Handsome marigolds: growing together

Marigolds in the garden are flowers that can be sown directly to a permanent place in open ground. But if possible, it is better to sow seedlings at home, such marigolds will bloom faster and more abundantly than those that were planted immediately in the ground.

For seedlings of marigolds in the garden, you need seeds, a container, well-moistened soil. We pre-moisten the soil, since it is impossible to water until the seeds hatch.

Despite the fact that the seeds of marigolds are large, you do not need to plant them one by one. Marigolds tolerate picking and transplanting well, so the seeds can be planted abundantly. We take a handful of seeds and distribute them evenly over the surface, then sprinkle them with earth. After that, we irrigate the soil well with a spray bottle, cover it with a lid and put it in a warm, bright place.

Seed germination temperature is about 20-25 degrees. At this temperature, marigolds will germinate well within 5 days. Then they can be sent to the greenhouse if the temperature at night does not drop below 15 degrees. After 3 weeks, the sprouts are ready to be transplanted into the ground.

It should be transplanted to a permanent place after the returnable spring frosts have passed. The distance between the shoots, depending on the variety, is from 20 to 30 cm.

In order to protect the plant from drying out, after planting, it is necessary to mulch them with sawdust and water.

After three weeks, the plants will noticeably get stronger, on some, buds will already begin to be laid.

Marigolds do not require special care. The main care is loosening, weeding, while we do not allow the dominance of weeds, as well as watering in dry weather. Marigolds grow on almost any soil, the main thing is that there is no stagnation of water. If your soil is fertile and at the same time the plants grow well, bloom, then additional fertilizing with fertilizers is not required.

If your marigolds turn yellow, do not lay buds at all, then you need complementary foods. Feed once or twice a season using organic and mineral fertilizers. We put fertilizers under each plant. Liquid and granular fertilizers can be used.

In order not to buy marigold seeds every year, they can be collected from plants that have faded. In order for the seeds to sprout, they must be properly harvested. It should be noted that marigolds are divided into female flowers, they are also called double varieties and tubular flowers, which give a lot of seeds.

For decorative planting, seeds are collected from female flowers. We start collecting seeds after the bud has faded. Before cutting the bud, make sure it is dry and the base of the bud is yellow or darkened. If the base is green, then the seeds are not yet ripe, it is too early to cut such a bud. We take out the seeds from the cut buds, they should be stored in a dry place where moisture does not get. Correctly harvested marigold seeds can be stored for three to four years.

Marigolds are wonderful, unpretentious plants that will delight you with their flowering.