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Gary350
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Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Marigold seeds & flowers what is the secret to grow these?

What is the secret to make marigold seeds germinate? I bought seeds they will not germinate. I planted seeds in plant trays inside the house. I planted seeds in flower beds outside. I planted seeds in plant trays outside. I planted seeds in flower pots out side. I planted seeds in the garden. I saved seeds from plants growing at the college and donut shop they don't germinate.

I bought plants at Lowe's and the garden store these plants have 1 nice looking flower. After transplanting flower dries up and dies plants set there making no more flowers all summer and not growing any larger.

I tried no fertilizer and 15-15-15 fertilizer and Urea and high potassium fertilizer living plants are still not growing more flowers. I tried different soil.

This will be the 3rd year to try growing Marigolds not sure I want to waste my time again? I am using garden soil with plenty of organic material. 40 years ago I had no problem growing marigolds in terrible clay soil at the other house.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I should let someone else with more experience answer since I don’t grow them all the time, but will tell what little I know. Marigold seeds need light to germinate and when growing seeds for started plants, should be pressed onto the surface of moistened potting mix then misted frequently. Roots will grow down into the soil on their own. Marigolds don’t like to be waterlogged so it’s better to cut the mix with 1/3 sand. Once they start to grow, they are aggressive rooters and will quickly escape too-small containers in search of water. — one year, I tried starting them in soil blocks, and they rooted into each other’s soil blocks by the time I realized.

The seeds seem to lose viability quickly, so they can be pre-germinated wrapped in roll of moistened paper towel inside a plastic bag if unsure, and sown after root tip shows.

Outside, the seeds need only a sprinkling of sand only to keep them in place, then keep moist until they grow, but watch out that they don’t float away in rain. Sow them no deeper than you would carrot seeds. They should be planted in full sun, well drained, hot.dry location.

As plants, they are very susceptible to spider mites when hot and dry, and downy? powdery? mildew when rainy and wet, and as just emerged tiny seedlings, are vulnerable to slugs.

SQWIB
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Location: Zone 7A - Philadelphia, PA

They do loose viability quickly, I'm having problems with my 3 year old saved seeds this year, I do have them spring up all over in the late spring from reseeding.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

All seeds lose viability over time, but I save my crackerjack marigold seeds for a couple of years and they do fine. Some flowers like marigolds and wildflowers don't need a very rich soil. I would not fertilize unless nothing grows there at all. I would still prep the soil with compost and make sure that drainage is good. If I fertilize, which I really don't need to do since I do soil testing, it will be side dressings after the true leaves have come out. I don't like to start flowers in pots. They do grow, but since I do compots, they are not easy to transplant.

Marigolds don't grow in cold and wet conditions. They germinate poorly, dampen off, and get mildew and fungal diseases, so I would wait to plant until the weather is warm at least 68 degrees and you are not expecting prolonged periods of rain. However, I do like to plant seeds right before a storm comes, because, seeds germinate better when you get a good storm with light to moderate (not flooding) rain continuously, for a day or two. If it is not going to rain and you want to plant, make sure you wet the soil well first, I use a sprinkler and run it for about 20 minutes which is enough time for my soil to be wet at least 4 inches deep.

I lightly scratch the prepared wet soil with a bow rake so the crust is broken. I am not a row planter, except for corn. I mix the seed with some dry potting mix. You can use sand, but I don't have any so I use potting mix. About 1 cup of potting mix will cover about 50 sq ft. It is mainly so I don't get clumps of seed all in one place. I will have anywhere from 200-500 seeds.
I sprinkle the seeds over the area. I do not cover the seeds. I water them in with the sprinkler. Birds here are not the songbird type. They are mostly fruit and seed eaters. I either put down a lot of seed or I have to rig a fence with bird netting over the seedbed. Birds are smart, they can get tomatoes by going under the netting and shade cloth, so I usually find it easier to put down more seed and run the sprinkler on a timer at intervals for brief periods. Don't let the birds see you planting seeds! Do it at dusk after the birds have gone back to roost. BTW grass seed = bird food here. Most of us plant grass by plugs.

Another thing you can do is cover the ground after planting with 1 layer of newspaper and wet the newspaper to keep it from flying away. Water over the paper and water to keep the paper or soil slightly moist, but not soggy. You don't want the seeds to dry out. You will have to check in about a week to see if the seeds are germinating and peel off the paper once the seedlings start to come up. Seeds start better with light.

If you need fertilizer, apply it after the true leaves have emerged. The seeds have enough fertilizer to get the plants through the first couple of weeks. Too much fertilizer (especially nitrogen) and inhibit germination and make dampening off more of a problem.

For me, I do water everyday for about 10 minutes with a sprinkler or by hand (unless it has been raining all day and night for weeks).

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TomatoNut95
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Location: Texas Zone 8

Marigold seeds are quite easy. :wink: Don't bury them deep at all and keep the soil moist. I've grown Marigolds from seed for years now. I planted some Eskimo marigolds not long ago.



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