Plant description
A well-known plant in our country is the Marigold, who hails from Mexico. It first appeared in Europe 400 years ago and now came to Greece much later. It is an annual plant. Its growth is fast. It can reach from 20-60 cm in height. Its flowers can be orange, yellow and bicolor, depending on the variety. There are 2 varieties of marigolds, the tagetes erecta with monochrome flowers and the patula tagetes with bicolor flowers. It blooms from late spring to autumn.
Location
Marigold is planted in sunny locations in the garden or in a pot and protected from the cold. The more hours of direct sun it gets the better. It adapts to most soils, prefers fertile soil with a high content of nutrients and grows rapidly in the summer months. It thrives at temperatures from 15-25°C. At temperatures of 5°C and below it cannot withstand, while at temperatures of 35°C and above you will have to water it daily to survive.
Cultivation Care
Marigold needs enough watering, especially when it is very hot. Water as soon as the soil is dry and make sure that the water does not stagnate, because there is a risk of the roots rotting. In autumn and spring you should water it 4-5 times a week, while in summer when the temperatures are high you should water it daily. It is also good when you water it to be careful so that the flower does not get wet because it turns black. Generally you do not need any pruning, but it is important to cut the withered flowers to grow new ones and to have a beautiful plant. It is good to put a fertilizer balanced or with more phosphorus and potassium so that its root catches and its flowering goes well, once a month. However, this lubrication must stop during the summer.
Diseases and insects
It can be affected by powdery mildew, rust and ringworm. Caution! Do not wet the marigold leaves because it can be affected by fungi.
Important for marigold
Due to its aroma, marigold can be used as a co-culture for the organic production of vegetables, e.g. in tomato, pumpkin, eggplant etc .. In order to prevent nematodes.
