I'm growing some marigolds and now the stems have turned red and are hardly standing. The leaves are darker green than they were and curling under. I read that this could be a sign of light or water stress, but that's the problem; I don't know if it's a water problem or a light problem. Any help is appreciated. If all my flowers die, I won't have any to put in my flower beds!
2007-04-22 17:35:11 · 5 answers · asked by candyland 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
I grew mine from seed outside in full sun & watered only in a dry spell & they did well all summer long. Are they getting too much water & not enough light? Or could they have gotten too cold lately? It sounds like they were exposed to a cold spell.
2007-04-27 01:07:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you grow them from seed or are they transplants? If they are transplants, they may have not been hardened-off before you bought them. This means that they have been growing in a greenhouse up until the time of purchase and have been receiving regular doses of fertilizers and growth regulators (to produce a certain standard height and flower development at a certain time), and they are dying from shock at seeing real sunlight for the first time and experiencing real cold weather and real dirt as well.
I would let this batch go and look for a reputable nursery that has had most of their plants for sale outdoors in the real sun for at least two weeks. Ask which plants have survived these latest storms, and which have been on the lot the longest. Those are the ones that have a better chance of surviving than the pretty ones fresh off the truck.
There is still time to grow marigolds from seeds. You might not get blooms until late June, but they will have grown up in your soil under your weather conditions. You can also still plant seeds of calendulas, cosmos, sunflowers, asters, and daisies. You can plant seeds now of biennials such as carnations and sweet williams now for blooms for next spring. It will take them a while but again, they are gorwing up in your environmental conditions and might be healthier than those bought at some stores whose main focus is not garden plants.
Good Luck.
2007-04-23 00:55:20 · answer #2 · answered by enn 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This sounds like lack of water. And are they getting enough light. Flowers require both in the correct amounts.
2007-04-27 13:59:54 · answer #3 · answered by Jan C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They may already be dead. Marigolds can handle lots of direct light, but everything needs water, kiddo.
2007-04-23 00:42:42 · answer #4 · answered by sweetsinglemom 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Do you have spider mites? They cause the leaves to curl.
2007-04-23 00:55:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