Looking for a few simple secrets to keep your marigolds blooming like crazy this year from spring all the way into late fall?
Without a doubt, marigolds are at the top of our list for annual flowers to grow all over our farm. Not only do these amazing annuals produce a massive amount of bright and colorful flowers, they also happen to be one of the best for handling the hot summer sun.
But the advantages of growing marigolds don’t stop there. In fact, those two reasons are just the tip of the iceberg for why we love to plant them everywhere. Marigolds also happen to be incredibly valuable for attracting beneficial pollinators – all while repelling a long list of harmful pests!
How Marigolds Help Your Garden, Flowerbeds & Landscape
The vivid orange and yellow hues of a marigold plant are a major attraction to honeybees. But they also bring in wasps and butterflies as well. Even better, they are amazing at helping to keep other plants safe. When grown near vegetable plants such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, they also can help repel aphids, whiteflies and the dreaded tomato hornworm.
If all of that protection wasn’t enough, marigolds also are an incredible weapon against mosquitoes too. Mosquitoes, just like the hornworm moth, simply detest the scent of marigolds. And when plants are in full bloom, they too tend to keep their distance from wherever they grow.
So how can you keep them flowering with gusto? Well – after years and years of experience growing them, we have learned there are two simple secrets that together can keep marigolds blooming like crazy for the entire growing season. In fact, all the way right up until the first hard frost!
How To Keep Your Marigolds Blooming Like Crazy This Year
#1 Fertilizing Marigolds For Better Blooming
At the top of the list for keeping marigolds bright, healthy and flowering is fertilizing!
Producing new blooms and flowers requires a lot of energy from plants. Especially when the plants are continually trying to regrow new blooms all season long. And that is exactly why feeding your marigolds regularly is so important. But – and this is important – you need to feed them with the right kind of fertilizer – and with the right dose!
For starters, a steady stream of power every ten to fourteen days is far better than large intermittent doses once a month. Heavy applications of fertilizer given all at once can provide too much power too quickly to your marigolds.
It will result in a mass of foliage growth but at the expense of blooms. For us, we like to feed our marigolds a liquid fertilizer mixed at half strength every ten days. It keeps the perfect amount of energy to the plants at all times.
Why Liquid Fertilizers Are The Way To Go
Liquid fertilizers are great for annual flowers because they absorb fast. Both through the roots and foliage. This allows plants to keep a steady but manageable supply of nutrients to power blooms continually. But it’s the fertilizer make-up you use that can really help get your marigolds bloom like crazy!
For blooming, it’s important to select a liquid fertilizer that has a higher balance of phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen. Nitrogen is important for greening up and growth, but the higher doses of phosphorus and potassium will power more blooms.
Our secret weapon for this has been to use a product that has a 10-30-20 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. That high middle number is what really gives us lots and lots of blooms all season long. Meanwhile, the lower 10 of nitrogen still powers green plant growth, but at a steady rate. Affiliate Product Link: Jacks Classic 10-30-20 Blossom Booster Liquid Fertilizer
Listen To Our Podcast Below On How Incredible Marigolds Can Be For Your Garden & Flowerbeds!
Feeding Your Marigolds A Little More Power
We also use a monthly dose of worm castings on the surface of the soil around our marigolds. Worm castings are the ultimate slow release fertilizer. We sprinkle it around our plants every month (about 1/4 cup for every four plants). After we do, every time it rains or we water, the plants get a slow, steady stream of power.
We actually do this little trick with all of our annuals we grow in containers, hanging baskets and even in our flowerbeds. The power of worm castings is truly amazing – and together with the high phosphorus liquid fertilizer, our marigolds just never stop blooming! Affiliate Product Link: Pure Worm Castings
#2 The Importance Of Deadheading
To keep marigolds blooming like crazy, it’s also critical to practice the art of deadheading. Quite simply, the more you deadhead your marigolds – the more they are going to bloom!
As old blooms fade and die off, they not only look unsightly, they also continue to take valuable nutrients and resources from marigold plants. Even as the flowers die off, the plant continues to try to heal them by sending more power to them. And it will keep doing so until the old bloom completely falls off.
But by removing that bloom as soon as it starts to fade, you can stop that power loss immediately. And by doing so, the plant will then redirect its focus on solely producing and opening new blooms and flowers.
Here is the best part – with marigolds, deadheading is simple and easy. Simply pinch off the blooms behind the flower. When you do this, the old flower and seed head will easily snap off the plant. You can certainly use scissors or small pruners if need be, but for us, using just our fingers is fast and efficient.
For best results, try to deadhead your plants at least once a week. And remember, those old blooms are filled with seeds, so saving a few back and allowing them to dry out will give you free seeds to use next year.
Don’t Forget To Water!
Never underestimate how important watering is to your marigolds as well – especially when it comes to getting them to bloom like crazy!
Marigolds need moisture to power blooms and soak in nutrients through their roots and foliage. For maximum blooming, marigolds growing in bed spaces should get at least an inch of water per week. Either by rain or by hand watering.
How much is an inch of rain? On average, a solid 30 to 60 minute shower twice a week is adequate. When watering by hand, a half gallon of water per plant twice a week is close to being equal to that amount.
For containers, pots and hanging baskets, daily watering is likely a necessity. But be careful not to overwater. The roots of marigold plants can be susceptible to rot when left to sit in water. Check the soil in containers by sticking the tip of your index finger down about an inch into the soil. If it is moist or wet, avoid watering. If it comes up dry, watering is in order.
When watering marigolds, always try to water at the base of the plants and not directly over top of the blooms. Water sprayed on the blooms will shorten their lifespan. The moisture gets down into the petals and depending on the spray pressure, can damage them as well. Hard spray can also knock off delicate new blooms.
Here is to keeping your marigolds blooming like crazy all summer long. And – to having more color than ever in your flowerbeds, containers and hanging baskets! For more on marigolds, check out our article: Why You Need To Plant French Marigolds In Your Vegetable Garden! Happy Gardening – Jim & Mary.
Old World Garden Farms
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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