How to collect marigold seeds from faded flowers, storage rules and use
Own planting material is available, less expensive and proven. How seeds are harvested from marigolds, beginners ask themselves. There is nothing difficult about this. It is enough to properly grow large, healthy flowers and collect material for planting from them.
How to care for marigolds for quality seeds
If the flowers are grown correctly, the grower will receive his own seed. You will not need to purchase it in the store, at not cheap prices.
Plants need to choose the right place. Then, during the summer, water abundantly, without flooding or letting the marigolds dry out. Periodically, 1-2 times a month, it is necessary to feed the bushes. Organic or mineral fertilizers are used. If the plants get the nutrients they need, they will be strong and powerful. The seeds of these bushes will be healthy.
Sick, deformed plants must be removed from the flower bed.
It is advisable to plant marigolds according to varieties so that they do not cross-pollinate with each other. Because as a result of sowing over-pollinated planting material, completely different specimens with distinctive characteristics grow.
What marigold seeds look like on faded flowers
When the flowers fade, boxes appear in their place. Future seeds ripen in them. There are many of them in one box. After ripening, they acquire a characteristic color. The bottom becomes dark, the top is straw. The planting material itself looks like a thin needle.
The length of achenes depends on the variety. Tall marigolds have large seeds, undersized small ones.
How to get seeds from marigolds correctly
It is important to collect planting material from mature bolls. To do this, choose dry specimens and carefully remove the achenes.
If the planted plants are hybrids, then the collected achenes will not give offspring with similar properties.
It is advisable to take seeds from single, side-growing bushes. It is more likely to maintain the required characteristics.
To get clean shoots, you should not collect them in flower beds, where many varieties of tagetis (marigolds) grow.
Tubular
In this species, the petals are bisexual, so they do not need the participation of a person or an insect for pollination. The collected seeds generally have a high germination capacity. There are a lot of them, enough to plant a large area.
Reed
They belong to same-sex, therefore, they require the participation of insects during pollination. There is little planting material, but large and beautiful bushes grow from it.
When is the best time to collect
Each region has its own terms. Around August-October. It is advisable to choose mature specimens. High-quality planting material is collected from them.
Gradual ripening makes it possible for the summer resident to collect as many seeds as he needs. Sow your own seeds more without sparing. Then seedlings are thinned out.
Marigolds reproduce by self-seeding. But every year the bushes and flowers are getting smaller. You need to know this. There is no need to remind that the weather must be dry, during the rain, the collection is not carried out.
If unstable weather does not allow harvesting in time, you need to cut off the branches with drying flowers. Tie them up and hang them under the roof. A piece of cloth or paper is spread below. Ripe planting material will fall out. Then it is dried a little more and put away for storage.
How to select good seeds
You can sort the planting material in the fall. For this, the collected achenes are placed for 30 minutes. into a salt solution. It prepares like this:
- a tablespoon of salt;
- 1 liter of water.
Everything is mixed and defended. Then seeds are poured into the solution. After the end of the time, the emerging shoots are removed. Those that remain at the bottom are washed and dried again.
Storage rules
An important requirement is that the planting material must be dried. Well-dried seeds have a longer shelf life.
After harvesting, the marigolds are spread on thick paper or newspaper. Dry them in the shade, but in a well-ventilated place. The time is different, depends on what kind of seeds. 2-3 days is enough. Then they are laid out in paper or rag bags and put away for storage.
It is advisable to keep them in a dry, dark and cool place. Do not store near stoves and radiators. Planting material loses its germination capacity.
If there is nowhere to put the seeds, it is best to keep them in the refrigerator. But so that they do not get damp, they are periodically taken out. Dry for several days at room temperature. Then put it back in the refrigerator.
Undesirable storage:
- use polyethylene, plastic, marigolds must receive air;
- subject to high humidity;
- allow the temperature regime to exceed +13 ⁰С.
Marigolds remain viable for up to 4 years. Then the seeds lose their properties and are not used for their intended purpose.
Seed use
In addition to planting, marigold seeds are used for other purposes. The flower is famous for essential oils that all parts of the plant possess. Many of them are concentrated in seed boxes and seeds themselves. They are used to make pillows or sachets.
Indoor plant lovers use seed pods differently. A solution is prepared from them, with which the plants are treated and the soil is watered. It helps fight pests and certain diseases.
Oil is prepared from tagetis, which is then used for aromatic baths. To do this, the sprouts are crushed and poured with olive oil, insisted for 15 days.
Is it possible to collect seeds after frost
Summer residents are not advised to collect marigolds after the first frost hits. They say that the planting material is losing its germination. And the bushes that grow will be weak. Flowering will be weak and uneven.
Seeds collected with their own hands ensure that the gardener gets exactly the plants he wants at the exit. Compliance with the requirements for collection and subsequent sorting will allow you to get high quality seed material.
