What are marigolds: a description, features and photos of flowers

Marigold is a very common, beautiful and unpretentious plant.

You can see them both at city flower beds, and at amateur gardeners.

Such love for these plants is explained by their diversity in the color of flowers, long flowering and simple care. However, marigolds sometimes do not want to bloom.

Let's see together why this happens and how to help the plant bloom.

What it is?

Tagetes or Tagetes in Latin are plants from the family of asters. Depending on the variety, they are annual and perennial. Marigolds originally appeared in South and Central America, from where they were brought to Russia. These are the first plants brought to the country. The name Tagetes means Tages, the demigod and grandson of Jupiter, who, according to legend, was a fortuneteller and had incredible beauty.

This plant is a bush with a height of 20 - 130cm, formed by a bunch of stems. Depending on the variety, they are straight or branched. The plant has a fibrous root system. The leaves differ from grade to grade, but pinnately dissected and pinnately divided, prevailing, they are arranged in pairs opposite each other or alternately. The color of the leaves also differs in different varieties. There are plants with both light green leaves and dark ones. You will learn about erect, deviated and thin-leaved types of marigolds in a separate article.

A distinctive feature of marigolds is a strong spicy smell coming from the leaves. Flowers, by contrast, do not emit a bright aroma. They are collected in inflorescences of the basket, in the middle of which are bisexual tubular flowers. Along the edges of the inflorescences are male false-lingual flowers with five stamens. The ovary of the plant is lower.

Photo

Further you can familiarize with a photo of flowers:

Features

The advantage of marigolds over other plants is their long and lush flowering. When do they bloom and how much? The first flowers appear in June, flowering ends with the first frosts in the last weeks of autumn.

Marigold flowers have a spicy aroma. This the smell of the plant drives away harmful insects and worms, and also disinfects the soil. Faded marigolds form seeds-seeds of black or black-brown color. One gram of fruit accounts for up to 700 seeds. They ripen and are ready for planting, starting from July - August. The ability to plant and grow is preserved by seeds for three to four years. How to grow marigolds from seeds you read here.

The necessary conditions

Marigolds equally well tolerate both the shadow and the sun. However, it is a sunny place that is better suited for their lush flowering. This will allow them to bloom long and plentifully.

The optimal temperature for the plant is from eighteen to twenty-two degrees. It is advisable to plant them in places that are closed from the wind, because they do not tolerate cold air.

Also, flowering depends on the soil on which marigolds grow. Fertile loamy soil is optimal. For easier air access to the roots, the earth is loosened once a week. In addition, it must be well moistened. Marigolds prefer frequent watering. However, from the moment of the first ovary, watering is reduced. This is because a large amount of water during the flowering period leads to decay of the root system.

Feeding is also good for the abundance of flowers. However, there are nuances. The period favorable for fertilizers begins from the moment when young plants reach ten centimeters in height, and ends with the first flowers. The use of fertilizers during flowering will lead to intensive development of the stem, while new buds will cease to form. Complex fertilizers have proven themselves well for top dressing. Humus should be discarded, since it is not suitable for these plants.

Care

Caring for a plant that has begun to bloom is not complicated, even a novice will cope with it. The main thing is to observe in all measure.

• Watering. Marigolds love a lot of water. Due to its lack, the flowers are deformed and fade, and the leaves turn yellow. With excessive watering, the roots begin to rot.
• The soil is loosened once a week. This allows air to flow to the roots.
• Weeding. Weeds cause plants to become infected with diseases and pests. Timely weeding will help prevent marigold disease.
• In order to tie new buds, old flowers are pruned as they dry.

You will find all the details about the care of marigolds on open ground here, and about how to properly care for them at home, read here.

Why do not bloom?

The most common reason that flowers do not bloom is improper care. The following reasons apply to marigolds:

1. not enough light;
2. too much water;
3. lack of air entering the roots, too dense soil;
4. diseases.

You will learn more about how to feed marigolds for plentiful flowering, as well as how to properly water and what soil should be, in this article.

Stimulation

Marigolds are unpretentious in their care, but sometimes they need help to bloom. To stimulate flowering, follow a few simple tips:

• Weekly weeding. A sufficient amount of oxygen entering the roots positively affects the quantity and beauty of the flowers. To achieve the best result, it is recommended to loosen the soil to a depth of 20 cm.
• Sunny place. Despite the fact that these plants grow well even in the shade, it is in the bright sun that they give the most lush and beautiful flowers.
• Moisturizing. During the period of growth and the formation of buds, plants need a large amount of water. So, in hot weather, the frequency of watering reaches two times a day. However, watering is reduced when the first flowers appear.
• Drainage. With stagnation of moisture, the roots begin to rot, which does not contribute to flowering. Drainage must be taken care of in advance, during planting.
• Proper top dressing. Like any plant, marigolds require additional nutrition. Paradoxically, the use of fertilizers during flowering inhibits the formation and development of buds. Therefore, the period of active dressing ends with the first bud that appears.
• Circumcision of dried flowers. This procedure frees up space for new buds. Find out why marigolds dry and what to do with it.

Marigolds delight florists with long and beautiful flowering. This explains their great popularity. Also, their advantage is that these plants are unpretentious in care, and following a few simple rules will help to achieve an excellent result in each flower bed.

Watch the video: Amazing and Most Beautiful Marigold Flowers Pictures (October 2024).