Merry marigolds

Marigolds are one of the most popular and widely cultivated flowers in India. These usually come in different tones of yellow and orange.  These are easy to grow as the plants are adaptable and flourish in any type of soil and climatic conditions. All they need is a sunny spot and well-drained rich soil with good water-holding capacity. These plants, however, do not tolerate over watering.

There are two major classifications in marigold — tall growing (90-120 cm) African, and dwarf (15- 40 cm) French marigold. The dwarf varieties are also available in the market.   

Propagation calendar 

Propagation is done by growing the seeds in the nursery and transplanting the seedlings. Plant can also be raised through cuttings made during rainy season. 

In extreme winter the quantity and quality of the flowers goes down due to frost and fog.  Similarly, during peak summer also the flowers are affected. 

Marigolds are grown in all three main seasons. 

The summer crop seeds are sown in the first week of January. These must be covered to protect them  from frost. These are transplanted by mid-February.  

For the rainy season “crop” seeds are sown between end June and early July. These seedlings are transplanted in the first fortnight of August. 

The winter season seeds are sown in mid-September and transplanted by mid-October.  

African marigold starts blooming within in three months, while French marigold blooms relatively early. The flowers remain in bloom for a long time.

Getting started 

Before planting these in a flower bed, make sure that the soil has been dug well and exposed to sunlight for at least a fortnight. Then mix about 6-8 kg of well-rotten farmyard manure per square meter of area. Mash it thoroughly to break the lumps and add DAP also at this stage. Thereafter, moisten the soil. This will help in easy settling of the seedlings. 

Transplanting must be done in the evening cool hours. The seedlings of 3-5 cm height are planted in flower beds at a distance of 30 x 30 cm. Three seedlings are sufficient for a pot of 12-inch diameter. Light irrigation should be done after the seedlings are transplanted.   

Irrigation

Irrigation schedule for this plant depends on the season and weather conditions and is totally on need basis. In summer irrigation is done between 7-10 days, while in winters the frequency is less. Keep the soil moist at all times.

Pinching 

Pinching is to done to make the plant spread bushy. As the flower buds appear quite early, so these need to be pinched to get compact growth.

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Post-plantation care 

Weeding and hoeing is a regular activity with these plants. Leaf spot disease is often sighted in these plants and can controlled by spraying Captan@2 gram dissolved in one liter of water. American bollworm attacks the floral parts. Bihar hairy caterpillar feeds on the leaves and can be checked by plucking the infected part manually  and crushing and burying it in the soil.