Marigolds in a flower bed: a description of a flower, growing seedlings from seeds

Marigold flowers are a constant guest of our gardens and city flower beds, their unusual aroma and fiery colors are mesmerizing. Since they are completely undemanding to care and can grow in almost any soil, it is not difficult to grow them. We will talk about how to grow marigolds in a flower bed, when to plant seeds and how to care for seedlings in this article.

Marigold flowers: useful properties

The flowers of marigold (or tagetes, or velvet) are from Central and South America; some explain their characteristic strong spicy aroma by their tropical origin. Different types of flowers differ in height, color and size of flowers, texture of petals.

Due to the large amount of phytoncides secreted, flowers will be indispensable in your garden - they are able to fight fungal diseases that threaten both them and neighboring crops. Therefore, experienced gardeners plant velvet flowers not only in flower beds, but also in the beds. They are able to scare away harmful insects and thereby protect, for example, strawberries from weevils, cabbage from whites, clematis and phlox from nematodes, help asters to avoid fusarium.

The Colorado potato beetle also tries to avoid places where these odorous flowers grow. Besides the fact that marigolds are beautiful and are the defenders of the garden, they are also used in folk medicine. Their medicinal properties help in the treatment of stomatitis and upper respiratory tract infections. With stress and neurosis, you can take a bath, in which you add a decoction of marigolds, as it has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and helps to cope with anxiety.

Planting seeds

You can grow marigolds in a flower bed by sowing seeds in the ground or by planting seedlings in advance. If you decide to plant immediately in the ground, then do it after the end of the frost and expect flowering by autumn. Sowing by seedling method allows you to get flowering already at the beginning of summer. To get good, strong seedlings by the end of spring, sow the seeds in late March or early April. Prepare fertile soil, ideally a mixture of peat and humus, and be sure to treat it with a dark solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide.

Or you can steam the soil (for example, in a double boiler for an hour), this procedure will help get rid of not only fungi, but also possible weed seeds. Yes, marigolds are able to cope with diseases and pests, but at first it is better to provide them with the most fertile soil and comfortable conditions.

When the soil is ready, moisten it well, make grooves and distribute the seeds evenly over them. Cover with earth and moisten a little more (now and then, while the plants are fragile, it is better to water by spraying the earth so as not to damage the plants). The first shoots should appear in about a week.

Seedling care

After planting, place the container in a bright place and keep the soil moist. You can cover the container with glass or foil to help retain moisture and create more comfortable conditions for seed germination. Remove the film after the first shoots appear. Any seedlings (and velvet are no exception) can be struck by a black leg. This usually happens from the moment of germination until the first true leaves appear, be especially careful during this period. If an infection is found, remove the diseased plants along with part of the land and once again treat the soil with fungicide or potassium permanganate. Once every two weeks, you can fertilize the seedlings with fertilizers.

After the appearance of two or three true leaves, the plants must be sorted into separate "apartments"; for this, flower cassettes, which are sold in any garden and flower shop, are perfect. We do not change the composition of the soil, we compact it in containers and deepen our marigolds almost to the lower leaves. We water very carefully, the soil will settle - add it as needed. Further care of the seedlings consists only in regular and careful watering.

Three weeks before transplanting into the ground, you need to start taking the seedlings out into the street so that they are hardened. It is possible to transplant to a permanent place only when the threat of frost has passed - this is the weak point of marigolds, they can die at a temperature of -1 degrees. Plant flowers throughout the site, in flower beds and in beds, and they will not only delight you with beautiful flowering, but also vigilantly monitor the health of your garden.