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Question
I just purchased 6 marigold plants, which were recomended to keep insects away. I'm planning to plant them in separate pots and placed them around the yard. Please advice on the environment that I just keep them in order to prolong the live of the marigolds.
Thanks
Daniel,
Put your marigolds in a pot that is at least 10 inches in diameter - a clay one is good because it is heavy, and marigolds get top-heavy as they get large. Grow them in a sunny place, and fertilize every two weeks with a mild liquid feed. I assume that you live in an area that is not going into the cold season... marigolds like heat, and will die when the temperatures go below freezing.
I'm not sure you will see much in the way of insect repellant... the idea that marigolds repel insects came from a study that found when a field was planted in marigolds (the single, french kind) that were then PLOWED INTO THE SOIL, that the population of soil nematodes went down. From this one study came the belief that marigolds repel insects.
But insect repellant or not, marigolds are a great plant and I hope you enjoy them!
all the best,
C.L. Fornari
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Answers by Expert:
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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