Ornamental · Asteraceae
Marigold
Tagetes
Give it full sun and well-drained soil, and the marigold blooms from early summer until frost.
Full sun
Every 5–7 days
59–86°F · 15–30°C
45–90 days
Overview
Few flowers earn their place in a garden as easily as the marigold. A member of the daisy family, it came north from Mexico and Central America and now grows almost anywhere as a fast, easygoing annual. Bright single and double blooms in gold, orange, and red carry on from early summer right up to the first frost.
The genus splits into a handful of familiar types. French marigolds stay low and bushy, African types climb to knee height or more with big pompon heads, and the dainty Signet marigolds mound up under lacy, citrus-scented leaves. Knowing which one you have tells you how much room it needs and how tall it will stand.
Marigolds forgive almost every beginner mistake. Give them sun and ground that drains, deadhead now and then, and they bloom hard for months. Overwater them or crowd them in damp shade, though, and you trade those flowers for mites, rot, and mildew.
Care
The short version: full sun and well-drained soil, water only when the top of the soil dries, feed lightly at planting, and deadhead spent flowers to keep the blooms coming.
Light
Marigolds want full sun, at least six hours of direct light a day, to bloom their hardest. They'll take a little partial sun, but in real shade you get leggy, floppy plants and far fewer flowers.
Water
Let the top half of the soil dry out between waterings, roughly every 5 to 7 days once the plants are established. Marigolds are drought tolerant and far happier a touch dry than soggy, since overwatering is what invites rot and disease.
Soil
Plant in well-drained loam with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0, close to neutral. Marigolds aren't fussy about fertility, but they will not tolerate ground that stays wet, so good drainage matters more than rich soil.
Temperature
They thrive in the warmth between 59°F and 86°F (15°C to 30°C). Frost ends them, so wait for settled weather before setting plants out.
Humidity
Marigolds prefer it on the dry side, around 30% to 50% humidity. Damp, muggy air is what brings on gray mold, so airflow counts for more than any humidity reading.
Feeding
Work a balanced general-purpose fertilizer into the bed at planting and leave it there. Marigolds rarely need more, and too much feed grows leaves at the expense of flowers.
Pruning
Deadhead the spent flowers as they fade and the plant keeps pushing out new ones for months. Pinching off the old blooms also clears away the soft, rotting tissue that gray mold loves in humid weather.
Repotting
Marigolds rarely need repotting, since most finish their one season right where they're planted. Watch for roots circling the cell or pushing out the drainage holes in a seedling that's waited too long to go in the ground.
Size & spacing
Plants run from 6 to 47 inches (15 to 120 cm) tall depending on the type, from low French marigolds to towering African ones. Give each a spread of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) so air moves freely and the foliage dries between waterings.
When to plant
Marigolds want warm soil and no frost. Start the seeds indoors in spring or sow them straight into the ground once the cold has passed, and the plants flower from early summer until the first fall frost closes the season.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: 6 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost
- Plant: After the last spring frost when the soil has warmed
- Harvest: Early summer until the first fall frost
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 2–11
Temperature: down to -46°C
Troubleshooting
Most marigold trouble shows up first on the leaves or the spent flowers, usually after a stretch of weather they didn't like. Learn to read those early signs and you can step in before a small problem spreads. Match what you see below, then act while it still helps.
Fine webbing and yellow speckling on the leaves
This is spider mites, and they flare up fast in hot, dry spells. Tap a suspect leaf over white paper and you'll see the specks crawl. Blast the plants with a hard jet of water, treat the worst leaves with insecticidal soap, and keep the soil from drying out so the mites have nowhere comfortable to settle.
Fix:
- Spray plants with a strong jet of water to dislodge mites
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil to affected foliage
- Remove heavily infested leaves
Ragged holes in leaves and flowers with slime trails
Slugs and snails do this damage after dark in damp weather, and the silvery trails give them away come morning. Pick them off by hand in the evening, or set out iron phosphate bait where they feed. Clearing away mulch and garden debris removes the cool, moist hideouts they need through the day.
