مهندسی باغبانی مرند

DESCRIPTION: These ornamental annuals are natives of

Mexico and South America and belong to the Daisy family.

Tagetes erecta, the African Marigold, can grow 2-4 feet high

and will produce large, single or double flowers colored orange

or yellow. Tagetes patula, the French Marigold, can reach a

height of 9 inches to 2 feet and the blossoms come in yellow or

yellow marked with a reddish-brown color. Hybrids that have

been raised from the African and French Marigolds come in

solid red, some in solid yellow and some in combinations of red

and golden-yellow. The flowers are double and 2-3 inches in

diameter; the plants are bushy and can grow about 18 inches tall.

These plants bloom throughout the summer and fall and are

great for cut flowers. T. tenuifolia (signata) pumila, the Dwarf

Signet Marigold, is a native to Mexico and grows into a bushy

plant up to a foot tall. Its foliage is finely divided and many

single, orange flowers about an inch in diameter are produced.

This plant requires the same care as the dwarf French Marigold.

T. lucida, Winter Tarragon, is also native of Mexico. This half-

hardy, bushy perennial is treated as an annual and will grow

from 1 to 2 feet tall. The Winter Tarragon is related to the

garden Marigold and they have long unbranched stems and

simple, willowy leaves. The foliage of the Winter Tarragon has

a medium green color, not a blue-green color like the leaves of

the French Tarragon (see, Artemisia). In autumn or winter it

produces small golden-yellow flowers made up of a single layer

of ray florets and a central tuft of disk florets. The foliage has a

sweet smell with a touch of Anise and is a fine substitute when

French Tarragon is out of season.

POTTING: When these plants are grown outside, they

shouldn't have overly rich soil, because this will make luxuriant

vegetative growth at the expense of flower production. They

should be planted 12-15 inches apart. They will bloom even

faster if they are started indoors rather than sowing the seeds

directly outdoors. When they are used as greenhouse plants they

are great for winter and spring display. They make lovely pot

plants and cut flowers. Their soil shouldn't be too rich and the

pots need to have good drainage. When the plants have filled up

their containers with roots, weekly applications of a dilute liquid

fertilizer will be beneficial. These plants must have full

exposure to sun at all times and they should have a cool, well-

ventilated atmosphere. The temperature at night can be 50

degrees; on dull days it may rise about 5 degrees and on sunny

days, 10 to even 15 degrees higher. Earlier blooming and more

flowers may be obtained from Tagetes growing in a greenhouse

in the wintertime if daylight is substituted with artificial light

(either fluorescent or incandescent). Winter Tarragon is easy to

grow indoors and out . As a houseplant, Winter Tarragon will

yield light winter cuttings for table use. Winter Tarragon is best

when used fresh; snip off the last 3 to 6 inches of branch tips for

the tenderest leaves. If they are carefully dried, the leaves will

keep some of their aroma.

PROPAGATION: Seeds can be sown 6 to 12 weeks before the

plants are to be planted outdoors, in a greenhouse where a 70-

degree temperature is maintained. The seeds are scattered in

pots or flats filled with finely sifted sandy soil and are lightly

covered with soil. Cover the containers with glass and shade

them from sunlight. If they're kept moist, they'll germinate in a

few days. When the baby plants are 1 or 2 inches high, they can

be transplanted to flats that are 3-4 inches deep and filled with

sandy, loamy compost. They should be spaced 3 or 4 inches

apart. Later on, they should be placed in a cold frame until they

are planted outdoors. This is after all danger of frost has passed

and the weather is warm and settled. As the time draws closer to

plant them outdoors they need to be hardened off by increasing

the ventilation and finally exposing them to the air. Seeds can

also be sown directly outdoors where they are to grow by

sprinkling them thinly in a well-prepared seedbed after danger

of frost has passed. They are thinned out until they are no closer

than 10 inches apart. This method, as mentioned earlier, takes

longer for the plants to bloom than if they were started indoors.

The location that you choose for these plants must be fully

exposed to sun if they are to be successful. For winter blooming,

when growing in a greenhouse, seeds should be sown in August

or September; for spring blooming, sow them in January. The

seedlings should be transplanted to flats, or separately in small

pots, and later, into larger pots as needed. Pots that are 5-7

inches in diameter are good sizes to have your plants flower in.

You can grow one to three plants in a pot. Winter Tarragon is

ordinarily propagated by from cuttings, which root easily. Take

cuttings in early autumn before they begin to bloom and start

them in pots inside.

VARIETIES: T. erecta; T. patula; T. lucida (Winter Tarragon); T. tenuifolia (signata); T. tenuifolia (signata) pumila