Topic: "clipped" marigold seeds

[MrsKP]

Mum gave me hunnerds of "big brown" and "large yellow" marigolds during last summer which were dried and stored.

i've just had a quick browse of how to sow them and discovered the term "clipped seeds" to prevent disease.

before i go hell for leather, can someone explain to this idiot what i'm suppose to do with them.

i've had a play and managed to pull off the light top of each seed leaving a long dark bit with a light tip.  have i just clipped one ?  and do i sow them light tip poking down or just lay it sideways.

thanking yoos as always.

 ???

[kenkew]

Lucky you. You have seeds to fill your garden. The usual method is; after flowering, pluck the dried heads off and shake them into a paper bag until all those long black-white tipped seeds fall off. (Failing that, pull 'em off.) Save them until about mid-March...a bit earlier if you have a warm place, and scatter them on top of compost in a seed tray. DON'T cover them. Most of them will germinate if their healthy. When big enough to pr*ick out, pot on individually intp paper pots and plant out when the weather warms up a bit. Also good in the greenhouse border.

[MrsKP]

thanks ken.  back on goes the lid for another month.   ;D

if any one wants some, please feel free to pm me with your details and i'll be pleased to pop some in the post. 

i've also got vast quantities of "pink poppy" seeds going spare as well.

neither mum nor i are very good at the botanical names.

can't guarantee any will germinate but i'm going to have a good go.

 :P

[myrtle]

I've already sown mine and they were up within 5 days and are going away nicely. I want/need them to be in flower as companion plants when I plant my toms in their final positions.  They do seem to keep the nasties away, especially in the greenhouses, and they look nice too! :)

[MrsKP]

ok, lid back off and i'll do some tomorrow  :P

.... and do some more in march.

i was going to plant them round the edges of my raised beds seeing as how i've now run out of room for actual flower beds in the garden now.

i don't know whether i'm excited at everything blooming or panicking at all the potting up lol.  ah well dive head first and see what happens.

 ;D

[Jitterbug]

Mytrle & Mrs KP

I too have sown some marigold seeds (shop bought) and the packet said that I could! (From Jan onwards)  It took them less than a week to start popping out.  One thing I read on one of the members allotment pages (somewhere) is that French marigold / tagetes make the best companions - maybe they are the ones that smell the worst ??? I know that they say single petal kinds are better as the insects can get to the pollen easier than the fancy ones.  Sorry if I am stating the obvious !!   I also need some for the greenhouse when I plant out my tomato plants - which are already in their own pots - see 'we have germination' for my pictures. 

As to the potting out - I know what you mean :o - my windowsill (and propagator)is already heaving and I happened to be working on my planting sorter (by month) last night and noticed that I still have SOOO Many still to sow.  Lordy knows where they are all going to go!!  Poor DH will have a coronary but the time I get to plant them outside once the fear of frost is gone ;D ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Very often double flowers replace the anthers with petals so there's nothing there for the pollinators. That's certainly the case with double snowdrops; nothing there for  the bees, but I do get them on the single ones when the weather's warm enough to allow flying.