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Marigolds look perfect in mixborders, fit well into a rustic style. Growing them is not difficult – even a beginner will cope with the task. But still, the elementary rules of agricultural technology must be taken into account.
How to determine landing dates in your area
Marigolds can be sown in cold greenhouses in the second half of April (1) (seedlings do not tolerate frost). Seedlings appear 5-7 days after sowing. And plants bloom 50-60 days after germination (2).
“But if we want to achieve flowering earlier,” says agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova, – then marigolds can be grown through seedlings. It is planted in open ground at the age of 40 – 50 days, in the second half of May, therefore, seeds for seedlings should be sown in the first half of April.
How to prepare seeds for sowing
Seeds of marigolds do not need pre-sowing preparation. They can be sown dry – they germinate well anyway.
But what really needs to be prepared is the ground.
“The fact is that tender seedlings of marigolds can suffer from fungal diseases and the main enemy is the black leg, and the spores of this pathogen just live in the soil,” explains agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – The soil collected in the garden or in the forest is especially dangerous. But even in the purchased one there may be pathogenic fungi. Therefore, before sowing the seeds, it must be steamed in a water bath or calcined in the oven for 1 hour.
It is more convenient to sow seeds in plastic containers with a lid. They are buried in the soil to a depth of 0,5 cm. After that, they are well watered, covered with a lid and cleaned in a warm place where the temperature will be around 20 ° C. You can germinate the seeds in cooler conditions, but not below 15 ° C – otherwise they will germinate for a long time and unfriendly. But even more dangerous for them is a high temperature, more than 25 ° C – in such conditions, they may not sprout at all.
Shoots of marigolds appear in about a week. As soon as the seeds sprout, the lid must be removed.
Marigold seedling care tips
Pick. In phase 2 – 3 of true leaves, seedlings of marigolds should be planted in separate cups. The optimal volume is 200 ml.
Light and warmth. Good seedlings should be strong, stocky, but on the windowsills in the apartment, they often stretch out.
“There are two reasons for this,” explains agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova, “lack of light and too high a temperature. Seedlings need to be provided with coolness – 15 – 20 ° C and an abundance of light – a south or southeast window. Only in this case, the seedlings will be good.
Watering. Marigold seedlings do not like excessive moisture, so it should be watered moderately – it is important that the soil dries out a little between waterings. If the cups are in the pan and part of the water has leaked out there, it must be drained – otherwise it can provoke an outbreak of fungal diseases.
Feeding. Seedlings of marigolds can completely do without top dressing. But if signs of starvation appear on it – pale leaves, yellow spots, bright streaks, deformations or drying tips – you need to feed it with any liquid complex fertilizer according to the instructions.
Hardening. At home, seedlings live in warmth, but in the open field they will face tests – cold winds, rains, frosts, scorching sun. And if young plants abruptly fall from comfortable conditions into harsh realities, they begin to experience stress. They stop growing for a while, try to adapt and flowering is delayed.
To prevent this from happening, seedlings should be gradually hardened – at temperatures above 10 ° C, they should be taken out into the open air. First for a couple of hours. Then you can leave for a day. And a week later, overnight. But it is important that the seedlings get used to the street in the shade – in the open sun it will get burned.
Planting seedlings in open ground. Marigold seedlings can be planted in flower beds from mid-May. Seedlings tolerate transplanting well, but on condition that a clod of earth is preserved (3).
Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse
Sowing seeds for seedlings: March 4 – 5, 8 – 10, 13 – 17, 20.
Sowing seeds in open ground: 5 – 15 April, 15 – 17, 21 – 24, 26, 29 – 30 October, 7, 12 – 13 November.
Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground
Transplanting: April 25 – 26, May 1 – 15, 31.
Popular questions and answers
We talked about growing marigolds with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.
How long does the germination of marigold seeds last?
Is it true that marigolds protect tomatoes from late blight?
But they can restrain the nematode, so it makes sense to plant them in strawberries.
Can I collect my own marigold seeds?
Sources of
- Kiselev G.E. Floriculture // M.: OGIZ – SELKHOZGIZ, 1949 – 716 p.
- Kudryavets D.B., Petrenko N.A. How to grow flowers. A book for students // M .: Education, 1993 – 176 p.
- Tavlinova G.K. Flowers in the room and on the balcony (2nd ed., revised and additional) // L .: Agropromizdat, Leningrad branch, 1985 – 272 p.