How to collect marigold seeds at home

Some people believe that marigolds will grow on their own the next year, and there is no need to collect seeds every time. But to preserve the decorative properties and good germination, it is simply necessary to do this. You just need to learn how to properly collect the seeds yourself. It will also be useful to figure out when marigold seeds are collected. You can find the answers to these questions in this article.

How to collect and prepare seeds

It is necessary to collect seeds from the most beautiful flowers. So, you will need to take a closer look in advance which marigolds on your site look the most attractive. It should be remembered that the germination of seed directly depends on the flowers themselves. They are of two different types:

• tubular bisexual. They are characterized by petals located around the central part of the flower;
• reed female. In this case, the petals are at the periphery. Such varieties are also called terry.

Each species has its own characteristics. Tubular form a large number of seeds. The fact is that they are self-pollinated and give high germination rates. But terry need pollination (cross). For this reason, they produce much less seed. But it is they who are considered more beautiful and magnificent. So if quality is not important for you, then choose double flowers for collection.

Seed material ripens within 40 days from the beginning of flowering. During this time, the flower will turn yellow and dry completely. The stems will turn brown. To collect the seeds, you must carefully cut the seed pod and immediately pour the contents into a paper envelope.

Keep in mind that the seeds will only fully ripen under the right conditions. This requires a lot of light and heat. If the weather is rainy and humid, then it is better not to leave marigolds outside. In this case, they will most likely just start to rot. To save them, you need to choose a warm day and collect the right amount of wilted flowers with stems. Then they are tied up and hung down with flowers in any dry room. A dry sheet of paper is placed below, onto which the seeds will crumble on their own after full ripening. Next, you just need to collect all the seeds and place them in a paper box or envelope. In this form, they are stored until spring.

When to collect seeds

You need to collect marigold seeds, of course, in the autumn (from about the second week of September). You can determine the ripening time by the withered bushes and stems. This means that the seeds are completely ready to be harvested. In this case, the weather on the day when they are harvested plays a very important role. It should be calm and dry.

Also, many are interested in whether it is possible to collect seed after the onset of frost? In this case, it is necessary to look at the quality of the seeds themselves. If they are too wet, then it is unlikely that something good will come of it. They may simply not come up. Not always, but often the death of the seed occurs precisely because of frost.

How to collect marigold seeds

The collection of marigold seeds is as follows:

1. Ripe and completely dry boxes are carefully cut off.
2. Then the boxes are dried in a dry ventilated area.
3. After that, it is necessary to remove the dry ripe seeds from the box.
4. Place them in a paper bag or box.

If the seeds are still wet, they are harvested in a different way:

1. Withered flowers are cut along with the stems.
2. They are tied into small bouquets.
3. The associated flowers are hung down in bolls.
4. A dry newspaper is placed under them.
5. The seeds of marigolds will fall off themselves after complete drying. After that, they are collected in a paper envelope and stored until spring.

Finished seeds are elongated and black in color. They can only be stored in paper envelopes. Once you buy a bag of marigold seeds once, you no longer have to spend money, because you can quickly and independently collect them at home.

Marigold care for quality seeds

To get high-quality seed, you need to follow some rules even when planting:

• plant different varieties of marigolds far from each other, otherwise cross-pollination may occur and the varietal characteristics of the flowers simply will not be preserved. Such marigolds will not have the desired decorative appearance;
• do not sow marigolds too thickly. Densely planted flowers will not receive the required amount of sunlight, which can cause fungus to attack the plants. Such diseases are inherited, so there is a risk of collecting infected seed;
• if you notice sick marigolds in the flower bed, then it is better to immediately remove such plants so that you do not collect seed from them later;
• you need to water the plants only until the moment when they bloom. After that, watering is stopped so that excess moisture does not lead to the appearance of rot;
• you need to feed only 2 times for the entire season (before the buds are formed and during the flowering period). Due to an overabundance of fertilizers, the green mass will begin to actively grow to the detriment of flowering.

Conclusion

Seed collection is an important and crucial stage in the process of growing flowers. How the seeds are collected depends on how beautiful and healthy the marigolds will grow. By following the rules in this article, you can grow beautiful double flowers. We also offer for your viewing an interesting video about the collection of seed.

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