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Some believe that marigolds will grow on their own next year, and there is no need to collect seeds every time. But to preserve 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 understand when marigold seeds are collected. You can find out 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 must be remembered that the germination of seed directly depends on the flowers themselves. They come in two different types:
- tubular bisexual. Characterized by petals located around the central part of the flower;
- reed female. In this case, the petals are on the periphery. Such varieties are also called terry.
Each species has its own characteristic features. Tubular form a large number of seeds. The fact is that they are self-pollinating and give high germination rates. But terry ones need pollination (cross-pollination). For this reason, they produce much less seed material.But they are considered more beautiful and magnificent. So if quality, rather than quantity, is important to you, then choose double flowers to collect.
Seed material ripens within 40 days from the start of flowering. During this time, the flower will turn yellow and dry completely. The stems will turn brown. To collect the seeds, you need to carefully cut off the seed pod and immediately pour the contents into a paper envelope.
Keep in mind that the seeds will only ripen fully under suitable 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 simply begin to rot. To save them, you need to choose a warm day and collect the required number of wilted flowers with stems. Then they are tied and hung down with flowers in any dry room. A dry sheet of paper is placed below, onto which the seeds will fall off 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 time of ripening by looking at wilted bushes and stems. This means that the seeds are completely ready for collection. The weather on the day they are collected plays a very important role. It should be windless and dry.
Many people are also interested in whether it is possible to collect seed material after the onset of frost? In this case, you need to look at the quality of the seeds themselves. If they are too wet, then it is unlikely that anything good will come out of it. They may simply not rise. Not always, but often the death of seed occurs precisely because of frost.
How to collect marigold seeds
Collecting marigold seeds occurs as follows:
- Ripe and completely dry boxes are carefully cut off.
- Then the boxes are dried in a dry, ventilated area.
- After this, it is necessary to remove dry ripened seeds from the box.
- Place them in a paper bag or box.
If the seeds are still wet, they are collected in another way:
- Withered flowers are cut off along with the stems.
- They are tied into small bouquets.
- Tied flowers are hung down in boxes.
- Dry newspaper is placed under them.
- Marigold seeds will fall off on their own after they dry completely. After that, they are collected in a paper envelope and stored until spring.
The finished seeds have an elongated shape and a black tint. They can only be stored in paper envelopes. Once you buy a bag of marigold seeds, you will no longer have to spend money, because you can quickly and independently collect them at home.
Caring for marigolds to obtain quality seeds
To get high-quality seed, you need to follow some rules even when planting:
- plant different varieties of marigolds away 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 is why the plants can be affected by fungus. Such diseases are inherited, so there is a risk of collecting infected seed;
- if you notice diseased marigolds in a flowerbed, it is better to immediately remove such plants so as not to collect seed from them later;
- Plants need to be watered only until they bloom. After this, watering is stopped so that excess moisture does not lead to rot;
- You only need to fertilize twice during the entire season (before the buds are formed and during the flowering period). Due to an excess of fertilizers, the green mass will begin to actively grow to the detriment of flowering.
Conclusion
Collecting seed material is an important and responsible stage in the process of growing flowers. How beautiful and healthy the marigolds will grow depends on how the seeds are collected. By following the rules from this article, you can grow beautiful double flowers. We also offer you an interesting video about collecting seed.
