Growing Marigold
Showing a wealth of Gold, Copper and Brass in our gardens, marigolds are one of the most popular flowers grown across the world.Read more to learn about this.

 

  • Common names: Marigold
  • Indian names: Genda/Gainda (Hindi) ,Chenna Mallige/ Chandu Mallige (Kannada)
  • Botanical Name: Tagetes erecta
  • Varieties: African/American Marigolds, French Marigolds, Rock Garden Marigolds
  • Design Ideas: flower beds, suitable for growing in containers.

Showing a wealth of Gold, Copper and Brass in our gardens, marigolds are one of the most popular flowers grown across the world. Striking color and distinctive scent of this pious flower is the one that everyone has grown up admiring. They also serve the role of being a natural mosquito-repellant.marigold

Besides being a must-have for every garden, Marigold flowers are also popularly cultivated for their immense health benefits. The extract obtained from its blossoms is used for curing stomach upset, ulcers, eye-infections and even wound-healing. It is also regarded as one of the best antiseptics as it brings relief from pain and swelling caused by a wasp or bee sting.

Plant Features:

  • Life-Cycle: Annual
  • Height: up to 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 cm)
  • Width/Spread: up to 2 feet (60 cm)
  • Flowering season: Summer, Autumn, Winter (usually from mid-June to October)
  • Flower colors: creamy white, yellow, maroon, orange, or bi-colored
  • Foliage: fern-like with a musky scent

Marigolds have long served as companion plants for vegetables crops like tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes and capsicum, for their ability to repel animals and insects, as well as repel nematodes (microscopic worms) and other pests present underground.

Marigold colors
Marigold colors

Growing Marigolds:

  • Sunlight: full sun- around 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight.
  • Water: moderately- whenever the top one-inch of the soil feels dry.
  • Sowing season: from late summer to winters
  • Sowing method: Sow them directly on the soil during spring season, once it starts getting warm, or start seeds indoors during winters for a better germination rate and healthier plants.
Marigold seedlings
Marigold seedlings

Care:

Marigolds are one of the toughest, low maintenance yet rewarding annuals to grow in your gardens. It can adapt to a wide range of climates as well as soil conditions- from sandy, loamy to clayey soils. These happy-go-lucky plants don’t require any maintenance like pruning or fertilizing. In fact, lesser the fertilizer, more profuse is the flowering. Stalk the tall-varieties to keep the plants upright.

Pests:

Overwatering or soggy soil may cause plant-rot and fungal diseases like mould or powdery mildew to infect marigolds. Slugs may cause trouble to a Marigold plant, especially during moist climate. Treat the pest problems by spraying the effective Neem Oil (read Neem Organic Insecticide to know about the benefits of Neem in gardening) or using other organic pesticides available in our online store. If the problem persists, then contact our Garden Maintenance service @GreenMyLife to get rid of pests effectively.

Marigold flower-bed
Marigold flower-bed

Propagation

  • Self-sowing: Marigolds self-sows in warm climates, if its flowers are not pinched-off before they develop seeds. You can observe little Marigold seedlings growing in your garden during spring season.
  • By seeds: They require moist soil and warm climate to germinate, which takes around 14 to 21 days.
  • By stem-cuttings: Marigolds are fairly easy to propagate by stem-cuttings during warm season.

Check-out our online shop for your favorite Marigold seeds.

Happy Gardening

alsid12345@yahoo.com'
January 22, 2016

Very well said!!!!

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