Collecting Marigold Seeds

I've never taken time to collect seeds - this year I want to start. I have the huge yellow marigolds and want to save those seeds. So do I wait until the flower is spent and clip it off, putting the flower in a bag to dry or some other method?

Wait until your flower is brown and starting to get crispy.If you cut it while it's still green,the seeds won't be mature.

Marigolds produce tons of seeds,but to be on the safe side,save the seeds from at least a dozen flowers.That way,If you mess up,you'll still get viable seeds.

Choose the biggest and prettiest blooms to let go to seed,deadhead all the others so that you will continue to get blooms.Save a couple of flowers from each plant to ensure genetic diversity.If you let all the flowers go to seed on a plant,the marigold will know that it's purpose in life is done and will then start to die.Besides,it keeps your flowerbed nice and still gets you plenty of seeds.

When the flower turns brown,clip off the bloom and lay in a warm spot out of direct sunlight to continue drying.An old window screen in your garage will do just fine.If you don't have a screen,then turn the blooms every few days to make sure no moisture is trapped.

When the blooms are quite dry and crumbly,break the top part of the bloom off.(The petals)

Underneath what were the petals you will find the seeds.Marigold seeds are little black things that look like flat grains of rice.Most will have a little white tip on the end.

I use a wire sieve like you would strain tea leaves in and gently scrub the chaff and seeds around.The chaff will desintergrate and the seeds will remain.

Check the germination rate right then.That way,if you don't have viable seeds,you can still do this again.Put about 20 in a damp paper towel and put it in a ziplock.Place it on your hot water heater and check it every day for 10 days.You should see the seeds starting to sprout after a couple of days.By the end of 10 days,you will know what percentage of germination you will get.If it is over 50 you've done ok for a first try.Ideally,you should have about 80/90%.

Something that you should know,if your marigolds are a hybrid variety,then the offspring that you get from your saved seeds will not look like the parent.If you are planning on trading seeds,you need to know that,so that you can be a responsible trader and only offer seeds that will grow into plants that look like the parent.

It is quite acceptable for you to save the seeds of hybrids for your own use and fun,but when offering to trade,you should be sure that what you are offering is Open Pollinated.That way,the person who gets your seeds will know exactly what the plant will be.

I've found this site to be EXTREMELY informative and I especially like the seed id pics.

http://theseedsite.co.uk/index.html

langbr - that is a great site. I've already bookmarked it. And special thanks to Melody! Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I actually should credit someone else here on DG (I think it was poppysue that posted a link about a month ago). I bookmarked it right away and I find I use it several times per week.

langbr- just wanted to tell you the link you put here is great! I've bookmarked it for future use! Thanks! P.S. - have you on my list for zinnia seed this fall!

This information is very helpful regarding marigold seeds. There's one thing I would like to know -- what's the best way to save marigold seeds from one year to the next? Thanks.

They are extremely tolerant of dry storage.
Keep them in a place that has an even(ish) and not too hot temperature. (Garage is fine, unless you are in the tropics...).

A lot of plants, it is a nightmare to keep the seeds viable, but marigolds are a doddle...

Seeds actually become viable within hours after the flower blooms. (Something from my Ag Science days in college...)

When I dead head my marigolds I generally take off anything that has 1/3 or fewer of it's petals. I was tossing them into the center of my garden amongst the Gloriosa Daasies thinking they'd simply decompose, but they started coming up thick as hair. So then I started toss them along the border of my garden. I now have so many marigolds up, and coming up, that I have taken to saving them.

Thanks for the mountain of info I found in this thread...*and* for langbr/poppysue's contribution of the link to the seed site. (dstartz, thanks for the info on the viability of seeds...I thought I had to wait until marigold seeds were darkened!)

Great thread!

Well...your welcome Julie.....and WELCOME to DG!!! Tons of useful, helpful and fun stuff all over this wonderful home on the web! Brenda