Marigolds are a favorite plant for gardeners. They are unpretentious in care, grow quickly and for a long time please the surrounding inflorescences with bright hats. And budding growers can easily grow marigolds.
Flowers will feel great, as planted in flowerbeds, and growing on window sills and balconies. They can be planted by sowing seeds, but it is better if these flowers are planted with seedlings. This method will allow you to create beautiful compositions of different varieties and colors.
What is this flower?
This is the more famous name of the plant taggetes. The inflorescences of these plants have a variety of forms: from large to very small (about the features of caring for undersized marigolds, read here). The color palette is also diverse: from light yellow to red-brown.
Marigold is used not only to decorate the garden, but also as a remedy for various pests, as well as a spice, and as a medicine.
In detail about the healing properties and contraindications to the use of marigolds, we described in this article, and about the features of the use of this plant in traditional medicine and cooking can be found here.
Planting material
Seedlings or seedlings of marigolds are plants grown in a greenhouse or on a windowsill with a height of 7-10 centimeters. Normally, these plants are seated in individual peat pots when they are ready for planting in open ground (you can learn how to grow some species of marigolds in open ground, and also see the photo of flowers here).
Price
These flowers are valued not only for their unpretentiousness in the care, but also for the low cost. Price for seedlings varies depending on the variety and color of the plants. It can also be lower or higher depending on the region.
Usually the price for a dozen plant ranges from 100 to 150 rubles. For rare varieties of plants the price may increase to 200-250 rubles for ten pieces.
It is much cheaper to buy a bag of seeds and grow seedlings on your own than to buy ready-made plants.
When sow and how to do it?
When to plant marigold seedlings? The best time for sowing is mid-April. Seedlings sifted at this time can be planted in open ground after the end of the frost.
Instruction
- Soil preparation. For seedlings marigolds fit any peat mixture. The soil is spread in a container, heated at room temperature and slightly moistened with a spray bottle. Before sowing seeds, the soil must be watered with a solution of water and manganese to avoid plant diseases.
- Planting seeds. Seeds are planted at a depth of 1 centimeter, at a distance of 1.5-2 centimeters from each other. Lightly sprinkled with soil and moistened.
- Watering. Watering seedlings carried out of a small capacity so that the seeds were not washed to the surface. The interval between watering is 4-5 days.
- Further growth. The seedling container is covered with polyethylene, a transparent plastic container may also come up, and put in a warm, well-ventilated room. From sowing to the first shoots takes 5-7 days.
For a good growth of flowers it is necessary to observe the desired temperature. The temperature in the room should not be less than +15 and not exceed +25 degrees. At low temperature, the seeds will germinate poorly, and at high shoots may not appear.
The marigold seedlings dive when two true leaves appear, are seated in separate containers, the soil is slightly pressed and moistened. Usually marigolds tolerate transplant well even during flowering.. But for better growth after transplanting a plant, it is necessary to fertilize with fertilizer for the root system. Before planting in open ground, in about 2-3 weeks the plants are carried out to the open air.
Planted Tagetes in the middle lane begin in early June. An ideal place for marigolds is a sunny, well-ventilated place on the plot. However, these plants will bloom in the shade, but less intense. Marigolds begin to bloom at 40-50 days after emergence, depending on the plant variety. And bloom on the continuation of 2-3 weeks (see photos of flowering marigolds, as well as find out why they do not want to dissolve the buds here).
Read more about landing marigolds and further care in this article.
You can see how to plant marigold seedlings in this video:
Conclusion
Thus, putting a minimum of effort, you can get excellent seedlings of flowers that will please the eye from the beginning of the summer until the first frost. It will also serve as a protection of plantations from various pests.
