How to feed marigolds for abundant flowering, why they need to be fertilized and how to choose the right soil?

Marigolds are brightly colored flowers that decorate many garden and garden plots in large quantities today. Unpretentious in care, compact enough and pleasing to the eye, they firmly took a place in the hearts of Russian florists and gardeners.

And at the same time, many beginners are wondering: how to grow marigolds to get lush bushes with a lot of elegant inflorescences.

In today's article, we will consider in detail the aspect of top dressing and timely fertilizer application for marigolds.

What is this plant?

Marigolds - an annual flower common in central Russia. Let's see how these popular plants look today.

Depending on the variety, the height of marigolds can be from 20 centimeters to 1 meter. Also there are low-growing varieties. They have compact bushes, with a height of 20 to 30 centimeters.

This plant is compact, blooms profusely. Marigold inflorescences are terry or simple, from 4 to 12 centimeters in diameter. As for the color, here, as a rule, bright and rich colors.

There are solid flowers (orange and yellow), but more often there are two-tone with burgundy or brown-red spots on an orange and yellow background. Flowers can also be very different in shape and degree of terry. The aroma of flowers is very strong and peculiar.. This smell is hardly confused with anything; it remotely resembles the scent of asters.

You can find out how marigolds look and what they are, as well as see photos of plants, here, and in this article we talked about the varieties of this flower.

General watering rules

Watering marigolds, especially planted in containers and pots, you need to try every day (about the features of growing marigolds in pots or crates at home, read here). On hot days, morning and evening.

Marigolds are drought tolerant, but with insufficient watering their appearance suffers: the lower leaves begin to turn yellow and dry.

Despite the fact that marigolds can rightfully be called “small water chowders”, in no case should water stagnation around the roots of the flower be allowed. Moreover, when overflowing, the roots can begin to rot, but the bushes themselves will not bloom (which diseases and pests are dangerous for marigolds and how to treat the bush can be found here). Regular weeding and cultivation is very important for the plant..

The Importance of Proper Fertilizer

A properly designed program for feeding your plant will allow you to achieve the desired effects, for example, bright and lush flowering or vice versa a set of leaf mass.

When and in what cases is top dressing required?

The most optimal option for feeding marigolds are universal multicomponent fertilizers. The composition of such funds usually includes nitrogen, as well as phosphorus and potassium. Experienced gardeners recommend feeding marigolds at least three times between spring and autumn. How to feed the plant for abundant flowering?

First period. It must be carried out when the plants reach a height of 7 - 10 centimeters. To prepare the solution, 10 tablespoons of water need 1 tablespoon of Agricola-7 (this is the most common fertilizer containing all the necessary trace elements) and 1 tablespoon of urea.
The recommended consumption of 2 - 3 liters of nutrient solution per 1 square. meter.
Second period. It is associated with the appearance of the first buds on plants. To achieve abundant flowering, phosphorus-potassium fertilizing is necessary. Take one tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water. Consumption per square meter - 2 - 3 liters.
Third period. It is held during the period of abundant flowering of marigolds. The nutrient solution here consists of 2 tablespoons of nitrophoska (the finished product is sold in flower shops) per 10 liters of water.

Herbal infusion and wood ash can successfully replace mineral fertilizers. Under each bush, add half a glass of wood ash and 500 milliliters of infusion of herbs. But, it is recommended to dilute the infusion before watering the bushes in a ratio of 1: 5.

IMPORTANT! Before fertilizing the plant, for plentiful flowering, it is necessary to generously water it. This should not be done only if it rained the day before.

What should be the soil?

In addition to top dressing, it is important to pay special attention to the quality of the soil.where you are going to plant marigolds, because they will take the first nutrients and microelements from it. Any soil is suitable for these plants, but with high permeability - marigolds do not like stagnation of water. The excessive presence of nitrogen leads to the growth of shoots and leaves to the detriment of flowering, so the site should not be fertilized with fresh manure or nitrogenous mineral fertilizers.

If you did something wrong

Do not use fresh manure when growing flowers.. Its use will not benefit the marigolds and adversely affect their flowering.

If after another feeding you noticed negative changes in the appearance of marigolds: the buds began to wither, the leaves dry, the leg blackens, then you need to stop fertilizing until the plant is restored (what to do if marigold dries, the leaves fade and buds blacken, you can find here).

Main conclusions

Marigold dressing is usually carried out 2-3 times per season: when the plants reach a height of 10 cm, during the appearance of the first buds and at the very beginning of flowering. The following fertilizers can be used as dressing for marigolds:

Universal multicomponent fertilizers with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The most famous fertilizer is considered "Agricola-7"; gardeners along with Agricola use potassium sulfate, superphosphate, urea. It is important to use the products strictly according to the instructions, breeding them in the right amount of water so as not to harm the flowers.
Often the bushes are fertilized with herbal infusions. Grind grass (nettle) and fill it with water. Leave in the sun for a couple of days so that the product ferments. After a while, you can water the marigolds or other plants with the obtained herbal fertilizer.
Fertilize marigolds can and even need wood ash.

Thus, we were convinced that marigolds are not very whimsical in the maintenance content (for how to care for marigolds in open ground, read here, and from this article you will learn how to grow this flower at home). However, in order to delight you with their healthy appearance and bright plentiful flowering throughout the summer, they, like many other flowers on your site, need timely top dressing.

In this material, we examined in detail the periods of fertilizer application and their composition. We hope that our simple tips will help you achieve significant results. Good luck!