is taken apart, inside of which there are seeds. You will find tips for collecting marigold seeds, as well as storage rules, in a separate article.

Germination Features

There are no special subtleties in growing marigold from seeds. Everything is simple:

• sowing;
• conditions;
• care.

At home

Advice! Marigolds can be planted for indoor use at any time of the year, but you will get the best result if you do this in March.

In this case, the natural biorhythms of the plant will be observed, which will necessarily affect its development. Enough of natural lighting, do not have to install artificial lighting.

In the open ground

In the warmer southern regions, marigolds can be planted directly in the ground in May. However, it is better to grow seedlings. So the plant will bloom faster. Moreover, this method is suitable for the middle band, where the last night frosts occur in late May - early June. Seedlings are sown in late March, or early April. From seedlings to flowering will take 45-60 days.

Preparation of soil and planting material

Preparing the seeds for planting:

1. We make a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate, there should not be undissolved particles in it.
2. Pour the solution with seeds and leave for 15-20 minutes.
3. Drain the liquid, leave the seeds to dry.
4. If you wish, you can leave the seeds in a damp tissue until sprouts appear.

Preparing the soil:

1. We buy a universal soil mixture for flowering
2. Or we prepare soil from sand, peat, humus and sod land in a ratio of 1: 2: 2: 2.
3. We put the soil in a container.
4. We spill with a saturated pink solution of potassium permanganate.
5. We put it closer to the radiator for heating for a couple of hours. You can not put on the radiator itself! The earth should be warm, just above room temperature.

Sowing

1. In the ground, we make grooves up to 1 cm deep. It is better to do this by punching so that the soil at the point of contact is dense, without bumps and voids.
2. The grooves are slightly sprayed with water from the spray gun.
3. We spread the seeds into grooves at a distance of 2 cm from each other. The seed needs to be laid horizontally, no need to stick it upright.
4. Sprinkle a groove with seeds on the ground.
5. We cover the container with any transparent material: glass, film.
6. We put the container with crops in a warm 22-25 degrees and a well-lit place. The first sprouts will appear already on the 5-6th day. As soon as the cotyledons open, we remove the shelter.

Watch a video about growing marigold from seeds:

Watering

After removing the shelter, the seedlings are watered. No need to pour on the seedlings, only on the ground, which should always be moist. You can do this with a syringe, spoon, or a small syringe. Water should be ambient temperature.

Pick

It doesn’t matter if you grow seedlings for open ground, or on the windowsill, an intermediate step before landing will be a pick:

1. From the container, the plant is transplanted into cups one at a time.
2. Do this when the plant releases true leaves.
3. During transshipment, the tip of the main root can be carefully removed.
4. This procedure will make the plant stronger.

Interesting fact!Marigolds tolerate a transplant at any time, even when they already have flowers on them.

Watch a video about diving marigold seedlings:

Transfer to a suitable container

The last step will be to plant marigolds in a pot:

1. select the appropriate capacity;
2. we lay a layer of drainage material;
3. we put a mound about half of the prepared soil;
4. distribute the roots on the "knoll";
5. we fall asleep the remaining soil, slightly pressing it to the roots;
6. watering;
7. after planting, do not immediately expose the plant to bright lighting, let it acclimatize for 3-4 days.

What should be the pot?

For a home, it is better to choose more compact types of marigolds. The larger the plant, the more voluminous the pot it will need. This flower has a rooted root system, so the pot should be quite high.

Marigolds are often planted in boxes, so they look very advantageous. Just don’t overdo it with the quantity, otherwise your pets simply don’t have enough moisture, no place, no food, no light. There must be holes in the bottom of the tank to drain excess water. The material from which the dishes are made is not important. Draining materials are laid at the bottom: small stones, expanded clay, or brick chips.

About the features of growing marigolds at home in pots and crates, we described in detail in this material.

Soil selection

Important! Marigolds grow well in almost any soil. But for indoor maintenance, where the volume of the tank is not large, it is worth choosing a sufficiently fertile, light soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.

• You can buy soil in a store, the composition of a universal soil mixture for flowering plants is suitable.
• With independent preparation of the soil, you can mix ordinary earth, compost and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. Before planting, you can roast it in the oven, or hold it for 2 days in the freezer. This is done to destroy possible infections and pests. After the soil is brought to normal temperature, just above room temperature.

Care

Consider the necessary conditions for growing indoor marigolds and the rules for caring for them:

• Temperature can be from 18 to 25 degrees. The main thing is without extreme differences. The plant can tolerate lower (higher) temperatures, but this range is necessary for flowering.
• Watering - This is the most basic thing in caring for this flower. It should be sufficient, the earth should not dry out. During flowering, watered every day. Water should not be cold - this will provoke rotting of the roots.
• Lighting plays a large role in the quality of flowering. Therefore, marigolds are located in the sunniest areas.
• Top dressing not required, but the monthly introduction of the mineral complex can enhance flowering, and increase its time. Any fertilizer suitable for flowering. About when and how to fertilize marigolds, read our article.
• Plant formation. The overgrown stems are removed to maintain a balance between the underground and aboveground parts of the plant. "Haircuts" for decorative purposes are not excluded. Marigolds easily tolerate pruning. You also need to remove faded buds.
• Disease Prevention Almost all diseases affect plants in conditions of high humidity of the soil and air, low temperatures. No need to fill in marigolds, pour them with cold water and often plant. Subject to these rules, there will be no diseases.
• Pest Prevention. Insects do not like marigolds for their special smell, but sometimes, nevertheless, settle on them. This happens in a dry and hot "climate." Therefore, during the heating season, flowers should be protected from the flow of dry hot air. You can not spray the plant! Only around the plant. Read more about pests and diseases that threaten marigolds, as well as methods of dealing with them, here.
• Rest period. In winter, watering is reduced to a minimum, refuse fertilizer, and the plant is placed in a cool place away from the window. Then it is possible that the following season, marigolds will bloom. One condition - in the spring it will have to be transplanted into a more spacious pot.

Conclusion

In my opinion, a great idea is to make marigolds a houseplant. They bloom beautifully and plentifully, have beautiful dense greens, are unpretentious in leaving, are easily and quickly grown from seeds. In addition, they purify the air, repel insects and are even used in some countries as a spice.

Watch the video: How To Grow Flower Plants At Home (November 2024).