Fun Fact #479 Marigolds

 Fun Fact #479

Marigolds

It is once again that time of year where winter melts and thus it is a good time to plan for gardening. One plant my family always makes sure to put in our garden beds are Marigolds, as they make for a wonderful companion crop.

There are two main reasons for this as first they release a chemical in their roots (alpha-terthienyl) which kills nematode eggs from hatching while repelling most blood sucking bugs such as ticks, bedbugs, and mosquitos. The other reason is that marigolds attract hoverflies, ladybugs, and Hummingbirds which eat aphids and other harmful insects for your plants. Additionally it is quite a beautiful flower coming in a variety of yellows, reds, and oranges. 

While that all sounds good, you may have noticed one major flaw with Marigolds, namely that they take time to become effective. The natural pesticide only stops new nematodes from hatching leaving you with yet another season of their scourge, while the ladybugs, and hoverflies need a season to build up their populations to be effective. Thus most gardeners don't see a measurable impact until their second year of planting Marigolds which is also why most short term studies are actually quite negative about the flower. A few other cons are if you pick too many of the flowers it will stop attracting ladybugs effectively, and they are forbidden by the Quaker church as a “Sign of a proud Garden” and can actually get people thrown out of Quaker communities. . . So maybe don't give them a flower crown made of Marigolds. 

Yet despite these drawbacks I would highly suggest planting these flowers, as they are quite beneficial in the long run. Additionally most studies I’ve been able to find (as well as personal anecdotal experience) suggest shorter marigolds generally perform better.

Thanks for reading and as always please have a wonderful day. (image from Pixabay. com)