Marigolds in pots at home and on the balcony: is it possible to grow in an apartment in winter and summer, especially the care of flowers, the benefits and application

Marigolds are bright, unpretentious, fast-growing flowers. We constantly meet them in the beds of city parks and flower gardens. These lovely creatures were so loved by people that many experienced and not very experienced flower growers began to grow them at home on the windowsills of balconies.

In addition to decorative bright flowers (simple and double) and cirrus dissected leaves, chornobrids also have a specific smell, indicating a high content of phytoncides - substances that have a beneficial effect on the human body and are able to repel pests both from the flower itself and its surrounding plants .

History and Description

Marigolds - a highly branching annual plant (about all types of annual and perennial plants read here). Its inflorescences, large double and semi-double, in their shape resemble chrysanthemums or carnations. The largest varieties of marigolds can reach a height of 80 cm. They have bright green pinnate leaves, and flowers can have a wide variety of shades, from bright yellow to deep orange.

Rni was brought to us from South America, where marigolds grow in large numbers in the wild. Marigolds are currently grown and cultivated in Mexico, Canada, Brazil, France, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine.

Will plants bloom at home?

If you do not have a summer cottage, but you really want to grow marigolds, do not worry. They can be planted right at home in flowerpots or drawers on your balcony. In the apartment itself, these flowers are rarely grown due to their strong characteristic smell, which gives them a high content of essential oils. But here is a matter of taste. Many people like this smell and even has a calming effect. Read more about growing and caring for marigolds at home here.

These plants bloom in the open ground from early June until mid-autumn until the first frost sets in (you will learn about the proper planting and care of the plant in the open ground here, and how and when to do it read here). But at home on the windowsill, marigolds will delight you with their flowering all year round. It is only necessary to plant them correctly and create suitable conditions for growth. We wrote about this in another article.

ATTENTION. For growing flowers on the balcony, it is better to choose undersized varieties of marigolds: Bonanza Orange, Bonanza Flame and Bonanza Bolero. But the following are considered to be the smallest varieties: Ursula, Paprika, Lulu and Gnome.

How can I grow flowers?

In order for your flowers to grow well and please their flowering all year round, you need to know how to properly prepare and grow seedlings from seeds and how to care for them after.

Soil selection

To grow marigold seedlings in the apartment itself and on the balcony, you need containers that are convenient with drainage holes: wide, low pots or drawers. Soil can be universal for flowering plants and purchased in advance at the flower shop. Or you can prepare a nutrient substrate, which will include peat, humus, turf land and sand (2: 2: 2: 1).

The prepared mixture must be disinfected with a not very strong solution of potassium permanganate before planting seeds.

At the bottom of the containers, you must first place a drainage of sand, pebbles, expanded clay and crushed stone (2-3 cm thick).

Seed preparation

Planting material before planting in the soil must be kept for about a day in a disinfectant solution of weak potassium permanganate. Then the seeds are placed on a saucer, covered with a damp cloth or gauze, packed in a plastic bag and put for 3 days in a warm place. This time should be enough for the seeds to germinate.

Dropbox

On the surface of the substrate, cut shallow grooves with a stick and pour them with settled warm water. Then the germinated seeds are laid out along the furrows with an interval of 1.5-2.5 cm and sprinkled with a small layer of earth. Some gardeners do not spread seeds, but stick them into the ground like sticks.

Watering and temperature

Crops should be sprinkled sparingly from the spray gun and placed for germination in a warm place with a temperature of 22-25 ° C.

IMPORTANT. If you follow all the rules of planting, seedlings should appear already on the 4th-6th day.

Seedlings can be transplanted in pots to a permanent place after the onset of phase 3-4 of real leaves.

Seedling Care

Homemade marigolds do not require special care, like their garden counterparts. But regularly watering and loosening the soil for full growth and flowering is still required.

Watering

It is worth knowing that the soil mixture in boxes and flower pots dries much faster than the land of a street flower garden. Without sufficient moisture, the bushes of potted marigolds will be feeble, and their flowers will be small and not so bright. Therefore, be careful that the substrate never dries.

