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Planting and caring for calendula in the open field does not cause trouble for gardeners at all. This annual plant is undemanding, can grow on almost any land and does not need special attention. Initially, marigolds were grown as a medicinal crop and as a seasoning, but now flower beds and flower beds are often decorated with it.
Planting marigold in the front garden gives it bright orange and yellow colors.
When to plant calendula seeds outdoors
Despite the fact that when growing a crop through seedlings, it blooms earlier, many gardeners most often decide to plant calendula immediately in open ground. This happens because the plant will still bloom and will not suffer from night temperature drops.
The plant is usually sown at the end of March, April or May, but even if you are a little late and sow at the beginning of summer, the calendula will still bloom in July, will not require special care and will decorate the flower beds until the cold weather arrives. Less commonly, calendula is sown in open ground before winter. In this case, work begins around the end of October-November, after the arrival of the first frost.
How to plant calendula seeds outdoors
Growing calendula from seeds in the open field will not cause problems and will not raise questions even for novice gardeners. The culture is unpretentious in care, even on weak soil it always looks beautiful and emits a pleasant aroma. It is worth noting that the flower is quickly accepted, actively develops, gives good self-seeding. It grows rapidly in open ground and fills all the empty space in the garden.
The homeland of calendula is considered to be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Choosing a landing place
Despite the fact that planting calendula outdoors with seeds is simple, it is advisable to first find and prepare a suitable place for it. To achieve abundant flowering, it is best if planting and caring for the crop are carried out in a well-lit and warm area, and it is not scary if the flower bed is located even in a too sunny place. In partial shade, calendula can also grow, but it will not bloom so abundantly and brightly.
Planting a plant in open ground should also be done in a place protected from strong winds, as a draft can break fragile flower shoots.
Sometimes calendula is placed between beds with vegetable crops, where it brings many benefits: its aroma attracts pollinating insects, and phytoncides reduce the risk of fungal infections and repel pests – caterpillars, nematodes, rattlesnakes, cabbage flies. Planting and caring for a plant in the open field is similar to the cultivation of many vegetables, the culture will serve as a good companion for tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, beans, asparagus, parsley, onions, celery.
In open ground, planting calendula is usually carried out immediately to a permanent place, but sometimes it is determined in a nursery, and transplanted closer to summer. Seedlings of culture almost do not notice the change of place and quickly adapt to the new bed.
Soil Preparation
Care, as well as planting calendula, can be carried out in open ground of any kind, including on calcareous or poor land. However, most of all the plant prefers light, moderately fertile soil with a good drainage layer. Calendula has no special requirements for soil acidity; it can withstand a pH range of 4,5 to 8.
Planting and nail care can also be done in a pot. Some gardeners grow them on balconies and terraces.
During sowing, the soil in an open area should first be dug up and a baking powder in the form of sand, peat or vermiculite should be added to it. It is also useful to add ash, manure or humus, potash fertilizers.
If planting is carried out in the fall, then the soil is prepared in advance, about two weeks before the work. In this case, superphosphate is used as a fertilizer instead of potassium.
Seed preparation
Seedlings of calendula, if they are fresh, do not need pre-treatment. But if the seeds are more than two years old, then before they are planted, it is advisable to take measures to improve germination. To do this, planting material is usually soaked for half an hour in a solution of any growth stimulator, which, in its absence, can be replaced with aloe juice or honey.
Landing scheme
In the open ground, the planting of medicinal and decorative calendula takes place according to a different pattern: in the first case, the interval between plants in a row should be 7-10 cm, in the second 25-30 cm, and the row spacing should be within 30 and 60 cm, respectively.
For sowing one square meter of a flower bed, about 2 g of planting material is usually required, which is placed in shallow grooves and sprinkled on top with a thin layer (1-1,5 cm) of earth.
Shoots of calendula in favorable conditions appear very quickly, already on the fourth day. The flowering of the culture begins approximately one and a half to two months after sowing the seeds.
If the planting of calendula takes place before winter, then the seeds are sown with a margin
Outdoor care for calendula
Marigold flowers, which are usually planted and cared for in the open field, require little or no attention. The gardener performs the usual procedures: watering, weeding, loosening, top dressing. The only subtlety in which care consists is cutting open buds in order to increase the duration and abundance of flowering. Subject to this rule, the splendor of the bushes of the plant will be guaranteed until late autumn.
Watering
Care for young calendula seedlings in the open field consists in their regular watering, which contributes to better survival. Mature plants cope well with drought, and they need to be moistened as the top layer of the earth dries up. It is allowed to water daily, but with a small amount of water.
To keep the moisture in the ground longer, and the roots to be cool, caring for the bushes involves mulching the beds. To do this, choose materials such as hay or crushed bark.
Fertilizer
Caring for calendula in the open field does not provide for the mandatory application of dressings, but a moderate amount of them will benefit the culture. As a fertilizer, it will be enough to make compost when planting, or at the initial stage of development to feed it with Frtika or Kemira.
If the site is well fertilized, then the bushes can give an abundant green mass, but poor flowering.
Trimming
Caring for flowerbeds with calendula in the open field involves regularly cutting off its fading heads. In addition, experienced gardeners for abundant flowering recommend that in early August it is good to cut the bushes so that they rise no more than 25 cm above the ground.
Wintering
Calendula is an annual plant, so it does not need pre-winter care, and even if the planting was carried out in the fall, nothing is done with the beds either. The only thing is that when grown in cold regions, they are sometimes sprinkled with mulch.
In the case when the calendula is already growing on the site, then you can not care about planting it at all. If you leave several bushes with buds in the open ground, then the seeds that have fallen from them will ripen perfectly on their own and will give many shoots in the spring.
Protection against diseases and pests
Although it is easy to grow and care for calendula, sometimes growers face some troubles in the form of diseases or insects on the plant. Most often, marigolds are prone to powdery mildew and black spot. Even the slightest defeat by ailments affects their health, which is why the fight against diseases must begin as soon as possible.
Of the pests, calendula is of great interest to slugs, therefore, in order to prevent them, it is recommended to scatter ash or chipped egg shells around the plants. Also, flower bushes are often attacked by aphids, which should be fought by spraying plantings with soapy water.
Other insects, except for aphids and snails, calendula scares away
Conclusion
Planting and caring for calendula in the open field does not cause trouble for flower growers. This plant blooms well and develops in almost any area, looks great in flower beds and coexists with any crops. A rich assortment of various varieties of calendula allows you to include it in the landscape design of the garden, made in any style, as well as decorate balconies and verandas with it. Planting and caring for a flower is also carried out in order to repel pests in the garden, use it in cooking and traditional medicine.
