Last July I was out in the vegetable garden , when a neighbor gardener approach and ask , “ What are you doing ? ” I answer , “ Smashing Mexican dome beetle larvae . ” My neighbor gave me a nonplussed look , followed by a smirking grin , as if I was committing a gardening no - no . I just had to ask , “ You ’re not have a mallet problem on your green beans ? ” He smiled and said , “ Of naturally not I plant marigolds with my beans , and they keep the glitch out of the bean patch . ” WOW ! Could this be the silver hummer in control this objectionable pestilence ?
Now that the gardening season is over and the cover crop is plant , I ’ve got a chance to overhear my breath from sowing , planting , mulching , weed and harvesting . Did I mention weeding ? Anyway , now that I have a small time to reflect back on the garden season as to what may or may have not worked well , I ’ve been returning to that conversation with my neighbour about the wonderment of the marigold . The source catalogs are starting to show up in the mail , and the planning for next year ’s garden is in the beginning stage , so before ordering a ton of marigold come , now would be a good fourth dimension to do a little research on themagical repelling powersof the marigold works . I ’ve heardmarigold storiesfor years , how marigolds will rebuff every garden pest known to man , including bugs , snail , rabbit , ground Sus scrofa , and deer ! I ’ve even listen that it has been used to target and kill take weeds . This sunny annual has been employed as a companion plant for generations just to do that — repel pests from the garden . Do they really profit the garden as a repelling machine or are they just pretty and their repelling powers just a gardeningmyth ?
The Plant
Marigoldsbelong to the aster family ( Asteraceae ) , genusTagetes . Their natural range extends from the southwest United States into Argentina , with their greatest distribution being in south central Mexico . around 50 metal money are lie with , but in general , the three most common are African marigolds ( T. erecta ) , French marigold ( T. patula ) and Signet marigolds ( T. tenuifolia ) . However , regardless of their name , all marigolds are aboriginal to subtropical America and have been cultivated in Mexico for over 2,000 age .
Tagetes patula , commonly call French marigold , is a compact annual that typically produce 6 - 12 ” tall and sport individual , semi - double , double or crested flower ( 1 - 2 ” diameter ) in subtlety of yellow , orange , bolshie and bicolor . Their pinnate leaves with toothed , lance - shaped leaflets are redolent .
Tagetes erecta , ordinarily call African marigold , Aztec marigold , American marigold or liberal marigold , is native to Mexico and Central America . large marigold may be the most descriptive of its names because plant are notice for their large flowerheads . They typically grow from 1 - 4 ’ tall and feature huge , mostly dual - globular flowers ( 2 - 4 ” diam ) in various shades of yellow , orangish , and bloodless . Foliage and flowers are aromatic when brushed or squeeze . Triploid F1 loan-blend ( T. erectaxT. patula ) combine the large heyday of the African marigold with the more compact sizing of the Gallic marigold into vigorous works with 2 - 3 ” diameter flowers on stems reaching 10 - 18 ” marvelous . These triploids are largely unaffected by high heating system and usually blossom all summertime .
Tagetes tenuifolia . Signet marigolds are thick , mound plants with small blossom and leaves than most other marigolds . xanthous , orange , gilded , or bicolored flowers are held either well above the fine - textured , dark green foliage or tucked in with the foliage , count on the cultivar . This plant does n’t have that overwhelming marigold scent but has a clear , citrusy smell .
Fact or Fiction
For generation , many vegetable gardener have planted marigolds in their veggie patch to snub pestilence . However , there is a want ofscientific evidenceto support the notion that marigolds actually repel pestilence . Research conducted atRutgers Universityconcluded that marigolds failed to rebuff boodle , Daucus carota sativa and onion pests . In fact theUSDAlists a sum of 15 pests that attack marigolds ; let in on their list are aphid , Japanese beetles , snails , and spider mites , just to name a few . On the other helping hand , research worker at theUniversity of Vermonthave reported that marigolds have been effective in luring pestilence aside from otherornamentalplants .
Although skill has yet to prove that marigolds in reality drive pests from vegetable craw , there isscientific evidencethat marigolds CAN be an authoritative tool incontrolling certain nematode . Nematodes are bantam worm , commonly microscopic in size . Nematodes that feed on plants — called plant - parasitic nematodes — have shaft - like mouthpart used to deflate plant root to get nutrient . As a final result , plant - parasitical nematodes can in earnest damage or even kill crops , turf , and ornamental plant .
How marigolds help fight roundworm
Marigold rootsrelease a toxic chemical(alpha - terthienyl ) , and the presence of this chemical substance suppress the hachure of nematode eggs . Therefore , control of the nematode population is achieved by interrupting the nematode life cycle .
