Marigolds are very common flowers all over the world. We often see marigolds and flowers in the vegetable garden. They have very common color contrast which is yellow and red. They are a show of beauty for many people. People use the flower for other purposes too, such as, to decorate their foods, and their homes, to gift a friend, to invite good pests, etc.
You can easily get the seeds of marigolds from the local garden store. you can also collect the seeds from your garden. To preserve the seeds in the crucial part. Preserving determines how long it will last and how long the seeds will remain good, more importantly, if they will be able to sprout or not. In this article, we have discussed several factors of the seeds of marigolds flowers, such as the look of the seeds, different kinds of seeds, such as heirloom seeds, hybrid seeds, etc., we have also discussed several ways to preserve the seeds properly for the prolonged longevity of the seeds.
Key Takeaways
- The way to recognize a seed of marigold and the longevity of a seed of marigold.
- Time and places to keep the seeds.
- Ways of saving and storing the seeds properly.
- Ways of harvesting, planting the seeds of marigolds, and stores to buy from.
- Ways to save the seeds for next year and other factors of the seeds.
What Do Marigold Seeds Look Like?
Marigolds bloom annually. When you collect marigold seeds from open source, they look exactly like their parents. But when you grow hybrid seeds, the flowers will grow and they will look different from their parents. You can have marigolds on top of your salads and cakes. These flowers also have medicinal powers. Most homeowners grow them beside their vegetable gardens since they act as pest repellents. Once you start growing them in your garden, you do not have to worry about getting the seeds from other places as you can collect them from your garden.
The seeds of the marigold are attached to the flowers. The front part of the bloom is called the flower and the bottom part are called seeds. When you declutter the flower, each petal contains a seed. All the seeds look similar and each seed can be used to grow a new plant. When sowing the seed, the black portion can be buried under the ground. From the black part, germination will occur.
You can keep your marigold seeds intact for up to 3 years. To keep them this long, you have to store them properly. If you have bought the seeds from the manufacturers, you can keep them in their original envelope for up to a year. To ensure the longer life of marigold seeds, storing them properly is very important.
Time to Save Marigold Seeds
Marigolds seeds grow at the bottom part of the flower. When the flower is wilted or dead, pick the flower. Usually in colder months, marigold flowers start dying. These flowers need time to produce viable seeds throughout the season. You can also allow the seeds to dry in the plants for a longer time in the colder season. Although, you have to be careful that they are staying with the flower and not falling off the ground or not eaten by birds. Once all the petals have fallen and the flower is dead, then the seeds are ready to harvest.
✨ You May like: How Much Azomite To Use Per Gallon Of Water?
How to Tell My Marigold Seed Are Good?
Before you start germinating your seeds, it is important to know if your seeds are intact or not. Below 5 steps are given for this reason.
Marigold seeds are good
- Place 10 seeds together on a soft cheesecloth/ cotton cloth, seeds should be wet but not soggy.
- Put the cloth in a plastic bag in a heated location. The heat should not be about 75 degrees.
- Water the cloth regularly to keep it moist.
- When the germination starts, count the number of seeds that germinated.
- Count the percentage rate of your germination. If 5 seeds out of 10 germinate, the percentage rate is 50%.
Saving Marigold Seeds
To identify the different parts of a flower is important to save the seeds before preserving them. Below 4 steps are given to identify the parts of a flower and save the seeds.
- Viable Flower Head: Let the flower bloom first. After it is done with blooming, it will start ripening the seeds within the flower. To get a better seed, take the flower heads only when they are completely dried out. An ideal flower head with seeds in it should be light tan to brown in color.
- Take The Flowers to Dry Indoors: When you are taking your seeds indoors, let them dry for 1-2 weeks with a flower head. The room temperature should be dry which is ideal for dehydrating the seeds.
- Open The Flower Heads: You can store the flower heads in a dry location once they are dried. If you want to store the seeds individually, you can open the flower head to remove the seeds.
- Store The Seeds: Store them in a dry, cool location. It should be kept in a sealed packet to prevent any moisture buildup.
How to Store Marigold Seed Properly?
You can store your seeds of marigolds at your own home. Below 2 steps are given to store the seeds.
Step 1: Dry The Marigold Seeds
Before planting your seeds next year, your seeds need to be dried. To do this, place a piece of paper on the table. Start placing your seed one by one. Seeds should stay on the cloth to dry. Be careful about the location, so that they do not fly away. Remove any flower head. Break down any cluster from the seeds. Once they are dry, you can pick them up. Check your progress after a week. To do this, take one seed, and break it in half. When it is hardened, it will break. If it is not dry, it will fold, which means it needs more time to dry.
Step 2: Storing Seeds
Once the seeds are dry, you can store them in paper envelopes, glass jars, etc. away from direct sunlight. while storing it, check the humidity or temperature. The temperature should be 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. When seeds are wet, they tend to mold, sprout, and expire.
Planting and Harvesting Marigold Seeds
You can plant your marigold seeds in a planter. You can also plant your flower seed in the garden bed. This flower seed should be planted one inch apart. The depth should be one inch, too in the soil. Keep your planter in direct sunlight.
Take the dry flower head between your hands, and rub it abruptly to open it, after opening it, give rubbing to separate the hulls from the seeds. This is how you release the marigold seeds.
Where to Buy Marigold Seeds?
We will get heirloom marigolds from nurseries which will result in one or more of their parents when they bloom in their size and colors. if you want your seed to be a hybrid cultivar, you will get a bloom that does not look like their parents, it will be a random mix of flowers. If you grow your seeds in pollinated variety, they will look like their parents when they grow.
You will also find seeds with a coating at a garden store. These seeds are easier to sow with the seeding machine; you can make an inch hole to sow them. Gardeners coat them to make them bigger. This coating is not done with hard materials, so they will soften when you start watering them after planting. Coated seeds could be stored for a longer time.
Saving Marigold Seed for Next Year
You can save them in an envelope, glass jar, paper lunch bag, etc. Make a label on your envelope or glass jar with a name and date. You can keep this in a dry, dark place. You can give these seed packets to your family and friends as gifts.
Watering, Soaking, and Package Life
- After watering your flower, let the soil dry. Water them every day. In hot weather, water your plant more. You should water your flower from the roots, not from the top.
- Before planting your seeds, soak them for 12 -24 hours, but not more than 48 hours.
- The way you preserve your seeds will determine their package life. Annual seeds usually last up to more than 3 years. When your seeds are potent, they can last up to 5 years.
FAQs
If your seeds have molds, they will not germinate. If they do not bend or break, they will not germinate. If your marigold seeds are dry enough to break, they will germinate.
Marigolds will grow quickly within 8 weeks after you germinate them. They sprout easily making beautiful flowers.
Marigold seeds are both annual and perennial. The majority of the seeds are annuals, and only a few seeds are perennial.
Marigolds bloom in summer, spring is the best season to germinate them, they take 8 weeks to sprout, and they will keep sprouting until autumn.
After sowing the seeds, water them thrice a week, once they bloom, water them once a week.
Final Thoughts
As we have discussed, marigolds add beautification to the garden. They are a great source of beauty, as well as, they help us in gardening by feeding beneficial insects for our garden. Most of the seeds are heirloom varieties. Most of them are annuals, so, when we preserve them while maintaining proper temperature, they will last for more than 3 years. A few of the breeds of marigolds are perennials, after proper maintenance, they will last for more than 5 years. There are also hybrid seeds of marigolds, which will last between 3 years to 5 years. That is why, preserving is an important key factor in the lifespan of the seeds of marigolds.
✨ Next Attraction: How To Use Coconut Coir Bricks?