Marigolds perennial: planting and care, as well as annual varieties and species, photo plants

Marigolds (or Tagetes) are a genus of perennials or annuals that belong to the Astrovidae or Compositae family.

The first name was received from Karl Linnaeus in honor of the son of Jupiter Tages. First brought from Latin America to Spain, and then spread throughout Europe.

In different countries they have different names, for example, in Ukraine - “chornobrivtsi”, in the UK - Mary's gold, in Germany - “students' flower”.

Traditions and plant history

The first admirers of these flowers - the Aztecs - sowed all the gardens with them just for beauty. Soon they began to use gold flowers in the treatment and prevention of fever.exhaustion and kidney disease. They did not forget about marigolds during ritual rites.

The Indians were sure that the flowers of students grow necessarily where gold can be found. And now Latin Americans respect the marigolds of many years and adorn them with houses on the Day of all the dead and always plant graves with these plants. With the spread of the Tagetes around the world, their popularity does not decrease at all: in many countries, marigolds symbolize longevity.

Botanical description and how it looks

The stems of this flower are straight with a branch, they can grow from 20 cm to 120 cm, depending on the variety. The root system is rod. Castings are most often divided, with cloves. There are both light and dark green, are located opposite each other, and sometimes alternately ("ladder").

Inflorescences in the form of a basket, there are terry and simple, you can find plants of all shades of yellow, orange and brown.

The heads of representatives of this variety are of medium size, which are formed by one row of leaves fused with each other. Blossom for a long time - from June to the first frosts.

On a note. Marigold fruits are in the form of a black or black-brown seed. You can store them for 3-4 years.

Species and varieties

In nature, you can count up to 55 species of black-browed animals.

Varieties of perennial and annual marigolds are classified by height: from low (up to 45 cm) to gigantic (up to 120 cm).

Upright

The second name is African, despite the fact that their homeland is America. This variety is distinguished by sinewy, high trunks and inflorescences, the diameter of which reaches 15 cm. The color is presented in shades of yellow and orange.

Examples of varieties:

Antigua.
Gelber Stein.
Gold Dollar.
Goldlicht.
Sonnshine.
Cigroneprinz.

Rejected

Less often they are called French. This variety is much lower - the maximum height does not exceed 40 cm. The diameter of the buds is also smaller - only 4-7 cm, but from this their splendor is not lost. Coloring can be yellow, and orange, and brown, and sometimes these flowers surprise us with their two-tone color.

These include the following varieties:

Gold Ball
Queen Sophia.
Lemon Jam.
Orangeflemma.
Förbal.

Thin-leaved

Here you will be impressed by openwork leaves that grow on low (up to 30 cm) stems. The inflorescences are tiny - 1-2 cm, but red is also added to the familiar palette of colors.

Representatives of this species:

Golden Ring.
Gnome.

You will learn all the details about erect, rejected and thin-leaved species of marigolds in a separate article.

Landing of the Tagetes

Reference. Planting marigolds will not cause trouble even for a novice grower, because this is one of the most unpretentious plants, which in 99% of cases grow well and delight everyone with their appearance.

A student flower will sprout easily if the seeds are sown in open ground, but this can be done no earlier than May, when the soil is warm enough. And here if you want to enjoy flowering earlier, it will not be superfluous to start with seedlings.

Photo

See below for photos of marigolds perennial and annual.

Breeding seedlings

You will have to spend money on seeds in the store only once, because in subsequent years you can use seeds collected from your own dried flowers. The main thing is to store seeds dry throughout the year.

But with this method of obtaining seeds, one must take into account that marigolds are mainly hybrids, and therefore every fourth generation of seeds will have species characteristics of only one of its parents. Concerning most experienced gardeners use sprouted seeds. You can get them too. To do this, you must:

Lay the seeds on a plate, cover with a damp cloth.
send the plate in a plastic bag and place it in a solid place.

In just three days you will get hatching seeds.

