Planting, growing and caring for calendula in open ground

Calendula is a beautiful and useful flower, so gardeners will always find a place on the site to sow it. Sun petals are great for border plantings and look great in rock gardens and on a Moorish lawn. Calendula is easy to plant in open ground and easy to care for. A wide selection of varieties allows you to build landscape compositions, fit harmoniously into any flower beds in front gardens, and design flower lawns.

General information about the plant

Calendula is popularly called “marigold”, since the seeds of the plant resemble the claws of a predatory animal. Their leaves are a pleasant green color with a silvery tint. And the trunk is straight, with soft sticky hairs, the leaves have a wide variety of shapes and are arranged in 2-3 rows on the stem.

The reed petals are folded into a terry, bright orange or yellow-red basket with a diameter of up to 7 centimeters. The herbaceous annual plant Calendula comes in small (border) size and reaches almost a meter.

Varieties and varieties

Since the beginning of cultivation by breeders, a large number of varieties have been obtained from the original natural species. Calendula officinalis - Officinalis and field calendula - Arvensis have become especially popular.

There are low-growing species in which the stem reaches 30 centimeters:

• Fiesta Gitana;
• Orange Gitana;
• Symphony of Summer;
• Patio;
• Bonbon;
• Gold Koenig;
• Apricot Pygmy;
• Calypso.

The list of medium-sized varieties includes:

• Apricot jam;
• Radio;
• Green Heart;
• Sun of Egypt;
• Lemon juice;
• Geisha.

Tall varieties include:

• Kabluna Apricot;
• Beauty;
• Golden Emperor;
• Indian Prince;
• Sunset;
• Tongues of flame.

Many of these varieties have healing properties. And cut plants look great in containers, flowerpots, patios, plant pots, balconies and flower beds.

How to grow calendula

Choosing the right planting site and creating normal conditions is the key to successfully growing marigolds. It is also important to follow planting dates.

Landing dates

It is recommended to sow marigolds directly into the ground.This can be done in the second half of spring, when the ground becomes warm and dry enough after the snow. In this case, you can check whether the soil is ready for planting. Take a handful of earth and throw it hard from a meter high. If it disintegrates, then the process can begin.

A proven way to get early flowering is to sow some varieties of calendula before winter. The time is considered optimal when there are stable frosts at night, but the ground is not yet frozen enough.

Important: if planted in warm autumn, the plant will have time to sprout, which means that the onset of frost will destroy it. The dates may not be the same in different regions.

Preparation of planting material

The main task of gardeners is to prepare calendula for planting. The plant is not afraid of low temperatures and feels good at temperatures of minus 5 degrees, so the seed can be planted directly into the ground.

To begin with, it is recommended to carry out calibration. Separate damaged empty and small seeds from large and whole ones. Prepare a water-salt solution and put them in there. An inferior product will float to the surface, and a product suitable for sowing will fall to the bottom of the container.

Pre-soaking will have a good effect. Sprout a little in damp gauze or put it in water, which you change daily. And make sure that the material is always moist and does not dry out.

Site preparation

The plant can show all its beauty in sunny areas. If planted in the shade, the marigolds will have long stems and the petals will be small. Having chosen the most illuminated place, dig up the area and fertilize it. To do this, take a tablespoon of compost, urea, fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus.

After this, dig up the soil and use a rake to level it.On such fertile soil, marigolds can grow quietly for 5 years.

Planting process

Make grooves a couple of centimeters deep. The row spacing in flower beds should be 30 centimeters, and in ridges - 10 centimeters. In a week you will already see the result.

Important: if necessary, thin out the plants when two full leaves appear, and transplant the marigolds to another place.

After sprouts appear, mulch the area. Dry leaves, freshly cut grass, and sawdust are good for this.

Plant care rules

If you want calendula to delight you all summer, take proper care of it. Marigolds, like all plants, need regular watering, fertilizing and weeding.

