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If you are looking for gorgeous types of flowers to create a vivid picture for your garden. Calendula brings you a splash of colorful flowers that will light up your landscape. Do you know how to plant and take care of them? To help you have a closer look, this article from gardenhow.net will provide detailed information about how to plant and transplant Calendula seedlings.
What are the best conditions for growing Calendula?
When planting and transplanting Calendula seedlings, you need to give them the suitable conditions to help them get enough nutrients and adapt to their adequate requirements for growth.
When to plant Calendula?
- Sow Calendula seeds indoors
If the soil is workable, Calendulas can also be started indoors and then transferred to the garden; avoid doing this when it’s hot outside. Start seeds indoors about 8 weeks prior to the latest spring frost date in Zone 5 or colder. The Calendula seed germination time is 7 to 14 days. Plant seeds outdoors in the fall in southern regions.
- Plant outdoors
You should transplant Calendula seedlings to the garden in Zone 5 or colder a week or two before the final spring frost. Plant seeds outside in Zones 5 to 6 once the soil temperature reaches 60°fall in zones 7 to 10, plant seeds outside where they will flourish.
Where to plant Calendula?
Calendula grows nicely in pots and as a bedding annual at the start of a border display. In the greenhouse and vegetable patch, plant Calendula among your beans, tomatoes, and other crops to attract pollinators.
Soil
Calendula, like most other members of the daisy family, requires organically rich, well-drained soil.The roots may rot in dense, wet soils. Although it can survive a variety of soil pHs, this plant likes a slightly acidic to neutral soil (6.0 to 7.0).
Light and temperature
With at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight each day, Calendula blooms best in full sun to mild shade. On the USDA map, cultivation is recommended in zones 8 through 10. Plants flower best in the cooler months, and if temperatures exceed 85°F (29°C) during the summer, they may go dormant until the weather cools and they bloom again in the fall.
Calendula is also frost-resistant, although it won’t endure long term exposure to extremely low temperatures.
Space
There is no doubt that space is one of the most important factors when sowing seeds and transferring Calendula seedlings.
The garden’s Calendula blossoms must be planted and spaced correctly. Calendula plants should be spaced 8 to 12 inches apart, with 18 inches between each row. Proper spacing provides some advantages, such as air circulation, proactive defense against diseases like powdery mildew, and appropriate proliferation.
How to grow Calendula from seeds?
It is easy to plant Calendula from seeds successfully and create stunning flowers in your garden. You can sow Calendula seeds both indoors and outdoors. Here are the step-by-step guides for sowing them. Let’s check it.
Sowing Calendula Seeds Indoors
Step 1: Choose the proper location
Use seed starting potting mix in place of regular soil or potting mix. The seed starting mix contains the correct amounts of nutrients and growth factors. You may either use anything that drains properly or put the seeds in a seed starting kit and follow the container’s instructions.
Step 2: Sow Calendula seeds
Cover a 1/4-inch layer of soil over the seeds after pressing them into the ground. Use your fingers to gently push it down.
Spray water onto the top 1/2 inch of soil until it feels wet. While the seeds start germinating, keep the moisture level constant.
Step 3: Take care of them
To promote circulation and evaporation, wrap it in plastic wrap and make holes in it.
After that, put it close to a window that looks south and receives at least six hours of sunlight each day. Alternately, put it in front of a fluorescent or grow light. The seed will sprout in five to fourteen days. Take off the plastic wrap and throw it away. You should remove the weaker seedlings. Rotate the seedlings if necessary to prevent them from growing too long while trying to reach the sun.
Step 4: Transfer them
Once the seedlings have grown their second set of leaves and the frost date has passed, you can plant the Calendula outside.
Direct Sowing Outdoors
Moreover, you can also sow Calendula seeds directly outdoors at the proper time and temperature.
Step 1: Choose and prepare location
Plant in full sun or partial shade if the weather is too hot. Some know the information called “Calendula” as an annual for the cool seasons. In warm temperatures, Calendula is supposed to stop blooming.
Step 2: Sow Calendula seeds outdoors
If you’re using pots, use high-quality potting soil.
