General information and discussion about cultivating fruit-bearing plants, trees, flowers and ornamental plants.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Frisco Texas
Posts: 390
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Im used to buying marigolds but I thought I would try to save the seeds from last year and grow my own. So, I saved about 500 seed but I can not get them to germinate? Anyone know the trick to marigolds?
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 217
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Experienced the same... non-germination here last year and this.
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Posts: 3,148
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How deep are you planting these seeds? They want to be sown on the surface with just barely anything covering them.
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~ Patti ~ |
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 217
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Have plenty of seeds. Planted at all depths. Even failed in start trays under lights.
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#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Posts: 3,148
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Perhaps your seeds are not good. If they were around any humidity it could have done them in.
If you have surfaced sown them and kept them warm, they ought to have germinated within 14 days. If after that and still not having any luck. I would just prepare the space where you want to grow them by lightly raking the top inch or two of the soil. After all danger of frost, I would scatter all of the seeds in the bed and water them in. As temperatures permit, they will germinate if there are any viable seeds in the batch. Hopefully you will get a few or even better, a whole lot.
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~ Patti ~ |
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 217
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MisS; Ok, thanks. Appreciate your thoughts.
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#7 |
BANNED FOR LIFE
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 13,333
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Ozone, the same thing happened a few years ago for me. I saved a pint jar of seeds and none of them germinated.
20 cents American Seeds marigold seeds at Walmart or 25 cents at Dollar Tree have always had a high germination rate for us. |
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#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Southern WI
Posts: 2,742
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I saved Marigold seeds one year, some germinated, most didn't. I ended up just buying more even though the variety I had was OP. I guess I should look into when the optimal point for harvesting the seeds is, I'm guessing that was my problem?
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#9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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did you let the seed heads completely ripen before harvesting and saving the seeds? if you saved them too soon they may have failed to finish hardening off. just a thought. I had someone tell me she saved all the zinnia seeds from the flowers she picked, but none of them ever sprouted for her. she was always so disappointed and had to go buy seeds every spring. or depending on the variety you could have a sterile (non seed setting) variety. I think there are a couple varieties that don't really set seed. they may look like it but they aren't viable seeds. triploids?
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carolyn k |
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#10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,893
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I have trouble germinating marigolds too. Definitely not sterile varieties. This year, I started a whole pile on damp paper towel in a baggie and a few germinated while others went mouldy.
Linda |
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#11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: SK, Canada
Posts: 41
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I found that if the seeds are thin and bendable, they are usually nonviable.
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#12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,893
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Good to know Mannalon! Many of my seeds were thin and bendy....... Maybe they dehydrated too much!
Linda |
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#13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Posts: 781
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Stick with the French Marigolds. They are always easy to grow and germinate. To many of the hybrids are crossed so many times that they are not dependable. Let the flower heads dry completely until brown. Also separate the seeds from the flower head and let them dry completely too before storing them. I grow French Marigold especially when planting tomato seedlings. They are great to deter and kill root knot nematodes. Just plant the roots and greenery of the Marigolds around your seedlings when u transplant your tomatoes. Only use French Marigold varieties.
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#14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 217
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Gardenboy: Good idea, using Marigolds as insect/nematode repellent. Better off hereabouts to just buy a packet of new French Marigolds every year. FYI, during blooming, the blossoms are plucked off the plants, ripped apart and scattered allover the tomato plants. Dunno if it deters insects, but it encourages more Marigold blossoms.
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#15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Walla Walla, Washington
Posts: 360
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I've had the same issue of non-germination for a couple of years now, too. If using French marigolds is the secret, you deserve a huge prize of some sort for figuring it out for us!
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