- When are the seeds harvested?
- How is it harvested?
- How are marigold seeds stored?
- Beware of cultivars
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Many annual or non-hardy plants in the garden will develop seeds during the summer that you can collect and use for propagation. This also applies to the marigold, which forms many seeds that germinate very well and are therefore ideal for propagating marigolds.
The marigold seeds hide below the petals in seed tubes
When are the seeds harvested?
To ensure that the marigolds continue to produce new flowers, it is advisable to cut off the faded parts of the plant as quickly as possible. The optimal time for the seed harvest is therefore autumn. Don't remove faded flowers anymore, but let the flower heads of the marigold dry on the plant. The elongated, black seeds of the marigold are stuck in small seed tubes, on the top of which the petals are often still dry when harvested.
How is it harvested?
If you want to collect the seeds, proceed as follows:
- Break off the dried heads from the stalks.
- Store the flowers on some kitchen paper for about a week until they are completely dry.
- Put the seeds in a freezer bag, blow it up a little and seal it tightly.
- Shake the trash bags vigorously for one minute to loosen the seeds from the flower heads.
- Empty seeds into a coarse sieve placed on a plate. This separates the seeds from the pods.
Of course, you can also pluck the seeds out of the tubes by hand. However, this is tedious and quite time-consuming for larger quantities.
How are marigold seeds stored?
The well dried seeds should be kept cool and protected from light. Paper sandwich bags are suitable as packaging because, unlike plastic bags, they are breathable. This prevents the seed from becoming moldy. In addition, the bags can be easily labeled.
Beware of cultivars
It is not always guaranteed that the marigolds you have grown yourself will have exactly the same flower colors and growth height as their parents. Nevertheless, the offspring is worthwhile, since many young marigold plants can be grown very cheaply from the seeds you collect yourself.
tips
In mild regions you can sow the marigold directly into the flower bed. It also germinates well there and quickly grows into strong plants.