One drawback with using marigolds for nematode restraint is that the benefit is not realized until the following year . To be in effect the marigolds must be planted before the veggie crop — at least 2 month before — and must be engraft at the same fix where the vegetable crop is to be plant ; otherwise , no benefits will be gained from the marigold theme exudates . For example , California research show that tomatoes grown after marigolds had importantly blue numbers of root gall due toroot - air mile nematodes(Meloidogyne incognito).In addition , the tomato yields were higher ( root length , shoot weightiness , number and free weight of fruits were all higher in industrial plant acquire afterTagetes).UniversityofCaliforniaRiverside.edu .
variety show Matter
Care should betaken when purchasing marigold for controlling nematodes . That ’s because “ not all marigold varieties insure all types of nematodes.”Univ.ofFlaExt.edu/ng045 . For representative , the California enquiry mention above revealed that particular sort are more effectual at ascertain origin - knot nematodes . In that experiment , the “ Single Gold ” variety ofTagetes patulaoutperformed other varieties . You ’ll get the good results if you determine which types of nematodes are in your local soils , and you may do this by sending ground sampling to a nematode check laboratory.Univ.ofFlaExt.edu/ng045(look at the chart in this article name marigold species and variety by their resistor to and effectiveness against particular type of root - knot nematodes ) .
Attracting Beneficial Insects
In add-on to help control nematodes , marigold flowersattractbeneficial insects that not only pollinate , but also help assure sorry bugs . Beneficial insect draw in to marigolds include : hover flies , gentlewoman bugs and leechlike wasps .
Conclusion
To appointment there is very little scientific grounds that the fragrance of the marigold plants in reality rebuff pestilence , however it is a in general accepted scientific fact that marigolds aid to hold nematodes and draw in beneficial worm that aid in ensure unwanted pest .
There is growing concern about pesticides ’ non - target effect on homo and other organisms , and many pests have evolve resistance to some of the most normally - used pesticides . Together , these factors have led to increase interest group in non - chemical , ecologically sound pest management . The marigold is not only pretty but offer the gardener another pointer for the quiver in the hemipteran war . Who would n’t want to plant a beautiful flora that was abut out by the blush wine for ournational blossom . I bed I will !
Thanks for stop by The Garden Shed . We members of The Garden Shed Team wish you and your family asafe and happy vacation season .
germ :
“ Tagetes L. , Marigold , ” Plant Profile , USDAhttps://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=TAGET
“ Tagetes erecta , ” Missouri Botanical Garden , http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / PlantFinder / PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=277371
“ Effects of Selected Marigold Varieties on Root - knot Nematodes and Tomato and Melon take ” , Department of Namatology , University of California , http://faculty.ucr.edu/~atploeg / PDF PAPERS / PLANT DISEASE / PLANTDISEASE.pdf
“ Marigolds ( Tagetes spp . ) for Nematode Management , ” University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences , Univ.ofFlaExt.edu / ng045 .
“ Companion Planting and Insect Pest Control , ” Rutgers University , http://pemaruccicenter.rutgers.edu / assets / PDF / publications/2013 - InTech - Companion_planting_and_insect_pest_control.pdf
“ Murdering Thrips with Marigolds , Fungi & Mites , ” University of Vermont Entomology Research Laboratory , https://www.uvm.edu/~entlab / Greenhouse IPM / Workshops/2015 / AFEProjectDesc&SummaryDec2014.pdf
“ Root - burl nematode worm : Biocontrol with Marigolds , ” North Carolina Cooperative Extension , https://carteret.ces.ncsu.edu / wp - substance / uploads/2013/07 / Root - Knot - Nematodes - Biocontrol.pdf?fwd = no
“ The Repellent Marigold And Other myth Of Companion Gardening , ” The Chicago Triburne , http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992 - 09 - 13 / news/9203230490_1_companion - planting - carrot - love - tomatoes - bedding - plants
“ Dispelling Marigold Myths , ” Alabama Cooperative Extension System , http://www.aces.edu / dept / extcomm / specialty / marigolds.html
“ epenthetic WASP : A Gardener ’s Best Friend , ” North Carolina Cooperative Extension , https://brunswick.ces.ncsu.edu/2014/04 / bloodsucking - white Anglo-Saxon Protestant - a - gardeners - good - friend/
“ PROMOTING THE MARIGOLD AS NATIONAL FLORAL EMBLEM , ” The Dirksen Congressional Center , http://www.dirksencenterprojects.org / promotingmarigold.pdf
“ control Insects on Flowers , ” USDA , https://naldc.nal.usda.gov / download / CAT87210014 / PDF
2003 Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results , The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station , https://portal.nifa.usda.gov / web / areera / Reports/2003 / Ct / AES.NewHaven . CT.pdf
“ attract Beneficial Insects , Penn State University,”https://extension.psu.edu / attract - beneficial - insects