Seeds should be sown four inches apart and 1/4 inch deep after the soil has been properly scratched.
Step 3: Take care of them
Wait until the second set of true leaves appears before spacing the plants eight to twelve inches apart. Plants can grow to a minimum height of 12 inches and a maximum width of 8 feet.
Calendula seeds and seedlings need to stay wet. Your plant needs water as it grows.
Planting Calendula seedlings in pots?
You need to set out the sturdy their seedlings to help them get the conditions to grow and bloom.
Indeed, you can sow seeds to get Calendula seedlings. And you can also buy them in the nursery or store.
This part will give you detailed instructions on how to plant them in pots.
Step 1: Prepare for planting
You must select an appropriate pot before planting. Finding a container with at least 200 mm of width and lots of drainage holes is essential because pot marigold cannot tolerate moist feet within a pot.
For Calendulas grown in containers, full sunlight and little fertilizer are necessary. As a result, you must place the pot in full sunlight.
Add quality potting soil to the pot.
Step 2: Plant Calendula seedlings
The next step is to plant Calendula seedlings after the area has been prepared. Remove the plant from the container. Soil backfilled into the hole is softly compacted.3
Step 3: Take care of them
After you have finished planting your Calendula seedlings, you should care for them to ensure their success. Water should be added regularly, and the mixture should always be wet.
How to plant Calendula seedlings in the garden?
Planting Calendula in the garden will have different requirements compared to in pots.
Step 1: Prepare for planting
Find a place with lots of sunlight exposure and well-drained soil. You can improve the soils to add nutrients for the growth of Calendula seedlings.
Step 2: Plant in the garden
Make sure them are adequately spaced, at least 20 to 30 cm apart, while planting them on the garden bed that has been prepared.
Create a planting hole that is the same depth as the root ball and twice as wide. Remove the plant from the container. Soil backfilled into the hole is softly compacted. Create a well by forming a raised ring all the way around the plant to direct water where it is most needed.
Step 3: Take care of them
You can properly care for Calendula seedlings after planting them. Keep the soil wet at all times by lightly watering it in.
Maintaining it away from the plant’s base, mulch to a depth of 5 to 8 cm with an organic mulch, such as bark chips, woodchips, or pea straw.
Calendula Companion plants
The productivity of vegetables, certain flowers, and Calendula may all be increased by planting them together in your yard. Calendula attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that are important for plant reproduction.
Furthermore, you may grow Calendula with marigolds to ward against nematodes since they release a chemical into the soil that does the same for the plant.
Try interplanting marigolds with these flowers, such as Aster, Mums, Allium, Coreopsis, Roses, etc., to produce an eye-catching appearance.
Tomatoes, carrots, and asparagus are also combined with Calendula.
Besides, you don’t plant Calendula near potatoes and sage.
Q & A
Why are Calendula seedlings leggy?
Lack of light can cause leggy seedlings. It may not be enough light coming through the window where you are growing your seedlings or the grow lights you are using may not be close enough to the seedling. The seedlings will get leggy either way.
In addition, when transplanted outdoors, seedlings that are excessively tall will experience difficulties. Because they are thin and floppy, they simply cannot withstand weather conditions such as wind and heavy rain. Second, weak seedlings have a difficult time developing into strong plants. Thirdly, seedlings that are falling over may be more vulnerable to infectious pests.
Should you soak Calendula seeds before planting?
It should only take a short while for the seeds to enlarge before they start to sour and perish. Overnight generally works well. Numerous sources advise against exceeding 24 hours and favor 8–12 hours. Scarification before soaking is beneficial for seeds that are especially tough, like beans.
What are the Calendula seeds germination temperature?
In terms of rate and cumulative percent, temperatures between 16.5 and 16.8 °C are ideal for Calendula germination. Germination is reduced as the temperature goes up over 17 °C.
Final Thoughts
This article from gardenhow.net provides the necessary information about how to sow seeds and plant Calendula seedlings. Because of the instructions we carefully researched, you will gain more knowledge and become a professional gardener. Hopefully, this will be one of the useful materials when you want to plant Calendula. Thank you for reading!
All about Calendula: Planting, Caring Calendula seedlings guides for a dream garden