Marigolds

Transplant when there is no more risk of frost and the soil has warmed up a bit.

Deadhead the flowers after they have blossomed and starting to fade. You can wait a little longer and let the flower go to seed. Then pinch of the seed head and save the seeds for next season.

Marigolds take about 45 to 50 days to flower after you plant seeds.

Marigolds do not need a lot of fertilizer if they are growing in good soil. Fertilize only in the spring when you transplant the seedlings. Too much fertilizer will produce lots of foliage and just a few blossoms.

You probably have slugs or snails in your garden that eat the marigolds. Put some crushed egg shells or sand around the plants to discourage them.

Marigolds are annuals but can also reseed in warmer climates. However, you can still pull the dead plants. If they reseeded, their seeds already fell. Or, you can look at the marigold seed heads and see if you can save them and direct seed.
Note: sometimes birds eat the seeds or they blow away or conditions aren't right for reseeding.
Normally, if you don't want to leave it to chance, you would gather the seeds once the pods have dried and save them; they easily grow by direct sowing next year.
At this point, we'd pull the plants and then plant new seeds. Frankly, marigolds are one of the easiest and cheapest seeds to grow. That's why they are a common flower for children to grow. Follow our planting information on this page.

In central Florida, marigolds are best planted March through August. The night time temperature shouldn't go below 60 degrees. See how it goes! Their growth may just be a bit slowed.

Maybe you are putting too much work into them? I choose them because they are so easy. Is your soil over fertilized? Is there good drainage? I'm in upstate ny. Mine did not bloom last year until july-ish.

Depending on the timing of when you cut the tops off, you may have pruned off any flower buds that were developing. Flowers develop usually as the plant is close to mature height. Shearing 1/3 of the taller marigolds can be done, if needed, usually in midsummer after bloom has diminished somewhat and the plants are looking a bit scraggly. Dwarf marigolds do not need to be sheared--just deadheaded. If you are not getting any blooms, it may be possible that they are receiving too much nitrogen, which encourages leaves and stems rather than flowers. The soil should be well-drained, but marigolds like soil of average to poor quality as to fertility. Also, planting them out too early may slow flowering if the weather is cool. They like warmth--but very hot summers can also affect blooming.

Wait a couple of weeks to plant outdoors. The soil needs to warm up a bit and you don't want to risk frost damage.

Our sources indicate that that this plant thrives under hot, dry conditions...so it could be that by watering once per day, you're drowning them. (Few plants require water everyday.) If the soil is saturated now, you might be able to save them if you remove them and replant them in dry soil. Presumably the plants will be loaded with moisture, so you wouldn't need to water again for a couple or a few days. Make sure that the new (or old) soil is well-draining; one way of doing that is to include some sand or other material that does not absorb water (not peat, for example). These plants thrive in drought areas and xeriscape gardens; that means that they require very little water. Think drops . . . like a rare rain shower.
If it's too late to save these, you could think about replacing them with new plants. It's an additional expense, but with their fragrance and attraction to butterflies, they are a wonderful plant. Good luck!

Marigolds are hearty plants. The dark spots and wilting suggest, however, that they may have a bacterial disease. If so, infected plants need to be removed. To get a diagnosis, we suggest that you bring a sample back to the local nurseries. To avoid bacterial disease, soil must be sterile and disease-free; overhead watering should be avoided.

In southern regions the marigold plant is perennial and grows year round. If you bring the plant indoors and give it plenty of light it should do well. If you leave it outdoors it will die back and sprout again in the spring.

Deadheading is a must with marigolds. When the blooms start to wither, turn brown and become spent, immediatly pluck that bloom off. it will encourage new growth.

Try completely saturating the root-ball every day if there isn’t rain.

Water thoroughly once a week if it has not rained at least an inch that week. Water deeply when dry (vs. shallow and often).

Possibly overwatering. Water thoroughly once a week if it has not rained at least an inch that week. Water deeply when dry (vs. shallow and often). Those temps can be hot for containers. If you can, put the marigold pot into another planter to provide some insulation for the root system. Also, check for spider mites who like hot, dry weather.

When you deadhead marigolds, remove each fading flower and its individual stem. Do this after you transplant. As long as the flower is pinched as it passes its peak, the flower will keep blooming through the season. You need to deadhead when it's their time, not your time, but if you deadhead at different times, you should see continue blooms at different times, too.

Marigolds are annuals. You can try to divide them but your success in transplanting them is only going to get you so far. Remember: If you uproot them, they will have to settle into a new spot and that takes time. There may not be enough time in the season.
The same goes for moving them indoors. You may have some luck in bringing your marigolds indoor, but in general, annuals grow and thrive for one year.
What you might try is clipping the flowers and drying the seeds and saving them for next year. THAT could have promise for next year—and you are, in effect, transplanting.
We hope this helps.

Yes. Spray fungicide, Dithane M45 (one gram dissolved in one liter of water) thrice at an interval of 10 to 15 days.

If your marigolds have white mold, that is a fungal disease that can occur late in the season due to overhead watering or heavy rain. Bring a sample to your cooperative extension or local garden center, however, to get a diagnosis. To control the spread, you could try using protective spraying with Fore, Zineb, or Captan. But you may need to pull them out and dispose of them. In the future, be sure to water the soil not the plant or use drip irrigation. Also, if it's mold, be sure to clean up everything--even a faded bloom--at the end of the season. It's also a good idea to change the location of the marigold.

When you move the marigold indoors place it in a sunny south-facing window or under a grow light. Marigolds don't need much fertilizer. Save some of the marigold seeds to start next spring for more plants.

Yes, you should deadhead marigolds to keep them blooming. It's fairly easy. Just pinch off the fading blooms with your fingers, removing the seedpods that may have formed behind the bloom (not just the petals). For marigolds, we like to remove both the flower and its individual stem. It's a chore to deadhead, but worth the results.

For hostas, consider companion plants that also enjoy part-shade. For spring, consider planting early blooming bulbs to join your emerging hosta leaves, such as tulips, daffodils, and forget-me-nots. For summer months, consider bright annuals such as impatiens, begonia, and coleus. We love bright red impatiens peeking through the green hosta leaves!

Marigolds are a good choice for clay soils. If the leaves and plant look fairly normal (not dried out or filled with holes, etc), there are a few reasons why your marigold lacks good blooms: High summer heat, too much fertilizer, or a plant bug. For heat, you can mulch and wait for temps to moderate. Stop fertilizing. And look for green/brown insects; if you find them, you'll need to start a spraying program.