How to grow marigolds from seeds and when to plant them?

For gardeners, growing marigolds from seeds is not only one of the ways to decorate loggias or greenhouses. Many people use plants to obtain medicinal raw materials, the regular intake of which helps with various diseases. And to get the spice (Imeretian saffron), plantations are set up on an industrial scale. These flowers are endowed with the ability to repel pests from planting and deodorize indoor air.

How to choose your variety?

It seems that marigolds (black shavers) have been planted in our country since time immemorial. In fact, their seeds sailed to Europe on the same ships as potatoes and tobacco. Flowers are found in their natural habitat almost throughout the American continent. Even visually, it is easy to determine that the marigolds belong to the Astrov family. Depending on the species, the leaves of the plant are rich in dark green or light green colors, they can be located on the stem separately or opposite each other.

Advice! When planting seeds, it is worth using several varieties of flowers. The main thing is that they are the same size. Stunted specimens will not get enough sunlight in the shade of tall neighbors.

Dense fragrant inflorescences have the entire palette of golden autumn colors: red, orange, brown, yellow, amber. When the combination of shades is so diverse, it is difficult to find similar flowers in a flowerpot. For growing in greenhouses, gardeners use several main types of marigolds:

1. Erect. It is hard to believe, but the height of a plant with good care can reach 1.5 m. As a result of growing several seedlings at once, a giant bush with huge double flowers is obtained.
2. Rejected. Half-meter plants are densely covered with bright double inflorescences with a predominance of yellow and orange shades. It differs from other species by long flowering before the onset of the first frost.
3. Thin-leaved. When you look at this low (about 35 cm) plant from afar, it seems that a large flock of butterflies is comfortably located on it. Thin, graceful petals are very similar to their wings.

Nature has endowed marigolds with the ability to quickly pollinate. The varietal characteristics of the original plant are practically not preserved. All growing flowers are hybrids - new specimens of unpredictable color will sprout from the seeds collected in autumn in the spring. When a gardener is eager to become a breeder, to invent his new hybrid, then black shaves will become a fertile material for experiments.

What do sunny flowers like?

Marigolds feel great indoors, but cultivation has its own characteristics. The most important thing is to provide the plant with sunlight. Without it, stunted bushes with poor flowering grow even from high-quality seedlings. For planting, balconies and loggias of a southern orientation are suitable, and greenhouses must be opened for several hours in the afternoon.

Advice! Whenever possible, you need to take out pots and flowerpots to the open air. This will help to avoid some diseases, will make it possible for the root system to get stronger.

Marigolds steadfastly tolerate drafts, but not with abundant watering. It is necessary to water the plant with full saturation of the earthen coma, but only when a few upper centimeters of the soil dries out. Evening or morning hours are suitable for water procedures. When a forgetful gardener does not remember about watering, the spider mite, which is not easy to remove from the bushes, immediately "remembers" about marigolds.

For growing in flowerpots, you can buy a universal soil and add a little calcined sand to make it friable. Greenhouses and greenhouses require a lot of land, so gardeners prepare the soil with the following composition:

• sand;
• sod land;
• bottom peat;
• humus.

The main reference point should be the acidity of the soil. Medium values ​​are most favorable for black shaves. The fibrous root system of plants will not develop well in a dense environment - it is necessary to thoroughly grind the soil, saturate it with air. A prerequisite for the correct planting of seeds is a thick layer of expanded clay at the bottom of the pots or under the flower beds of greenhouses.

What you need to know about correct seeding?

For indoor greenhouses, sowing seeds earlier than required by open soil is characteristic. When to plant marigolds with seeds, the weather and season will tell you. Marigold sprouts will not tolerate a cold snap to + 2 ° C. At low temperatures, germination worsens, and the seedlings are weak, unsuitable for growing. If the thermometer in the greenhouse shows 15-18 ° C, and forecasters do not predict the onset of frost, then you can start planting work.

In a greenhouse, you can plant seeds directly on the beds. The soil should be loosened and moderately moistened. If a pick is not provided, then the seeds are planted at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other. The planting depth should not be more than 1 cm, with excessive deepening, the likelihood of decay of the planting material increases. Shallow seed is at risk of washout.

Advice! You can select a small bed in the greenhouse and sow marigolds heap under the film. After the formation of three leaves on the stem, strong seedlings must be cut into permanent places.

Many gardeners decorate their plots by planting flowers in pots. Such portable flower beds can be placed near recreation areas, swimming pools, as well as on loggias and balconies. When early flowering is needed (April or early May), seeds begin to be planted in late January or early February.

The disinfected planting boxes are filled with prepared soil, and shallow parallel grooves are drawn on its surface with a spatula at a distance of 2-3 cm.The seeds are planted a couple of centimeters apart, each sprinkled with a small pinch of earth and moistened with a spray bottle.

The further algorithm of actions is the same as when growing all seedlings of plants of the Astrov family:

• The boxes are covered with glass and left in a warm (22-25 ° C) place for several days. The glass is periodically removed and condensation is removed to avoid rotting of the sprouts.
• After waiting for the first green growth, the glass is removed completely, and the boxes are transferred to a brighter, cooler place.
• When three strong leaves appear, the seedlings should be dived. Planting can be done directly in flowerpots and pots.

Some gardeners do not make a dive due to the unpretentiousness of the black shaves. Experts advise not to neglect this procedure - the seedling will build up a strong root system in free space, and the plant will turn out to be more powerful and tall. In addition, in close proximity, the likelihood of fungal diseases increases.

A little about the care of fragrant flowers

Marigolds require a constant supply of fresh air to the root system, so regular weeding and loosening will be the key to successful cultivation. The procedure can be combined with the removal of damaged or drying out parts of the bush. It is also important to check for diseases and pests. Often these preventive measures help to keep the plantings intact.

Advice! Timely removal of dried inflorescences has a beneficial effect on the duration of flowering. Moreover, it becomes more abundant.

Chernobrivtsy are extremely undemanding to feeding, but planting plants in greenhouses without them is doomed to failure. Greenhouse flowers need regular application of complex fertilizers monthly, and potted seedlings - weekly. The use of fertilizers with a large amount of nitrogen is not recommended: marigolds will increase the green mass, and flowering will become scarce and stop altogether. The same result will be obtained with organic feeding.

The tart sweetish aroma of these flowers attracts humans and scares away harmful insects. But he will also be powerless with improper care of the plant, which can attack:

1. Spider mite. Thin cobwebs between the leaves appear when the earthen coma dries regularly. The use of insecticides will help control the pest after several sprays.
2. «Blackleg". It affects immature plants, they rot at the base of the root. The damaged plants are removed, the surviving ones are treated with fungicides with a wide spectrum of action.
3. Rot caused by pathogenic fungi. They arise with close planting in conditions of waterlogged soil. Thinning of plants with subsequent treatment with fungicides will help.

Bright bushes of marigolds will decorate any greenhouse or balcony. Gardeners like to plant them with petunias, snapdragons, and scented tobacco. Phytoncides, which saturate the surrounding space of the plant, have a healing effect on the human body. And housewives use parts of flowers to prepare oriental dishes and amazing cookies.

Alcohol tinctures and water decoctions and infusions are made from dried inflorescences. When they are used regularly, the sugar level decreases, nervous excitability decreases, the body gets rid of parasites. The use of dried inflorescences has a beneficial effect on the condition of the retina, increases visual acuity. Which will undoubtedly come in handy when observing beautiful marigolds.