Top dressing

Marigolds do not require enhanced and systematic nutrition. But for a more magnificent flowering for the entire growing season, it is still worth 2-3 times to feed the plants with complex mineral fertilizers intended for decorative-flowering crops.

Circumcision

In order for the bushes to further have a beautiful spherical shape, the elongated shoots of young marigolds need to be cut in time.

Lighting

This culture loves adequate lighting. In winter, when growing flowers in an apartment or on a balcony, daylight from the sun may not be enough. From this, young marigolds will look lethargic. To prevent this from happening, buy a special phytolamp for additional illumination of seedlings.

All the details of growing marigold from seeds, transplanting and subsequent care of the plant can be found in a separate article.

Diseases and Pests

Spider mite

Due to its bright characteristic aroma, indoor marigolds are practically not afraid of pests. But it should be remembered that due to a lack of moisture and excessive dryness of the surrounding air, the red spider mite can take a fancy for itself. To avoid this, do not forget to regularly spray the bushes and the air around them with cool water. In case of infection with a parasite, an infusion of hot pepper, bitter wormwood, tobacco or yarrow will help. All the details about what to do if marigold spider mites are wound up on marigolds, you will learn in this article.

Gray rot and black leg

These unpleasant diseases occur during systematic waterlogging of the substrate. Until the plant has died completely, it must be treated with the following fungicides: Fitosporin, Ridomil Gold or Fundazol.

TIP. In case of severe damage, it is better to completely destroy the diseased bushes in order to avoid the spread of infection to healthy plants.

Read about the diseases and pests of this wonderful plant in a separate article.

Benefit and Application

Growing marigolds at home on the windowsill or in drawers on the balcony is not only beautiful, but also very useful!

Their leaves and flowers contain a large number of phytoncides, so that the air around them is disinfected and becomes healing.
The spicy aroma of these bright amazing flowers is very disliked by mosquitoes and flies, which means you can forget about annoying insects for the entire time of their flowering. Do not let your beloved pets and malicious pests dangerous to all indoor flowers close to you. Aphids, thrips and whiteflies are not interested in these fragrant flowers.
Knowledgeable flower growers prepare medicinal tinctures from the heads of marigolds that perfectly treat asthma, bronchitis, stomatitis and various colds. From neurosis and stress help baths with decoction of marigolds.
But this is not all the advantages of beautiful sunny plants. Gourmets around the world value this flower as a spice. Its inflorescences and leaves can be added to marinades, sauces and even pastries.
Well, the people of Marigold endow with magical power. It is generally accepted that they protect housing from envious and ill-wishers.

Read about the medicinal properties of marigolds and contraindications for use here, and about how this plant is used in folk medicine, you will find out here.

Useful recipes for female beauty

And finally, we want to share several recipes of beauty with lovely women.

Lotion for freshness and youth of the face

Dried and chopped marigold flowers (2 tbsp. L.) Pour a glass of boiling water. Let stand 10-12 hours. Then strain through cheesecloth. Add a little lemon juice and 1 tbsp to the finished mood. l vodka. Store the lotion in the refrigerator. Wipe your face with infusion 3 times a day.

Lip Balm

2 tbsp. l chopped marigolds mixed with 1 tbsp. l apricot oil and 50 g of olive oil. Infuse the mixture in the dark for about 7 days. Then the composition is filtered and put in the refrigerator. This base is simply indispensable in the cold season.

Anti-inflammatory tincture

If you have problem skin prone to irritation and inflammation, prepare the next healing composition. 2 tbsp. l heads of marigolds pour 300 g of boiling water. After 3 hours, the juice of large aloe vera is added to the finished infusion. Then the tincture is filtered and sent for storage in the refrigerator. Wipe problem areas in the morning and evening.

Conclusion

Decorative marigolds belong to annual plants and after flowering they are simply pulled out. But throwing bushes right away is not worth it. Their seeds can be collected, dried and planted again so that new bushes will delight you again!