The Tagetes is one of the most popular summer flowers. No wonder, as it sets bright accents in the flower bed with its yellow or orange-red flowers. At the same time, the marigold keeps snails at bay and improves the soil. So it's worth propagating the pretty flowering plant yourself in order to be able to plant as many student flowers as possible.
How to successfully propagate marigolds?
The best way to propagate marigolds is through seeds: collect the seeds from dried flower heads, store them in a dry and dark place until spring and then sow them in potting soil. After germination and pricking out, they can be planted outdoors.
Propagation by seeds
As easy as the marigold is to care for, breeding it offspring is just as easy. The marigold produces a lot of seeds that you can collect and use for propagation. If the flower heads dry, you must carefully break them out so that the seeds do not accidentally fall into the bed.
Store seeds
Let the seeds dry out on a piece of kitchen paper for a few days until all the petals have fallen off. Then do the following:
- Put seeds in a plastic bag, inflate it and seal it.
- Shake vigorously for about a minute.
- Pour the contents of the bag into a pasta sieve with a saucer so that the seeds fall through the holes and the pods remain in the sieve.
- Pour seeds into paper sandwich bags and store in a dry, dark place until spring. Don't forget to label!
Sowing in the house
From March you can bring marigolds indoors:
- Soak the seeds stored for propagation in warm water for 24 hours.
- Fill growing pots with special growing soil (€6.00 on Amazon).
- Spread seeds on top. Since the marigold is a light germinator, the seeds may only be covered with a very thin layer of soil.
- Moisten the substrate with a sprayer.
- Cover planter with a cover or clear plastic bag.
The ideal germination temperature is between 18 and 20 degrees. Place the seed trays in a bright but shady place on the windowsill. If the conditions are right, the marigold usually germinates after just seven to ten days.
Pricking out and planting out
If the second pair of leaves appears, the small marigolds should be separated. Since the marigold is very sensitive to cold, the young plants are only allowed to move outdoors after the Ice Saints.
Tip
Some marigold varieties have edible flowers that you can use to decorate dishes or as a tasty eye-catcher in salads.