Fix:
- Handpick slugs and snails in the evening
- Set out traps or iron phosphate slug bait
- Remove debris and mulch that provide hiding places
Fuzzy gray mold rotting the flowers and buds
A grayish fuzz on aging or damaged blooms is Botrytis gray mold, and it takes hold in humid, wet weather. Pull off the affected flowers and bin them, then deadhead spent blooms before they start to rot. Water at the base and keep the foliage dry, and give each plant room so air can move through.
Fix:
- Remove and discard affected flowers and debris
- Deadhead spent blooms promptly
- Improve air circulation around plants
Sticky new growth crowded with tiny soft-bodied bugs
Those clustered green or black specks on the tender shoots are aphids, and the sticky film they leave behind is honeydew. A strong stream of water knocks most of them off, and insecticidal soap handles the rest if numbers climb. Go light on nitrogen feed, since the soft, lush growth it drives is exactly what aphids come for.
Fix:
- Spray aphids off with a strong stream of water
- Apply insecticidal soap if populations are high
- Encourage beneficial insects such as ladybugs
Toxicity
Marigold is one of the safer flowers to keep around pets, livestock, and children. Garden marigold is essentially non-toxic, and the petals are even edible, scattered into salads and garnishes. The one small caveat is the sap, which can mildly irritate sensitive skin, so gloves help if you're handling a large batch.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
Garden marigold is essentially non-toxic to cats, so a nibble does no real harm. The sap can leave a little mouth or skin irritation in sensitive cats, nothing more.
Dogs Safe
A dog can chew marigold without trouble. At most the sap brings on mild drooling or a touch of skin irritation that fades on its own.
Horses Safe
Marigold is safe around horses and isn't known to poison them. Brushing against the foliage may leave a faint skin irritation on a sensitive animal.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can graze on marigold without danger, and the flowers are a harmless treat. Only the sap might cause minor irritation in rare cases.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep handle marigold without ill effect. The mild sap is the only thing worth a thought, and even that rarely amounts to anything.
Birds Safe
Marigold poses no poisoning risk to birds, and the bright petals are often a welcome snack. There's nothing here that calls for caution.
People Safe
The petals are edible and turn up in salads and garnishes, so marigold is safe for people. The only caveat is that the sap can mildly irritate sensitive skin, so gloves help when you handle a lot of it.
Wear gloves when handling, as the sap may irritate skin.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Marigolds come in a wide range of sizes and forms, but most gardens grow one of a few familiar types. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
French marigold (Tagetes patula)
Compact plants 6 to 12 inches tall carry smaller single or double blooms, often bicolored in red, orange, and yellow.
African/American marigold (Tagetes erecta)
Tall plants reach 3 to 4 feet and hold large pompon double flowers up to 5 inches across.
Signet marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia)
Mounded plants 6 inches or less carry small edible citrus-scented single flowers above lacy foliage.
Triploid hybrids
Sterile crosses of French and African types bloom heavily all season because they set little seed.
Companions
Marigolds earn their keep beside vegetables, but only when grown as a full-season cover crop in the soil you plan to plant later.
Plant near
Vegetable crops: French and African marigolds grown as a season-long pre-plant cover crop produce alpha-terthienyl that suppresses root-knot nematode populations, benefiting susceptible vegetables grown in the same soil afterward.
How to propagate
Marigolds are about as easy to multiply as a flower gets, growing quickly from seed and often sowing themselves for the following year.
SeedEasy
Spring
Most gardeners start marigolds from seed in spring, and they sprout and grow fast with little fuss. Sow them where you want them or start ahead indoors, and once a planting takes hold it often self-sows, dropping seed that comes up on its own the next year.
Myths
Pot marigold and true marigold are the same plant.
They belong to different genera entirely. Pot marigold is Calendula officinalis, which is non-toxic to pets, while true marigolds are Tagetes species. The two are easy to confuse by name but are not interchangeable.
A few marigolds among the vegetables instantly protect them from root-knot nematodes.
The effect only shows up when marigolds grow as a dense pre-plant cover crop for a full season in the same soil. Scattering a handful among your vegetables won't reliably hold nematodes back.