Marigold, or calendula officinalis - one of the most common annual flower crops for us. Modest orange flowers are usually grown for several purposes:
- decorative
- medical
- commercial (calendula is necessary for the pharmaceutical industry for the production of essential oils and dry raw materials, so it is grown for sale in some regions).
Calendula. Cultivation for decorative purposes.
Calendula is modest, but its brightness sometimes becomes that color accent, without which the Moorish flowerbed, border or discount lose their charm. Another great advantage is unpretentiousness and endurance. With proper care, the nails delight the eye with their flowering from early June to late autumn. To maintain an elegant look of plants, you need to adhere to some rules:
- Despite the fact that the nails can grow on almost any soil, they need some conditions for better growth and larger inflorescences. First of all, the area where they will be located should be well lit by the sun, the soil must be prepared in the autumn: dig and make a sufficient amount of organic fertilizers.
- Calendula. Landing. For planting on a flower bed and in other flower groups, it makes sense to grow calendula through seedlings. Seeds for planting are collected no later than 6 weeks before the onset of frost. Sprouts hatch on 7-14 days after planting. As soon as two true leaves appear, plants are planted in permanent places. In order for the flowers not to oppress each other and get enough light, water and nutrients for full growth, the distance between the individual specimens should be at least 20-25 cm. Poor plants are rejected.
- If you planted marigolds in sparse soils, do not forget to apply complex fertilizers under the root of the plant every 4-6 weeks.
- In order to prolong flowering and help increase the size of the flower basket, it is necessary to pick small and withering flowers in a timely manner, and also to prevent the ripening of seeds. If this is not done, then flowering will cease in the month of July.
Calendula. Cultivation for medicinal purposes.
As you know, marigolds have anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, antispasmodic and healing effects, and since it is very easy to grow and harvest medicinal raw materials from them, many take this opportunity.
Of course, you can take the petals of those marigolds that grow on the flowerbed, but, as a rule, there are not so many of them. To collect the right amount of raw materials for the needs of one family, it is preferable to grow medicinal calendula in a separate garden bed. The main requirement: in time to pick off inflorescences, preventing the formation of seeds. It is also advisable to fertilize the soil, the seeds can be deepened (2-3 cm) into the soil in the fall, and in the spring thinning overgrowth, but the distance of 20-25 cm can not be maintained.
Flower petals can be dried or used fresh in tea, soups, salads, rice and meat dishes. Due to its strong aromatic flavor, calendula replaces saffron. You can also make calendula oil and use it to treat skin inflammations and rashes, or add it to cosmetics. Decoctions are made from dry petals and used to rinse with sore throats, bathing children, douching.
Calendula. Growing for seeds.
Since decorative and medicinal marigolds on a private compound need to be constantly cut off and prevent the formation of seeds, seed for next year is best grown in the third group of plants. For breeding, we sow a small group of calendulas away from related plants (to avoid pollination). In the process of growth, we leave only the largest flowers, when sorting the seeds, we also choose the strongest and most healthy ones. A little effort - and next year calendula will please you with beautiful and large flower baskets.
Calendula. Growing for sale.
Before starting commercial cultivation of marigolds, it is necessary to find a market for products. In some Balkan countries (Romania, Bulgaria) calendula is cultivated over large areas, and appropriate agricultural technology has been developed. The main task is to prepare the soil in order to avoid mass death of plants from fungal diseases, for which deep plowing is carried out. Complex fertilizers are also introduced. It is necessary to observe crop rotation: nails are planted on the same field no more than once every 4-5 years.
In our article, we tried to answer the question of how to grow a calendula correctly, and get the most out of this decorative and at the same time medicinal culture.