The Latest Guide to Growing and Caring for Potted Calendula
The calendula plant is dwarf and compact, with dense blooms and bright, eye-catching colors, and it also has a long flowering period, making it one of the most common herbaceous flowers in early-spring gardens and cities. With its bright, striking colors, calendula is one of the most common flowering plants, and growing it in pots to decorate the home is not at all uncommon. Below is an introduction to the growing methods and precautions for calendula.
[Shade in spring, summer, and autumn]
Calendula cannot tolerate strong direct sun, so it needs timely shading in spring, summer, and autumn. If the daytime temperature exceeds 25°C, do not place it directly in sunlight, otherwise the leaves will become noticeably smaller, the distance between nodes will shorten, the lower leaves will gradually turn yellow and drop off, and the plant's growth will gradually slow or even enter a semi-dormant state.
In winter, because the temperature is not high, it can be given direct light to promote photosynthesis, which helps calendula form flower buds, bloom, and set seed.
After the plant blooms, it can be kept indoors for 10-15 days, then moved to a shaded outdoor environment for one month. Alternating care like this helps the plant accumulate nutrients and prolong the flowering period.
[Needs warmth, avoid extreme heat]
Calendula likes a warm climate and fears extreme heat. In summer, when the temperature is above 34°C, growth will be poor.
It is not frost-hardy, and in winter, when the temperature is below 4°C, it will enter dormancy or even die.
The most suitable growing temperature for calendula is 15-25°C. During year-round care, pay attention to controlling the temperature well, opening windows in time for ventilation, and using water sprays to cool the room and control the indoor temperature.
[Pinching and pruning]
Every two months, cut off the branches with old and yellow leaves. As long as the temperature is suitable, it can bloom in all four seasons.
Before flowering, pinching is generally done twice to encourage more flowering branches to sprout: one to two weeks after potting, or when the seedling is 6-10 cm tall and has more than six leaves, remove the growing tip and keep the lower 3-4 leaves to encourage branching. Three to five weeks after the first pinching, or when the side branches grow to 6-8 cm long, do a second pinching, that is, remove the growing tips of the side branches and keep the 4 leaves below on the side branches. After two pinchings, the plant shape will be more ideal and the number of flowers will also be greater.
[Control humidity and spray water in time]
Calendula likes a humid environment, so keep the humidity at 75-85%. During care, spray water in time to increase humidity, 1-3 times a day. On sunny days when the temperature is higher, appropriately increase the number of sprays; on rainy days when the temperature is lower, appropriately reduce the number of sprays. However, if misting is excessive, the spikes are easily infected by pathogens and rot, so pay attention to water quality when spraying as well.
[Precautions for growing calendula]
1. Pay attention to water control
Do not water too much during the growing period; just keep the soil moist. When the temperature is higher, spray in time to increase air humidity.
2. Pest and disease control
Common pests and diseases of calendula include fusarium wilt and downy mildew. Spray 500 times diluted mancozeb wettable powder in time for control. In early summer, as the temperature gradually rises, calendula often develops leaf spot disease. Spray 2000 times diluted carboxin wettable powder for control.