Sow French marigold now and enjoy its beauty

Tagetes patula is an undemanding annual plant. You can grow it in a box or in a flower bed. It is a great plant and you will like its beauty and additional benefits too.

Firstly, you will enjoy a flood of bright colourful flowers all summer long. Secondly, it does not require any special care and even complete beginners can grow it. Another good thing is that French marigold deals well with droughts and it hardly gets infected by diseases.

Great for various flower beds

Thanks to its specific aroma and taste, it repels many pests and many people plant it together with vegetables. For example, French marigold is planted to protect cucumbers from aphids and potatoes from the dreaded Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata).

There are many types of marigolds, which differ not only in colour but also in height. The smallest varieties grow up to 20 cm and the tallest can grow up to 130 cm.It is often used as a solitary plant in large annual flower beds – it usually dominates the centre of the bed and improves the visual effect of other flowers. Small varieties are mainly grown in boxes.

Sowing

Marigolds bloom within 2 months after sowing, so, if you want to enjoy their beauty in May, sow in mid-March, but you can start sowing now. Choose a large pot with loose and fertile soil. Scatter seeds on the surface and sprinkle a thin layer of loose, nutritious soil on top. Press down lightly and water lightly. Cover the pot with a foil and place it at a sunny spot – on a windowsill for example.

Photo: Pixabay

If you did everything correctly, you should see tiny plants in 4-5 days. Remember that seeds need a stable temperature to germinate well. Temperature should be around 25 degrees Celsius. You can transplant grown seedlings outside in mid-May, when there is no longer any danger of frost. No sooner. Plant tall varieties at a distance of about 40 cm, medium-sized varieties at a distance of 20 cm and small varieties approximately 15 cm apart.

Caring for marigolds

If you want to enjoy plenty of beautiful flowers you need to use a good fertilizer with plenty of potassium and phosphorus. Marigolds need that. You can also use a wood ash, which contains the above plus other important micronutrients. If you opt for commercial fertilizers use those with superphosphate, potassium sulphate, potassium nitrate, etc.

A good idea is to plant several types of marigold. If you do, your garden will be sparkling with many different colours and everyone will love it. On the practical side, marigold repels mosquitoes, flies and other troublesome insects. A beauty with a practical side. A great combination!

Preview photo: Pixabay

Source: https://abecedazahrady.dama.cz/clanek/aksamitnik-nenarocna-rostlina-do-zahrady