How to Grow Marigolds from Seeds
Marigold is a very popular commercial flower, which is grown in different parts of the country, it is a plant of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, its birthplace is 'Mexico', Marigold has a special and important place among seasonal plants because its flowers are available throughout the year, it is grown in the garden to enhance its beauty, its seeds are produced and exported to foreign countries. Foreign currency is earned from this.
There are three main species of marigold, which are grown in gardens and commercially in fields, namely Signata marigold, French marigold (Jaffri) and African marigold (large flowered). Signata marigold is rarely grown in plain areas, while it is grown extensively in the mountains, its plants are small, which grow about 20-30 cm high and the flowers are also only 3-4 cm in diameter. French marigold species have small flowers, plants grow 10-32 cm high. Its flowers are 2.5-3.0 cm in diameter, plants are small and spread on the ground. African marigold plants grow up to 40-100 cm high, flowers are 5-15 cm in diameter, flowers of carnation-like varieties are large, while flowers of chrysanthemum-like varieties are small, which are suitable for growing in beds. Marigold is mainly cultivated in South Africa, Brazil and Australia; it is now being cultivated in the plains and hilly areas of Northern India.
How to Germinate Marigold Seeds
Uses - Its commercial cultivation is done in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Marigold is used in various ways which are mentioned below—
• To earn income by commercially cultivating marigold.
• To earn income by producing marigold seeds.
• Marigold flowers are mostly used for making garlands by picking them.
• In the Ayurvedic world, it is used as a medicine.
• To protect tomatoes from the attack of fruit borer insect, planting one row of marigold after 10 rows of tomatoes protects the tomato crop from fruit borer insect.
• Perfume is also extracted from marigold flowers which sells very expensively.
• Oil is also extracted from marigold.
To get abundant yield of marigold, its cultivation should be done by new technology which is mentioned below.
Climate - Marigold is a plant of temperate and sub-tropical climate. Both the species of marigold, namely African and French, can be grown in almost every season. Marigold is not time-bound like other flower-producing crops. It is difficult to grow it only during extreme winters because its plants get damaged due to extreme cold. Its cultivation in the summers is more profitable in the middle of the gardens because the plants are not affected much by the heat, the market price of flowers grown in summers is also high. It requires full light. Hence, it can be grown easily in the open weather, low humidity in the environment is necessary at the time of its production and dry weather at the time of harvesting.
Soil - Marigold can be cultivated in various types of sandy loam soils. But green marigold grows better in sandy loam soil, while African marigold grows better in loamy soil and more fertile hard soil. For both types of marigolds, there should be soil with proper drainage and the pH value of the soil should be between 4.5-7.5. Alkaline and acidic soils are considered to be obstacles in its successful production.
Preparation of land - First plow the land with a soil turning plow and then plow 2-3 times with a cultivator or harrow. After every plowing, be sure to use a plough so that the soil becomes friable and flat and at the same time the moisture is conserved.
Sow only improved varieties - Usually, farmers grow only traditional varieties of marigold, as a result of which they get low quality produce, hence, only improved varieties should be grown.
French species - Many varieties come under this class, which produce flowers in large quantities, which can be grown in gardens, pots and beds apart from commercial production, which are as follows -
How do You Sow Marigold Seeds
African species - These are varieties with large flowers. The main varieties of this category are as follows-
- Mamthamug, Cracker Jack, Sun Giant, Cupid, Pusa Orange and Pusa etc.
Mexican species - Tagetes lucida, T. lemonii, T. mynuta, T. tamifolia or tissignata are the main species in this class. The main varieties of this class are as follows-
- Golden Jam Selected, Iris Lace, Pumila Ursula etc.
- Nugget, Tetra Soft Red, Yellow Nugget, Red Glue Gold, Climax Teridot, Galedis, Moon Shot etc.
Manure and Fertilizer - To get a good yield of Marigold, it is very important to put sufficient amount of nutrients in the soil at the right time. Manure and fertilizers should be used after soil testing. If soil testing is not possible, then the following amount of manure and fertilizers should be put per hectare -
Nitrogen ----- 120 kg
Phosphorus ----- 80 kg
Potash ----- 80 kg
Spread Farm Yard Manure in the field before the first ploughing and then plough the field with a plough. Mix half the quantity of nitrogen, full quantity of potash and phosphorus and apply it at the time of final ploughing. Apply the remaining quantity of nitrogen as top dressing in the standing crop 25-30 days after transplantation.
Tests have shown that if 2-3 sprays of 0.2% urea are given on marigold crop at an interval of 15 days one month after planting, then the development and growth of plants is good, resulting in higher yield.
In African and French rhinoceroses, Kalyani Centre has found it appropriate to apply 15 grams of nitrogen, 15 grams of phosphorus and 20 grams of potash per square meter.
How do You Plant Marigold Seeds
Nursery
As is well known, marigold saplings are raised in nurseries. For nurseries, one meter wide and 15 cm high beds are prepared. A space of 30 cm is left between two beds. While preparing the beds, the soil is made friable by hoeing it well. Then 4-5 kg of cow dung manure is added to the soil per square meter. After this, the soil is treated with a solution of 0-3 percent captan so that the plants do not suffer from wilt disease.
