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Annuals/Planting depth for Marigolds

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Expert: - 5/8/2009


Question

Marigold seedlings
My forty  or so marigold seedlings, planted  inside under lights, are very leggy.  The roots are visible on the top of the soil. Can I plant them deeply like tomato plants? Thank you.

Answer
No, you can't plant the stems of marigolds deeply like you can tomatoes.  You can cover up those surface roots a bit, however. If you could harden them off by putting them outside for short lengths of time building up to longer periods of time in more sun, that would help the stems to strengthen. Put outside first in only a couple of hours of morning sun for three or four days - then increase the time in the morning sun for a few days, finally letting them stay out most of the day. Being in real sunlight and, more important, real wind will get them to toughen up.

In the future when growing under lights, make sure that the lights are only 2 or 3 inches above the seedlings, and set a small fan on a timer to blow over the seedlings for a couple hours a day. The fan stimulates the stems to grow strong, just as the wind would outdoors.

I hope this helps,
C.L.
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 10Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThank you very much. The roots fooled me; I would probably have killed them all and been very disappointed.


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C.L. Fornari

Expertise

Annuals suggested for specific situations (sun, shade, windowboxes etc) New or unusual annuals are a particular interest of mine, and I grow many of these from seed. I am happy to help problem solve, answer questions about maintenance, and guide you to sources of unusual plants.

Experience

I am a garden writer/speaker/consultant and host of a weekly gardening radio program in the Northeast. I have been gardening all my life for my own pleasure, and started as a professional gardener and garden communicator 15 years ago. I work part-time at a garden center, selling and tending shrubs/trees/annuals/perennials...and doing some propagation and design work. I often think that all these professional activities serve to put a somewhat legitimate framework around a serious case of plant-lust.

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