Marigolds are one of my husband’s favourite flowers. They come in different shades of yellow, orange, and red. Sometimes the care cards that come with them don’t have a lot of information about how to actually take care of them. This blog is what we have learn over the years about taking care of marigolds.

Sun – Marigolds need at lest 6 hours of direct sunlight, but can tolerate a lot more. These flowers really love the sun, the more sun light the better.

Soil – Soil that is well draining and high in compost is the best soil for marigolds. They can also tolerate slight sandy loams, and slightly acidic soils. If the soil is to acidic for them adding some lime can fix the issue.

Spacing – They need 8 to 12 inches in spacing in order to grow depending on what type of marigolds they are. If you don’t know what kind of marigolds they are a safe standard for any type of marigold is 10 inches apart.

Water – Marigolds need 1 to 1.5 inches of water pre week. If the weather gets hot they will need to be watered twice a week or whenever the soil starts to get to dry.

Food – Marigolds don’t need to be fertilized other than what they get from the soil you first plant them in. However sometimes all the nutrients can drain out with excessive rain or watering. If the leaves of your plant looks lighter than normal or spotty it could need fertilizer.

Annual or Perennial – This really depends on what kind of marigold plant it is. Some marigolds are annuals and some are perennials.

Climate – Marigolds tend to love hot weather. Whatever marigold you have they all come from places that get hot in the summer. Some like more water and some like less but they all love sun and hot weather.

Hardiness – Marigolds are warm weather plants and do not like cool, chilly, or cold weather. We have been able to grow and have seen marigolds growing in 55°F. For cooler weather growing French marigolds is best.

Harvest – You can harvest marigolds for the flowers right when they start to bloom but for seeds you will have to wait until the flowers seed pod turns brown and the petals are drying and falling off of the pod.

Transplant – They can be safely transplant Marigolds without damaging them or killing them. You just need to do it in warm weather so they can establish new roots before winter.

Tips: African marigolds are more drought tolerant but are less cool weather tolerant. French marigolds are more cool weather tolerant and less drought tolerant. French marigolds also love the heat which makes them better for places where the weather changes from hot to freezing. Make sure to either bring them in for the cold or cover them from the frost or snow.