Marigold care is very easy, yet few gardeners struggles to grow it perfectly, but after reading this article on how to grow marigold, nothing will be hard for you to care for your marigold every year.
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| How to grow marigold? |
Well, as I love to describe in few words that I dedicate to the beauty and glory of marigold flowers, I hope my words will help readers to get to know about the beauty of this flowering plant.
Introduction
Marigold or Tagetes is a genus of annual herbaceous flowering plants and is found to be originated in America. There are perennial varieties too. Size of the plant can vary from 0.1 to 2.2 metres tall and flower size from 4 to 6 centimetres in diameter.
Flowers of this flowering plant can be of yellow, orange, golden, and white colour. The beautiful flowers are known for musky or pungent smell. There are more than 50 varieties that you can grow in your garden.
I love to grow this flowering plant in my terrace garden every year for embracing the beauty, smell and effects that it spreads in my surrounding.
Marigold also helps to keep pests away and the perennial varieties are known to repel rodents, but not the annual ones. Quite easy to grow and care for, this flowering plant can be an ideal choice for beginners as well as for experts.
How to grow marigold?
To grow marigold, you will need to know about these basic points that will make you expert in gardening. I will discuss these points in detail, keep reading very carefully and do not miss any of these points!
Growing Season
Marigold can be easily grown in hardiness zones 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. The time of sowing seeds can differ from place to place.
If you are living in tropical to sub tropical regions that faces hot summer then you can start growing this plant during fall or late summer.
But if you are living in temperate or hilly regions that have colder climate then you can start growing this flowering plant during early to late spring season.
Potting Mix
To grow marigold, you do not need to care much about potting mix, just make sure that soil used is well drained. Sandy loam soil rich in organic matter is good for growing marigold.
Although if you are still want to prepare potting mix then, prepare with 70% normal garden soil + 30% any organic compost like vermicompost.
If your soil is clayey then mix additional 20% river sand in the potting mix.
Selection of Pot
You can select pot of various sizes ranging from 6 to 12 inch sized pot. It is considered best to grow marigold in earthen pots that have at least 3 to 4 drainage holes at the bottom.
Waterlogging in the pot should be avoided.
Propagation
You can either purchase healthy seedlings from the nearest plant nursery and can directly transplant them in your growing pots or you can purchase seeds from the market to propagate them.
To propagate marigold from seeds follow these important points:
- Prepare germination potting mix with 40% cocopeat + 30% vermicompost + 30% cow dung manure. Mix them together very well.
- Fill the germination tray or container with this potting mix and leave some space at the top for watering purpose. Apply water gently in the container.
- Sow the seeds by keeping 1 centimetre distance between each seeds. Cover the sown seeds with a very thin layer of potting mix.
- Apply water gently after sowing, do not over water. Keep the germination container in shade and check regularly for soil moisture.
- Whenever top layer of the soil seems dry apply a little amount of water carefully. Within 10 days you will notice new seedlings coming out of the soil.
Transplantation
- Fill the selected pot for growing marigold with growing potting mix and leave one to two inch space at the top for watering and applying fertilizers.
- Take out the seedlings very carefully, one by one with the help of gardening tool like trovel, do not damage the roots while transplanting.
- Dig a hole in the centre of the growing pot and plant your seedlings, cover the base properly with potting mix and apply pressure around the base of the plant carefully to fix it in the pot.