Watering

Marigolds are quite moisture-loving plants, so they do not tolerate drought. But they don’t like excessive humidity either. As soon as the first shoots appear, water 3-4 times a week with warm water. When they are already stronger, reduce watering. Adult plants need moisture only during periods of drought.

The soil

After watering, a lot of weeds always grow around the plant. Therefore, pay attention to weeding. Also, at the same time, the plants need loosening. The process increases gas exchange in the top layer of soil, and the roots will begin to receive oxygen. In addition, after loosening, evaporation is reduced and moisture is better retained.

Fertilizer and feeding

Despite the fertilized soil, calendula needs feeding. Feed the marigolds for the first time when two or three leaves have appeared. To do this, take half a kilogram of cow or chicken manure per bucket and add a large spoonful of complex mineral fertilizer.

If fertilizing is carried out with nitrogen fertilizers, be careful. Excessive consumption leads to a decrease in the size of the inflorescences.Organize the subsequent addition of fertilizer at the time of flowering.

Trimming

To improve flowering, it is recommended to remove faded inflorescences. Do this regularly throughout the summer. Constant pruning stimulates the calendula to form new buds, which will be much brighter and larger.

In the case where marigolds are grown for medicinal purposes, regularly cut off the shoots as well.

Preparing for winter

The beginning of winter is a difficult time for many plants. The most unfavorable moment is when the temperature has dropped significantly and the snow has not yet fallen. If the marigold is one year old, then it does not require any preparation for winter. But there are perennial varieties. They need special care. In late autumn, trim off overgrown calendula shoots.

Treatment against diseases and pests

Marigolds are resistant to various diseases and pests. The biggest threat is to be expected from aphids. To destroy pests, plants are not only treated with special preparations, but also the trails made by ants around the marigolds are destroyed. After all, it is the ants that spread aphids, infecting calendula.

Sometimes dark spots are visible on the leaves. This is a sign of the fungal disease Cercospora.

If a powdery coating appears on the plant, then the marigolds have powdery mildew. The most effective means of combating diseases are systemic fungicides. Treatment is carried out before the marigolds begin to bloom. Problems most often arise due to frequent planting of calendula.

Flower breeding

Calendula gained its popularity due to its decorative and healing properties. Gardeners grow marigolds for many reasons:

• decorate your garden plot;
• make medicinal potions;
• protect other plants from pests.

To prepare healing potions, use only blossomed inflorescences. Petals are used to treat many pathologies, as they have the following properties:

• wound healing;
• antispasmodic;
• bactericidal;
• sedative;
• restorative;
• diaphoretic.

The plant is also grown for cosmetic purposes. Infusions of marigolds strengthen hair roots and cleanse the face.

In addition, marigolds protect vegetable crops from attacks by caterpillars, mites, Colorado potato beetles and other garden pests..

Combination of calendula with other plants

Landscape compositions with marigolds look elegant and charming. They go well with other golden, red, orange flowering plants:

• poppies;
• asters;
• marigolds;
• rudbeckia.

Marigolds are suitable for decorating a Moorish-style lawn or rock garden.

They will look bright surrounded by evergreen shrubs or against the background of dark-flowering plants:

• cornflowers;
• violets;
• sage;
• ageratums.

Low-growing varieties look impressive in hanging baskets, flowerpots, and flowerpots.

Rules for collecting, drying and storing calendula

Reproduction of marigolds takes place in a generative way. Therefore, to propagate marigolds, collect inflorescences as they bloom throughout the summer. Cut the buds when it is dry so that the petals do not wilt and dry well. Then place them outdoors, but in the shade. It is recommended to turn them a couple of times to prevent damage.

Store dry marigolds in a cool place that is easily ventilated and away from increased humidity. Transfer the dry product into small canvas bags or paper bags - this will keep it longer.

Marigolds have won the recognition of gardeners because they bloom all summer, reproduce profusely, are easy to care for and have a large number of beneficial properties. Plants will help in the fight against pests, replenish your home medicine cabinet and cosmetics bag, and add a refined taste to food as a seasoning.