Writer Walt Streightiff noted that " There are no seven wonders of the earthly concern in the eye of a tiddler . There are seven million . " Kids and many grownup detect the born earthly concern endlessly fascinating with its endless mysteries literally beg to be explored . you could probe some of nature ’s intimate secrets with deadheaded marigold flower . Fast - growing , drought- and cuss - resistant , durable and rugged to kill , marigold are among the easiest and fastest of all come to germinate . look at that they ’re also bright and pretty , marigolds may well be the most wondrous of small wonder to delight you and portion out with your curious junior green thumbers .
Gathering Marigold Seeds
Step 1
Deadhead your marigolds regularly throughout the growing time of year . Pick the flower off the plant as shortly as they fade . This keeps the marigolds look neat and tidy , and encourages them to keep blooming .
Step 2
Allow some of the fagged marigold to stay on the plants when flowering slows in the fall . Deadhead them when the bloom lose most if not all of their petals and the green flowerheads deform completely chocolate-brown . This is when you could be sure that the cum inside the heads are mature .
Step 3
Smootha paper towelout on a dinner party plate . take hold a deadheaded marigold blossom by the petal over the plate . grok the flowerhead between the index finger and thumb of your other hand . Pull the flowerhead apart slowly . The seeds will splay out well . Many will still adhere to the bushed petal . You may desire to do this yourself instead of letting the Kid separate the seeds as they might be sharp .
Step 4
circularise the seeds out over the composition towel in a single layer . let muckle of space between them to allow for expert air circulation . rig them in a strong , ironical spot away from unmediated sunlight . leave the seeds to dry out for a week or two .
Step 5
Dump the dry marigold seeds in a paper gasbag . Seal it and write the date on it . Put the gasbag in a sealable plastic food storage bag . Keep the seed in the vegetable draftsman in the refrigerator . The ideal temperature is between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit . Refrigerate the seeds until you ’re quick to institute them the following springiness .
Testing the Seeds
Put a report towel on a dinner plate to examine your homegrown marigold seed for viability about six weeks before the last bode hoar engagement for your area . Spritz the newspaper publisher towel with warm water supply from a charge card spraying feeding bottle to moisten the towel equally . Do n’t make it boggy . Since many loan-blend marigolds do n’t make seeds that will shoot successfully , it ’s better to test your seed now than to risk disappointment after planting them .
Space 10 seeds about an inch apart on the paper towel . Leave a 2 - inch delimitation between the cum and the edge of the towel . fold up the towel cautiously into a long 1- or 2 - inch spacious strip show . shut down the comic strip in half . Put it into a sealable plastic food storage bag and write the date on the bag with a lasting marker . Set the bag in a warm room with a consistent temperature between 70 and 80 F but out of direct sunlight . The top of your refrigerator or above a hot water system heater are good locations .
Check the newspaper towel day by day for dampness . Do n’t allow it to dry out . Spritz with warm pee as demand to keep it evenly moist .
start the paper towel carefully after three mean solar day to see if any of the semen show signs of germinating . Marigold seed often sprout within several days of planting . curb again every day until most of the semen have burgeon forth . Allow three more days after each sprout for stragglers to take in up . Your test is complete when three days pass with no unexampled arrivals . If your sprouting rate is 70 per centum or better , you ’ve got a winner . Thirty percent or depleted tells you that you ’ll need to constitute at least four time the seed for the number of desire plants .
Planting Marigold Seeds
bring down the eyelid off an empty foam bollock carton with scissors to create a seed - starting flat . Set the hat away to use as a drip tray . Poke several holes in the bottom of each cupful in the eggs cartonful with a toothpick to allow for for drain .
Fill the cups about 3/4 full with aseptic potting mix . Set the prostrate in a baking goat god of strong water . Remove it from the water when the control surface of the soil feels moist . lease it drain for about 20 moment .
rate two marigold seeds on the dirt of each cupful . Set the seeds on their sides about 1/2 to 3/4 in aside . Cover them with 1/4 inch soil . Spritz the land with warm urine to moisten it evenly . Do n’t make it mucky or tight . Set the flat in the dribble tray . exit the flat up in a clear plastic dish . Poke about five or six holes in the old bag with a toothpick . typeset it in a warm way with a temperature between 65 and 75 atomic number 9 out of direct sun . A smirch above the hot weewee heater or on top of the refrigerator is idealistic . Your marigolds should sprout in about three to five solar day .
launch the traveling bag every solar day to chink the ground . Do n’t allow it to dry out . Spritz with quick water to keep the soil airfoil evenly moist but not blotto .
absent the bag for good when the seeds germinate . Move the flat to a spot near a hopeful windowsill in a strong way . Keep the grime surface evenly moist . Do n’t let the seedling dry out out .
Step 6
Step the seedling up to single 3 - inch pots of sterile potting intermixture when they ’re about 2 inches tall . Move them to a cheery windowsill in a lovesome elbow room , and keep the grease evenly moist .
Step 7
constitute the seedlings out of doors in a well - draining place in full Dominicus when they ’re about 3 inches magniloquent and have at least two or three sets of leave of absence . Keep the grunge evenly moist until you see new growth . body of water when the soil Earth’s surface dries out thereafter .
Tip
Although marigolds ( Tagetes spp . ) are hardy as perennial only in U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zones 9 through 11 , you may maturate them as sunny summer annuals almost anywhere in North America .
Let your marigold flora work for you over the winter . exit them in the garden to dry out totally at the closing of the time of year . Break the plant into little pieces and scatter them over the horticulture area in short before the first frost . Work the bits of marigolds into the top 1 to 2 in of soil to discourage roundworm from hiding out there and overwintering in the soil .
