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Florida Gardening

Marigolds In Trouble

claferg zone 9a Fl

16 years ago

I have a circular flower bed where I have planted yellow French marigolds around the perimeter.They were all looking great. They formed a beautiful green mound with tons of flowers, but they all seem to be dropping dead one by one and my circle of marigolds is becoming kind of sparse and not as I had wanted it to look.

I checked the roots as I pulled them up and didn't notice any nematode damage to the roots. I looked for spider mites and really did not see much evidence them, yet it seems that the plant is fine one day and looks wilted the next day and then dies shortly thereafter.

Does anyone have a clue what could be causing this problem?

Can grubs be the problem, as I have found a few of them in that area? If so why are they just going after marigolds, the other flowers

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Comments (6)

naplesgardener
16 years ago
what a beautiful flower bed. I don't know what's causing your mg's to die but I had to say that. My marigolds-nowhere near as lush as yours-have been dying but I suspect it's because of too little water even though other plants near them have been just fine. I thought mg's did well in less water but not mine.
hope you find your answer.
Denise
cindeea
16 years ago
claferg, What a beautiful color burst! Good luck on your mgs. Sorry I don't know the cause either, but your combinations are breathtaking!
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Marigolds: I planted 4/square the last two years. I think they were labelled "dwarf" (or something similar) French marigolds. But man, did they grow! I had to prune off some of the side branches to keep from shading other squares too much. Lots of flowers, of course! I'm still planting at 4/square, but if only two came up I think it would be fine. I don't see any problem with planting perrenials in the SFG, but I don't have much experience with them. In fact, since you work each square individually, SFG seems the perfect place to mix vegetables and flowers. I'd give it a try if I had a bit more space. --Riff.
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Clover mites are probably the most harmless mite, I am not sure you should even worry about them. Two separate nurseries told me that clover mites will eat spider mite eggs, and something has been! Clover mites were all over my garden during late spring and I did not notice any damage to the plants, they were mostly on the tops of leaves scurrying around or on the terracotta pots. They are very fast moving and I have not noticed them eating plants yet. As for the marigolds, I did the same experiment this spring and planted marigolds throughout my garden. At this point they are hosting more of the harmful insects than anything else. I only keep them to attract pollinating insects and give the white flies something to eat besides my tomatoes.
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manature
16 years ago
Claferg, your bed is lovely! Sorry you are losing your marigolds. I have always had trouble keeping them going over the summer. As soon as the really hot weather sets in, mine decline. Same with zinnias. Perhaps it's just too hot and dry right now.

Others may have had different experiences, though. Hopefully, someone will have a more definitive answer for ya.

Marcia
garyfla_gw
16 years ago
Hi
I thought marigolds were annuals?? have heard of some perrenials though. Have never been able to keep them through the summer. Can plant new seeds but for me the best were always in winter..About 8/10 weeks gary
manature
16 years ago
Exactly so, Gary. They are annuals, and for me, they are better in cooler months, and hate the summer. Maybe in north Florida, it might be different, but I think the farther south you go, the worse they fare in summer heat.

Marcia
claferg zone 9a Fl
Original Author
16 years ago
I think I found the root of my problem. This morning as I was pulling up yet another mysteriously dead marigold, I found a grub at the base of the root ball. The root ball was very small for such a large plant, so I assume the grub is the culprit. He is now in grub heaven but how do you get rid of grubs? Is there some type of insecticide to eliminate them? I fear I will lose my entire flower bed if I can't find a solution.
I have been having problems with racoons digging up my grass lately, so I think I may have a major problem here.
Help!

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