Cultivation Instruction For Marigold Seeds

Nursery Practice:

Bring the soil of nursery beds to fine texture and mix well rotten compost along with small proportion of fine sand. Make grooves 7-8cm apart to a depth of 0.50cm on the plain beds. Sow the seeds in these grooves and cover with thin layer of compost. Water the beds with 'Captan' solution [3g/liter] and cover with
news paper sheets. Seeds start germination in 4-6 days. At this stage the news paper sheets have to be removed preferably during evening hours. Seeds can be sown plug trays with coir peat too to get seedlings with root ball. After germination the plants would be ready for transplanting to flower beds or big pots in three weeks time.

Growing Instruction:
After trans planting the seedlings to beds or pots, fertilizer application in solution form [1g of 17:17:17 N:P:K/liter] has to be followed for better growth plants. The first dose can be started from 10th day after transplanting. Drenching with 'Bavistin' or 'Ridomil' at 1.50 g/liter, once in 15 days is advised during rainy season to protect the plants from fungal diseases. To keep the sucking insects at bay alternate spraying of 'Dimethoate' and 'Monocrotohos' at 1ml/liter at 15 days interval would be sufficient.

Sowing Season:
In mild climates Marigolds can be grown round the year with slightly better care during summer months. In the plains of south India Marigolds can be grown round the year. In central and north India marigolds can be sown in June-August and January-February.
and grown successfully.