Marigolds are cute flowers of cheerful yellow and orange colors. They are grown on flower beds and in front gardens, but you can often see them as balcony plants. Note that the marigolds are unpretentious and easy to care for.
To grow these flowers, you do not really need to buy bags with seeds every year. Planting material for the next season is very easy to assemble independently, if you already grow marigolds. Here's how to do it.
When is it necessary to collect the seeds of marigolds?
Collect the seeds of these flowers, which are also often called black stone or Turkish carnations, should be in autumn. Usually this happens in the second half of September. The main criteria for starting the collection of seeds - the mass wilting of bushes and dry stem near the head of the flower. This indicates that the seeds in the box are already ripe.
It is equally important to wait for the "right" weather - it should be dry and windless. Collected in damp weather testicles risk damp, and then the germination of the marigolds decreases markedly.
On flower forums you can often come across a question from budding flower growers, can you collect the seeds of marigolds after frosts. It is possible, but far from all plants by this time the seeds will be dried up. Watch for the quality of the collected material, since there will be no sense from unripe or wet seeds - they can die from frost.
How correctly to collect the seeds of marigolds?
Gently cut the flower head and dry it in a well-ventilated area. After this, take the ripened seeds from the cup of each flower. There is another way how to collect the seeds of marigolds at home - you need to collect the flowers in a bundle and hang them
head down over the newspaper. Dry seeds themselves begin to crumble and fall.
Mature seeds of marigolds have a black color and an elongated shape. Until spring, store them recommended in paper bags.Thus, for growing marigolds for many years you will need to buy only one sachet of seeds. In the future, it is enough to gather seed every time in time to use it in the next season.