300-450 grams of seeds are sufficient to prepare seedlings for one hectare. To protect the seedlings from fungal diseases, the seeds should be treated with Captan, Amosan GN or Vabistine (2.5 grams of seed per kilogram of seed) before sowing.
In the prepared beds, make about 1 cm deep lines at a distance of 2-3 cm with a finger or a thin stick. Sow marigold seeds in these lines. Keep in mind that the seeds should be sown in such a way that after germination, there should be some distance between two plants. In this way, healthy plants will be available from the nursery. After sowing the seeds, make a mixture of leaf manure or fine cow dung manure + soil or sand in equal quantities and cover the seeds with this mixture. Now sprinkle the nursery beds slowly as per requirement with a fountain having fine holes.
Note – In the plains, it can be cultivated directly through seeds in the month of October. For direct sowing, 2 kg per hectare is sufficient.
Actually, marigold can be grown throughout the year. Its three commercial crops are taken. Its saplings are also sown in the nursery in the same way at different times, which are as follows -
1. In the rainy season, the seeds are sown from 15 June to 15 July.
2. For the autumn crop, the seeds are sown in the nursery from 15 September to 15 October.
3. For the summer crop, the seeds are sown in the nursery from 25 January to 15 February.
In Bangalore and Karnataka it is sown in the month of May and flowers are obtained till August-October. In Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, seeds are sown in nurseries from February to June and September-October and flowers are obtained in winter, spring and rainy seasons. In Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, seeds are sown from March to June and in August-September. In the northern and southern hills, it is sown in March-April. Apart from this, seeds are also sown in September. In Mumbai and Chennai, its seeds are sown in September.
Transplantation
In the nursery, the plants are ready for transplantation in a month i.e. when they have 4-6 leaves or 8-10 cm height. Before planting, the amount of water is controlled in the nursery so that the plants develop the ability to tolerate transplantation. In African and French species of plants, a distance of 30 x 40 cm and 20 x 20 cm is kept between plant to plant and row to row. It is better if the planting is done in the evening or during cloudy weather. Water should be applied immediately after planting.
To grow one hectare of marigold commercially, about 80,000-85,000 plants of African marigold and 2,40,000-2,50,000 plants of French marigold are required.
Note- If summer crop of marigold is to be taken then the quantity of plants should be increased by about 20-25 percent because in this season the growth of plants is less.
Vegetative propagation of marigold is also done through cuttings. The length of the cuttings is kept 8-10 cm. First they are planted in sand to develop roots. Auxin hormones can be used for cutting treatment.
Weed control - Many weeds grow along with the marigold crop, which adversely affect the development and growth of the plants. Therefore, weeding should be done as per need for weed control.
Earthing up - As is well known, the plants of African ball varieties are large and there is a danger of them falling or breaking due to strong winds. Hence, it becomes very important to cover them with soil.
How to Plant Marigold Seeds
Irrigation and drainage - Irrigation of marigold depends on the type of soil, rainfall, temperature etc. Irrigation should be done at an interval of 4-5 days in summer and at an interval of 8-10 days in winter. Generally, there is no need for irrigation in the rainy season, but if there is no rain for a long time, then irrigation should be done as per requirement.
If water accumulates in the field due to excessive rain, then arrangements should be made to drain it out immediately. Due to water stagnation for a long time, the plants turn yellow and die.
Usually, 16-20 tons of flowers are obtained from African marigold and 12-15 tons of flowers are obtained from French marigold per hectare, whose market price is Rs. 5-15 per kilogram.
In the northern plains, 300-500 quintals of herbaceous plants are obtained per hectare from which 60-70 kg of oil is obtained. Harvesting should be done when the flowers are fully in bloom. The crop sown in October should be harvested from the end of March to mid-April and the crop sown in the hilly areas should be harvested in September-October. It should be cut with a sickle at about 30 cm above the ground.
Economic benefits - After deducting all expenses, the profit per hectare is up to one and a half lakh rupees. The cost on both the species comes to Rs 15-20 per hectare.
Marigold seed production - Marigold seed production is a good business to earn more profit from its cultivation. Seed production is a technical work, so the following things should be kept in mind during seed production.
Rouging - In a seed crop, those plants which appear different in shape and size should be carefully removed from the field otherwise pure seed cannot be produced.
Plucking the flowers that appear later in the seed crop - When the seeds start ripening in the seed crop, if flowers appear in it, they should be plucked and sold. If those flowers are left on the plants, then it does not lead to healthy seed production.
In this way, 4-5 quintals of seeds are obtained per hectare.
The seeds should be dried and cleaned and stored and sold at the right time. Pure and healthy seeds are sold at the market price of Rs. 500-1000 per kilogram.
How to Grow Marigolds from Seeds
Insects - Marigold crop is more prone to red spider mite infestation, which damages the plants by sucking the juice of the leaves. Apart from this, there is also infestation of insects like Champa, leaf cutter etc.
To prevent all these, 0-2 percent insecticides like Malathion or Rogor should be sprayed.
Diseases - The main diseases that attack marigold crop are powdery mildew, rust and virus, etc., which damage the plants in various ways.
To prevent these diseases, 0.2% Captan, Karathane or Babistine etc. should be sprayed.
Plants infected with viral disease should be uprooted from the field and burnt.
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