A Marigold is a beautiful flower. It is very common and easy to grow the plant. From Europe to America and Asia to Africa, marigold is found everywhere.
Speaking of marigolds- mostly African and Mexican varieties are popular for flower beds and other varieties and sub-varieties are beautiful for single pots as well as for backyard gardens.
When do marigolds bloom? – Marigold flower loves warm temperature and moisture. It starts blooming above 21 degrees Celsius (Mid-January). The blooming continues until the temperature reaches 35+ by the end of April. Days with temperatures ranging from 21 to 26 degrees are ideal for these plants. Usually, most marigold varieties start blooming early in the morning and the flowers stay fresh for days and weeks.
Other than decorative purposes, marigold is also very popular for their mild incense. You may only love the fragrance of marigolds though it is not the only benefit. A Marigold plant can keep bugs and mosquitoes out of your lawn and house if grown indoors.
check out our latest post on How to Grow Marigold from Cuttings
Marigolds bloom time
Generally, all types of marigolds start blooming in the month of December. This timing is based on tropical and subtropical environments. You should rather rely on the average daily temperature in your locality for bloom time. The best bloom can be seen in the month of February till March end.
Marigold plant is resistant to moderate temperatures. It is seen to bloom when the night temperature rises above 17-18 degrees Celsius. The best bloom occurs when the soil temperature rises above 21 degrees.
The final bloom in marigolds lasts till the first frost. If you are growing marigolds indoors then they will continue to bloom even if it’s freezing cold outside. Just keep the plants warm and provide proper light if possible direct sunlight is better. You can also use the greenhouse to protect your marigolds in harsh frost-like conditions.
What season do marigolds bloom?
The best bloom in marigolds can be seen in the month of January to March, especially in frost-free zones. Otherwise, you can see them blooming till September. This is the Time of Spring Season in most countries throughout the world. If not then wait till the temperature rises above 18 degrees Celsius. No matter wherever you live, you can definitely grow marigolds in your garden. If the temperature is not right yet then wait for more weeks. Start in spring and enjoy these flowers in May, with little care get the best marigold bloom in your plants.
When does French marigold bloom? –
The best bloom is seen in spring till mid-Summer. French and Mexican Varieties of Marigolds are my favorite. I like them the most as you can find them blooming gorgeously throughout the year. The flowers are very bright and last for a much longer time than any other variety. Usually, most flowers stay afresh for more than 10 days. The best part is that 100s of flower bloom together in a single French marigold plant. One thing that I like is you don’t have to care about French marigold much before it starts blooming. These plants have high heat resistance.
Do marigolds bloom all summer?
Yes, the summer is probably the best season for perennial Marigold flowers. If you successfully protect your plant from direct heat then you will definitely get the best flowers in your marigold plant. Summer season is very good for marigolds. Though some of you may find a reduction in flower size in summer but believe me you will definitely get a large number of marigolds blooming together in summer. It just requires proper caring, protection from direct sunlight in the daytime, and proper watering.
Do marigolds bloom in winter?
It depends. Yes, you are getting it right. Winter in many countries have severe frost-like conditions and only a few countries near the equator may find temperatures between “10-15” degree Celsius.
So if you live up anywhere in Nothern Hemisphere that experience frost-like conditions then you probably won’t see any bloom. If so then don’t worry just take care of your plant for a few months and then you will get fresh healthy blooms in spring.
If you live near equator countries like in Africa or Indian Subcontinent or in other Asian Countries then this is the time when your plants will start blooming.
In both cases, you should feed your plants with nitrogen fertilizers. This will help your plant to grow healthier and make new branches and more branches mean more flowers.
Do marigolds bloom every year? –
Yes for sure, you can have multiple blooms from single marigold but the quality of the flower gets reduced the second time it blooms. It is best to plant fresh seedlings every year if you need bigger, healthier flowers.
You can save your marigolds for the next blooming season but deadheading them periodically is necessary. Also, you should take care of root binding and nutrient deficiency. Repotting old plants after the end of the blooming season is a good practice to protect your plant carefully.
Learn: How to harvest marigold seeds for next season?
How long do marigolds bloom
Marigold starts blooming from the end of winter till it arrives again with the first frost the next year. So it is the best perennial flowering plant you should grow in your home or kitchen garden.
Marigold plants are very resistant to the harsh climate so you can find them blooming throughout the year. Most probably a healthy Marigold plant can bloom up to 150 days a year in a favorable climate.
How long does it take a marigold to flower?
You can plant marigolds in mainly two different ways. You can plant them with seeds or you can grow those using cuttings from another healthy plant. So the exact time to bloom marigold after planting may vary.
If you plant fresh seedlings from seeds then it will take around 50-70 days to start blooming depending on temperature and sunlight. Planting marigolds from cutting may require 45-60 days to bloom beautiful golden marigolds.
What height is best for Marigold bloom? – This is a very obvious question, every plant needs to grow and get a certain height to bloom properly. Though there is not any certain limit for a marigold’s plant height you can expect it to grow at least 1 foot i.e., 12 inches or 25-30 cm before getting a good bloom. In some varieties, you can see plants blooming at a much lower height.
How to make marigolds bloom faster
Standard Time for a new marigold plant to bloom is between 45 – 60 days. This is a long waiting time so all of us at least once have thought to faster the process of blooming but failed somehow.
So the question remains the same can we make marigolds bloom faster? You won’t believe it, the answer to this question is a big Yes. You only need to do certain procedures. These procedures are mostly applied by commercial nurseries and gardens.
Follow these steps to speed the growth of your Marigold
- Use earthen clay seedling trays or pots. The first and most important step for good plant growth is healthy seedling. It is best possible in earthen pots.
- Use quality soil mixture with little anti-fungal powder. The best possible mix for Marigold is 30-30-30 % mix with an equal amount of garden soil, coco peat with vermicompost.
- Don’t overwater the plants. It is the main reason for root rot and plant death. Watering should be done only when it is required the most.
- Avoid chemical fertilizers. The inappropriate use of chemical fertilizer is the main reason for seedling and plant decay. So I recommend using only organic fertilizers in 10-15 days gaps.
- Separate single seedlings. For best growth, it is recommended to separate seedlings when they are of 4-inch height i.e., about 8-10 cm.
- Don’t put seedlings directly to grow pots. First seedlings should be grown in smaller pots for proper root growth. You can use any 2-3 inch plastic or clay pots for this purpose.
- Keep the seedlings for 10 days in semi-shaded reason. This will help them to develop new roots and a well-bound root ball will develop.
- After 10 days of plant, the healthy seedlings in grow pots of at least 6-8 inch diameter.
- A final but most important tip for faster bloom is to put the new plants in direct sunlight. At least 6-8 hours of sunlight is required for faster blooming in marigolds.
You should also read: How to deadhead marigolds?
Special tips for Marigold bloom: –
I recommend adding 1 spoon of dried mustard powder to the potting soil and spraying a little amount of water in it. Leave it in a shaded place for a few days. When it dries completely – use it as potting soil mix for the best bigger marigold bloom.
Latter you must feed these plants with Mustard cake brew every 10 days. This should be sufficient to keep the plant full of blooms.
Don’t use Mineral water in your plants, instead use clean tap water- non-bleached. Use only liquid fertilizer in very low concentration when the marigold starts blooming- Don’t over-fertilize your plant in excitement.
