The green asters that I started from seed are doing really well, but the marigolds seemed to just rot at the soil level and died. Any ideas? Would I be better off direct sowing? I was pleasantly surprised to find three clusters of lilacs blooming on the small bush I recently planted! And my pink gaura is bursting with buds this week. The columbine and black hollyhocks are just breaking ground as well. It's going to be a good year!
Its hard to tell what might be wrong with your mairgolds without actually seeing your environment. Rot is usually caused by too much water and not enough air movement so if you are rooting these inside you might want to put a fan in the room to help get some air cirulation. Do not blow it on the soil as that would be way too much air movement, but you can put it 4 or 5 feet away and blow it near the side of the plugs. Also, after the seed has germinated and the marigold is beginning to rise, you can cut down on the misting a bit.
The Wise Sage might be right. Rot is indeed caused by wet feet in plants. Afterall Marigolds like a sunny position and are you perhaps propagating your seeds indoors?
Thank you WS and PT. It makes sense....there has been a lot of moisture in the greenhouse, so it was probably just too damp and closed up. All of the other seedlings I had growing have done well and are now potted and planted, so I will try and direct sow the remaining marigolds.
My mother loved french marigolds, and always sowed them directly into the ground, after the danger of frost had past. I go and buy plants, and plant them in her memory each year. Last year, I could not find any. :'( The french ones were her favorite!
How sweet Songof joy. I finally got a few zinias to grow last year. My mom gave me some seeds from my grandpas garden. He passed away several years ago. I hope they still grow this year. As for marigolds. I planted some in my mini green house and only 1 has sprouted out of the handful i planted. I am assuming they are soggy and wet. Let me know if the airing out helped.