The time for planting seeds for seedlings depends only on your desire. The sooner you want to see flowering, the earlier you plant seeds, this can be done even in early spring. There are some nuances of sowing that should not be missed. For example:

The composition of the soil, which should include humus, peat, turf and sand. All this must be disinfected with a disinfecting solution of fungicide or potassium permanganate.
Do not forget about the drainage layer with a height of about 3 cm and organic fertilizer (but not manure!).
Make a notch and spread the seeds at a distance of 1.5-2 cm, then sprinkle with a small amount of soil.
Be extremely careful when watering, so as not to accidentally wash the seeds with a sharp stream of water. And clearly monitor that the soil did not dry out.
It is necessary to place the boxes with seedlings in a place where the temperature reaches 22-25 degrees above zero.
No later than seven days you should see the seedlings, then move the containers to a lighted place, and the temperature can be slightly reduced to 15-18 degrees of heat.

You will learn about growing marigolds from seeds here, and how to grow seedlings yourself, read here.

Outdoor transport

Marigolds can only be planted on the street after the danger of frost has passed. Usually this is the end of May - the beginning of June. But this procedure can only be carried out when there are at least three leaflets on the shoots and the root system is sufficiently formed.

Soil in golden colors always needs well-moistened during the formation of the plant, and if it is not fertile, your task will be to feed the earth with fertilizers during the growth and flowering of marigolds. Lack of watering can cause leaves and stems to be weak, and inflorescences to be small.

Seat selection

Blackbrowers love the sun. This fact must be taken into account when choosing a landing site. These flowers are perfect for borders.

On a note! In the garden, it is advisable to plant them near cabbage, potatoes and various berries - the flowers will help you in the fight against pests.

Adult plants no longer need abundant watering. It is better not to plant marigolds very densely, these flowers love freedom. Read more about how to plant marigolds in open ground, we wrote in this article.

Care

If your pets find themselves in a place where strong winds constantly blow, then it will be necessary to provide them with some kind of protection. With leaving it is important not to overdo it. Top dressing should be done no more than once a month, because otherwise the bush itself will only grow actively, not bloom.

Care must be taken to ensure that there is no stagnation of moisture, which becomes the cause of the disease, rot and lack of flowering of marigolds (how to care and how to feed marigolds for plentiful flowering?). In very sultry it is better to water the flowers in the evening.

With special regularity, you need to get rid of weeds and loosen the soil, since each plant must breathe, and clogged soil does not allow this to be done. In summer, pruning is recommended to create lush bushes. further. Well, if you do not forget to cut off the faded buds. From this, new ones will open faster and with greater strength. We talked about how to care for marigolds so that they bloom in detail in a separate article.

Read about caring for marigolds after planting in open ground here.

Disease

Blackleg

Most often found in young plants. It is characterized by light pigmentation at the bottom of the stem, which gradually darkens and rots, which causes the whole plant to die.

To avoid this, you need to remember disinfecting the land when planting seeds, but do not overdo it with potassium permanganate. If these preventive measures did not help protect the flower from this ailment, it is necessary to cut off the affected areas and reduce the frequency and abundance of irrigation. Do this only after the topsoil has dried. If this does not help, and the plant continues to die, we recommend transplanting it into new soil.

Root rot

As a result of inappropriate conditions for the growth of marigolds, root rot can attack them. It manifests itself in the slow development of the plant and the yellowing of the stem and leaves. To avoid this scourge, one should take into account all the recommendations for choosing a landing site given in the article above.

Important! Do not plant flowers where flowers with this disease were found last year.

You can find out what to do if marigold dries, leaves fade and buds turn black, in a separate article.

Pests

Spider mite

It also shows itself on seedlings if it is in a room with dry air. But sometimes already formed plants can be exposed to this danger in arid weather. Symptoms of damage: the leaves become a whitish hue, and after that the whole plant dies.

Mites can be resisted with humidification. Many gardeners recommend using tincture of tobacco. It is prepared as follows: pour 200 grams of tobacco with three liters of water and let it brew for two days. Then filter and dilute to 10 liters of water with the addition of 50 grams of laundry soap until it is completely dissolved. The solution is ready to use immediately. For more information on what to do if a spider mite or other pests appeared on the marigolds, read this article.

Whitefly

This pest appears in very hot weather and sucks the juice from the leaves, and its larvae infect leaflets with the fungus, which then turn black. To combat whiteflies, you need to use special drugs purchased in the store.

Slugs and Snails

They attack in wet weather, gnawing stems and leaves. To fight slugs, you just need to collect them from plants and sprinkle soil in a circle with ash and lime.

You can find out more about all diseases and pests of marigolds in a separate material.

Propagation Features

It will not be amiss to recall the need to update their seed every three to four years, because after this period the marigolds will lose their species features.