“It takes around two months for the flowers to bloom fully, which is why you need to plant marigolds now,” informs Khadak Bahardur Gurung, a staff of Shree Manakama Nursery at Bishalnagar Chowk, Kathmandu. [break]With rows of saplings ready for customers to pick up at the Nursery, small marigolds come at the price of Rs 10 and the bigger ones are priced at 20.
“You need a sunny and open spot to plant marigolds,” puts in Radhika Khadka, the proprietor of Khadka Nursery at Narayan Gopal Chowk, Maharajgunj. With 20 years in the business, she advises, “When you’re ready to plant marigolds, just cut open the plastic and plant them as it is. Don’t break the soil wrapped around the roots.”
If you don’t have a garden space, you can plant marigolds in pots as well. According to Gurung, it’s better to put them in bigger pots. He also recommends manure.
“Oil cakes and compost manure are good for marigolds,” Gurung states. Khadka adds, “You can also use bone manure, which is available in packets at nurseries.”
Depending on the type of marigold, the flowers can last up to a month after blooming. Marigolds are categorized in terms of their colors, and they are yellow, orange, golden, and white.
“White marigolds are difficult to grow, and therefore, we don’t have them,” apprises Khadka, sharing that orange marigolds bloom the biggest.
When harvesting marigolds, it’s best to use a pair of scissors or secateur. “That way, the stems will be less damaged,” says Khadka.
Marigolds can grow well into the winter, till February, if taken care of properly.
Unfortunately, because there aren’t local marigold farms germinating seeds, nursery proprietors import seeds from abroad. Countries include Holland and Thailand.
“One needs to buy new saplings every year,” states Gurung.
Apart from marigolds, now is also the right time to prepare your garden beds for chrysanthemums or godawari, Globe amaranth or makhmali, and celosias.
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