Proper planting and care of marigolds in open ground

Marigolds (Chernobrivtsi) actually become a decoration of a summer cottage due to their lush buds and bright colors.

Many gardeners have already met them and are happy to grow them in flower beds under the windows of a country estate. This is not surprising, because planting and caring for these flowers in the open field does not cause great difficulties.

In today's article, we will examine in detail what conditions of detention are necessary for marigolds, how to care for them, so that they please you with their decorativeness.

Acquaintance with the plant

Marigolds are representatives from the Astrov family. Their homeland is America: they are found from the south of the USA to Argentina. Marigolds were brought to Europe around the 16th century. They were loved by flower growers for their decorativeness, unusually bright color and unpretentiousness in leaving. So they quickly spread throughout the mainland.

The marigold plant, or its other name is "thales", has a very attractive appearance. Upright branched grassy stems form a neat compact or sprawling bush.

Juicy greenery of cirrus-dissected leaves is a worthy setting for inflorescences of different shades of yellow, orange and scarlet color, but bright sunny petals with brown strokes look especially impressive (for more information about marigold flowers, see here). Marigolds bloom profusely from June to autumn frosts.

Photo

Next, you can see the photo of the flower:

Conditions of detention

Lighting

Marigolds can grow in the shade and partial shade, but will bloom more luxuriantly in the sunniest places.

Temperature

At a time when marigolds only sprout from the seeds or pick up the first foliage, it is important to maintain a temperature regime of 22 - 25 degrees.

In summer, marigolds are not whimsical to temperature on the street. However, It is important to protect plants from cold drafts. The main enemy of marigolds is frost.

Watering

During growth, watering should be moderate, and later it will need to be reduced so that there is no stagnation of moisture, which makes plants sick, rot and do not bloom. In the summer heat, it is better to water in the evenings.

Fertilizer

Marigolds may well live without fertilizing, but will respond to them very gratefully. Fertilizers are applied three times: when the seedlings grow to 10 cm, when the first buds appear and by the beginning of flowering. For feeding, you can use:

• Ready-made complex mineral fertilizers with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The most common fertilizer among gardeners in this case is Akrokola-7. The solution should be prepared in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
• Urea. ¼ teaspoon is bred in 2.5 liters of warm water.
• Nitrofoska. The solution is mixed in a proportion of 30 grams of the drug per 10 liters of water.
• Herbal infusions. Grind grass (nettle) and fill it with water. Leave in the sun for a couple of days so that the product ferments. After a while, you can water the marigolds with the obtained herbal fertilizer.
• Wood ash.

In order for the plant to absorb as many nutrients as possible during feeding, it is necessary to moisten the soil thoroughly before the procedure.

About how to feed marigolds for abundant flowering, read our article.

Landing and transplanting

The beginning of March - April is the most suitable time for planting marigolds on seedlings. In this case, in late May and early June, they will please you with their flowering. Wide containers are suitable for sowing seeds for seedlings: plastic containers or boxes (you can find out when and how best to plant seeds for seedlings in our material).

When choosing a soil, pay attention to acidity. Earth must be neutral. You can use the land from your garden plot by adding some deoxidized peat and river sand. To avoid mistakes, you can purchase a ready-made substrate in a flower shop.

Disinfect the soil with a weak potassium permanganate solution before planting. or bake it in the oven. Seeds are laid in shallow grooves at a distance of 3-4 centimeters from each other. Lightly sprinkled with earth. Then gently shed so as not to erode the topsoil.

The optimum room temperature for growing is 20-22 degrees. The first shoots appear on the third fourth day. When marigolds release 2–3 true leaves, it is necessary to sweep the plantings. At a new location, the plant is buried to seven-leaf leaves. This will allow in the future to obtain a plant with a powerful root system.

This procedure is a serious impetus to plant growth. A week later, he will have enough power to grow on the street, in a permanent place.

About how to plant marigold seeds, we wrote here.

Planting on a flower bed

Marigolds in the ground in the flowerbed are planted at a distance:

• low-growing varieties - 10-15 cm from each other;
• srednerosly - 20 cm;
• tall - 30-40 cm.

How to plant marigolds in open ground correctly is written here.

Possible problems

Do not bloom

What to do? Firstly, it is worth clarifying the flowering dates of the variety you have chosen. The flowering period for each variety is different.

Secondly, pay attention to the place where marigolds landed. They do not like shadow. The flowers tolerate partial shade or ambient light, provided that they are fully lit at least a few hours a day. To solve this problem, it is enough to transplant the plant.

Thirdly, the problem may be covered in watering mode. Marigolds love moisture, and if you greatly reduce watering, the time for picking buds will affect flowering. However, there is a flip side to the coin, if the flowers are poured, then they too will not pick up buds and bloom.

And finally, do not forget about fertilizer and periodic loosening of the soil. This will benefit marigolds.

Pests and diseases

Marigolds attack most often at the initial stage a black leg, and when the plant becomes an adult - root rot.

Blackleg

This is a disease of still young immature plants. Dark spots of rot appear on still thin stems, then they turn into constrictions. As a result, the plant withers and dies. For prophylaxis, seeds are treated with a solution of fungicide or potassium permanganate before planting.

Observe the watering regime of the plantings, do not fill the tray and allow stagnation of water.

What to do if marigolds still get sick? First, reduce watering. Secondly, loosen the earth around and sprinkle with wood ash. However, if these methods did not help, then it is necessary to transplant the seedlings into the new steamed soil As soon as possible.

Root rot

Due to adverse conditions, adult plants on the street undergo root rot. If you notice that: the plant is stunted, stunted, the stem and leaves turn yellow, then pay attention to these symptoms.

Ignoring such changes will lead to the death of the plant. For prevention periodically loosen the earth around, do not allow water stagnation.

Marigolds should also not be fed with manure in order to protect against root rot.

Viral diseases

In summer, on the shoots of adult marigolds, you can see the appearance of spots from yellow to dark brown on the leaves and stem. Also, plants could pick up buds and how can not open it. So these plants have undergone viral diseases, and these diseases are not treatable. Therefore, as soon as a plant with such signs is detected, it should be immediately removed and burned.

More information about the diseases and pests of tagetes can be found here, and how to deal with spider mites on flowers can be found in this article.

Useful video

Marigold. Cultivation and care:

Main conclusions

Marigolds are fairly unpretentious plants in the care. You can sow marigolds on seedlings in an apartment and in a summer cottage for shelter. They should be planted in a well-lit place, to ensure regular watering, so that the soil is constantly moist, but not to allow stagnation of water.

The main enemy of marigolds is frost. Fertilize marigolds for the entire period of growth and flowering is necessary three times. Mineral fertilizers with nitrogen, phosphorus or urea, wood ash are suitable for this. The main pests and diseases that Marigold attack are the blackleg, root rot and viral diseases. Fighting them is not difficult.

We hope that our simple advice will help you achieve the lush flowering of healthy marigolds and they will delight you throughout the summer.