DIGGIN鈥� IN
Want to save your marigold seeds? Here鈥檚 how
Learn why cat litter doesn鈥檛 belong in your garden
Q: I never knew how easy they are to grow, but I have become a huge fan of marigolds. So many color combinations and flower sizes, and for a novice gardener like me, so easy to care for. Anyway, a friend at work says you can collect the seeds ( I鈥檓 not sure how to) and then plant them next year. Is this true? And do you know how to save the seeds? I appreciate any info you鈥檇 offer. 鈥� M.L., sa国际传媒官网网页入口
A: Since you have become enthralled with marigolds and want to save the seed, I want you to know it鈥檚 an easy process.
First, you鈥檒l want to gather a couple of large shallow pans to set your seed head collections in/on. I have used aluminum trays that you would cook a turkey in, and they work great.
You want to have room for the seed heads to have room to dry and not be all squished together. Roomy and airy is the goal. You can even use separate trays to collect the flowers so you can keep each type specific if you wish.
Then you鈥檒l need a pair of scissors that are fairly short-bladed, several paper bags and a marking pen. Now on the day you go out collecting, I want you to snip the whole of the finished marigold bloom off the mother plant. I mean the wee stalk that supports each bloom, the sepal, the green cup that holds the petals, the whole flower structure 鈥� without harming the mother plant.
I have always snipped my spent blooms off at a spot where there are a couple of leaves growing, and the whole plant looks tidy afterwards. Since marigolds are fairly prolific, the plants will set a new bloom series for you fairly rapidly, so don鈥檛 worry about the plants being bloomless.
Once you鈥檝e completed the snipping, set the trays somewhere dry and airy. The goal is to allow the stems and the sepal to whither to dryness. Every day to every other day give the trays a stir to get all of the collection well dried. In a week, perhaps two, it鈥檒l be time to collect the seed proper.
Get your paper bags and find a spot where you can work that is dry and windless. One by one, take hold of a flower by the sepal and grasp the flower end. Gently but firmly tug the mass out of the sepal, and voila, you鈥檝e collected marigold seed.
The seeds look like beige-to-black, spiky, fat needles to me. Place that clump into the paper bag and continue until all of the seeds are collected. You will want to store the seeds someplace fairly cool and dry until next year when you plant them. A garage that doesn鈥檛 get too hot, or closet or pantry would work.
I suggest that every month to six weeks you inspect the seed to be sure it鈥檚 still dry. Giving the bagged seed a bit of a shake-up will keep them healthy for sure. It鈥檚 easy to collect marigold seed, and I hope you continue to enjoy those colorful treasures for years to come.
Q: My husband wants to put the used clay cat litter in the garden as a soil amendment. I say no. Help me convince him it鈥檚 not the thing to do? 鈥� N.L., sa国际传媒官网网页入口
A: First, by adding lots of clay to the garden soil, it will eventually create a bog. A soggy area that won鈥檛 drain well and could bind up nutrients that any growing thing needs.
The second thing will be the scent. Even if you were to strain out the pieces and large clumps, there would still be an odor to the litter. That just might attract every cat 鈥� feral or domestic 鈥� to your garden, and it鈥檒l become the place 鈥渢o go.鈥� Literally and figuratively. All of the hard work you did to create the garden could be dug up in a matter of weeks.
I vote no on adding the used litter to the garden. It belongs in the trash.
Happy Diggin鈥� In 鈥� just not adding the used litter!
Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Diggin鈥� In, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, 7777 Jefferson NE, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.
