{"product_id":"marigold-seeds-diwali-genda-phool","title":"Marigold Seeds - Diwali Genda Phool","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTagetes erecta\u003c\/em\u003e — in India the \u003cem\u003egenda phool\u003c\/em\u003e, the flower of Diwali. Strung into \u003cem\u003etoran\u003c\/em\u003e above doorways, laid in rangoli on the threshold, heaped at the feet of Lakshmi, and scattered on water where the lamps are floated. Marigolds are the colour of the festival of lights, and they are everywhere in it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeep gold and burnt orange blooms, dense and many-petalled, carried on tall straight stems. The flowers hold their shape off the plant for days, which is why they have been the garland flower of the subcontinent for centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eGrowing from seed\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun — six hours or more.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDepth:\u003c\/strong\u003e Scarcely 1\/8 inch, pressed in and barely covered.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWhen:\u003c\/strong\u003e Start under cover 4 to 8 weeks before last frost, or sow straight into warm ground.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSprouting:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 to 7 days in soil at 75 to 80°F.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing:\u003c\/strong\u003e 12 to 18 inches between plants.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e Tall strains reach 3 to 4 feet.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFirst flowers:\u003c\/strong\u003e 70 to 90 days after transplanting.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eTiming a crop for Diwali\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiwali moves with the lunar calendar, falling somewhere between mid-October and mid-November. Counting back 70 to 90 days from the festival puts sowing in \u003cstrong\u003elate July or early August\u003c\/strong\u003e for most years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUF\/IFAS gives zone 9 two windows for \u003cem\u003eTagetes erecta\u003c\/em\u003e — \u003cstrong\u003eMarch through April\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSeptember through November\u003c\/strong\u003e. Central Florida summers are the difficult stretch, with mites and caterpillars working the foliage, so a late-July sowing wants watching until the heat breaks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFor garlands and cutting\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCut as the flowers begin to open. Stems run 24 to 32 inches. Held at 36 to 41°F they keep a week or more in water, and no preservative is needed. For stringing, pick the heads with a short stub of stem and thread while fresh.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRarely troubled by deer. Bees and butterflies work the open flowers steadily.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen-pollinated heirloom seed. Save from your strongest plants and it comes true the following year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLooking for the same species in its Mexican tradition? See our \u003ca href=\"\/products\/marigold-seeds-cempasuchil\"\u003eCempasúchil Marigold\u003c\/a\u003e, the marigold of Día de los Muertos.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePacket artwork and paper colour may vary slightly from the packet shown.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Valhalla Hall Farm","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50836465713327,"sku":"400-005-2-N","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0652\/0897\/5535\/files\/diwali-marigold-seed-packet-actual.jpg?v=1793990810","url":"https:\/\/valhallahall.com\/products\/marigold-seeds-diwali-genda-phool","provider":"Valhalla Hall Farm","version":"1.0","type":"link"}