When Do Marigolds Bloom - Why My Marigold Plants Not Flowering

The hardy annuals typically bloom continuously from early summer until the first frosts of autumn, making it relatively simple to get a marigold to flower. If your marigolds won't bloom, the solution is typically quite easy.

When Do Marigolds Bloom

Late spring is when marigolds start to bloom, and they continue to produce flowers all summer long. Once the first frost of fall arrives, marigolds will stop blooming. Warmer climate-adapted marigolds occasionally produce blooms well into the fall. Although marigolds can withstand heat well, excessive heat during the summer may reduce flowering. In such a case, marigolds will start blooming again when the weather cools.

May is the earliest that marigolds can start blooming, and they can bloom all the way through September. Marigolds can bloom well into the fall and even into October in warmer climates. Marigolds may not start to bloom until June in colder areas.

• Typically, marigolds bloom from May through September.
• In regions with warm weather, marigolds will bloom as late as October.
• 2 weeks prior to the last fall frost, sow marigold seeds.
• It will take 45–60 days for marigold seeds to develop into flowering plants.

Sow marigold seeds outside two weeks before the last frost to guarantee that your plants start blooming as soon as possible. Once sown, the seeds will germinate in 3–14 days. The seeds will germinate and grow into seedlings more quickly if they are planted as soon as possible. From early summer through the beginning of frost, the plants should continue to produce.

Do Marigolds Flower All Year?

Marigolds don't bloom all year long. They will begin flower production in late spring or early summer and cease producing flowers in fall. All types of marigolds share this trait. If you are growing annual marigolds, they will die in the fall. The following spring, new marigolds will frequently appear in the same spot because these colorful flowers self-seed.

• Marigolds will not produce flowers all year.
• You can expect marigolds to flower from late spring until early fall.
• The marigolds you plant might wither or go dormant in the fall, depending on the variety.

Despite having a long lifespan, perennial marigolds do not always have flowers. In the fall, they will completely lose their leaves and blooms, and in the spring, they will reappear from the ground up. Even when grown indoors in a climate-controlled environment, marigolds only bloom for a few months each year.

Do Marigolds Bloom All Summer?

As long as the plants remain healthy, marigolds should produce blooms throughout the summer. If the plants do not receive the necessary hours of sunlight per day or are attacked by disease, flowering may end early or not begin at all. Furthermore, during the height of summer, a lull in marigold flowering may be brought on by extremely hot weather.

• Healthy marigolds will bloom throughout summer.
• Planting marigolds in moist or shady areas may make them struggle to bloom.
• Flowers may not bloom if the summer heat is extreme.
• Encourage marigold flowering during peak summer temperatures by covering them with this row cover in the afternoon.

To avoid root rot and fungus diseases that can prevent flowering, plant marigolds in well-drained soil. Provide afternoon shade and increase watering frequency if summer temperatures cause your marigold flowers to wilt. Your marigold's blooming at the height of summer can be encouraged with a little sun protection and additional water each week.

How Often Do Marigolds Bloom?

In late spring or early summer, marigolds typically produce one bloom per stem. However, you can encourage marigolds to produce additional flowers by "deadheading" your marigolds. Wait until the bloom has dried up and withered before pinching it from the steam to deadhead your marigolds. This procedure supports the development of new flowers and encourages plant growth.

• One time a year, marigolds bloom.
• Every marigold stem typically bears one flower each year.
• In order to encourage the plant to produce more flowers, deadhead marigolds by removing the faded flowers.
• When you remove dried marigold blooms, keep them. You can plant new marigolds in the spring using the seeds found in them.

All through the flowering season, deadheading is ongoing. Deadhead the plant as soon as you notice fading blooms. As long as the plants are blooming, deadheading will keep you busy if you have several. An added benefit of deadheading is the collection of marigold seeds for future planting. When you remove the dead flowers, you will see a collection of black seeds with a white tip. Place these seeds in a dry paper envelope and store them until it's time to plant again in spring.

Why Marigolds Fail to Bloom

They can even handle poor soil and some drought. But on occasion, even marigolds become so overworked that they are unable to create a floral arrangement.

Here are the most common causes and what to do about them:

1. Disease

The only disease that visits marigolds on a regular basis is powdery mildew, practically speaking. The majority of the time, it won't stop blossoming, but a severe infection might.

The leaves are yellowing, and you can see gray or white mold on them if you look closely.

The absence of flowers can probably be attributed to mildew if the majority of the foliage is covered in it.

2. Heat

During the hottest days of summer, French (Tagetes patula) and signet marigolds (T. tenuifolia) will sometimes stop blooming.

Once the temperature drops a little, they'll start up again. African types (T. erecta) can tolerate more heat and usually continue blooming all summer long.

In order to keep the plants in bloom during an especially hot spell, you can try providing more water, adding mulch, or covering the plants with shade cloth during the hottest hours of the day.

Just be patient if you don't want to put yourself through all that trouble. Your flowers will return when the weather cools.

3. Lack of Deadheading

You don't have to deadhead marigolds, and they'll keep blooming whether you do this common task or not. However, blooming may slow down toward the end of the season if you don't deadhead.

Deadhead your plants if you notice that they aren't blooming as much in the late summer as they once did. You might experience a second flush as a result.

4. Not Enough Sunlight

The sunlight is insufficient for marigolds. They are content with the sun shining on them from morning until night.

Refrain from putting them in a shadowy area.

A little won't hurt, but if you get less than six hours of sun, you probably won't see any flowers. If you do, they will be much smaller and fewer than you would otherwise have.

It's important to keep in mind that even if you planted your marigolds in the ideal sunny location in the spring, the weather may have changed since then.

Perhaps a tree that wasn't fully foliated when you planted it started to leaf out. Alternately, a quickly expanding vine wrapped itself around a nearby fence and obstructed some of the light.

Take a day to observe your plants and see how much sun they're actually receiving.

Marigolds that are blooming well in one area of the garden but not in others nearby are a good sign that light exposure is the problem.

They don't mind being transplanted, so you might find that you need to move them. Alternatively, you might need to prune them.

• Read More: Do Marigolds Need Full Sun or Shade

5. Pests

Despite the fact that pests are rarely a major issue, aphids and spider mites can harm the plants to the point where they stop blooming or produce meagre blossoms if they do.

Look for telltale webbing or ants, and then look a little closer to find the actual pests.

If you see webbing or the tiny arachnids that make it, pop over to our guide to dealing with spider mites for some tips on getting rid of them.

On the other hand, if you see ants, a sticky substance called honeydew, or small, oval-shaped insects on the stems and undersides of the leaves, check out our guide to aphids.

6. Timing

If marigolds aren't blooming during this time, it's easy to assume that they shouldn't because they typically do so from late spring to fall. Not all species bloom for this long, though, so keep that in mind.

African marigolds start later in the season, while signet and French types can be expected to start blooming about eight weeks after you plant the seeds.

If you planted transplants, they should start blooming just as soon as temperatures start to increase. Be prepared for the blooms to be delayed if spring is particularly cool.

Once the first frost hits, your plants will stop blooming.

7. Too Much Fertilizer

It happens pretty infrequently for a marigold to stop flowering due to inadequate soil nutrients. More frequently, a well-intentioned gardener overfeeds their plants with nutrients, particularly nitrogen.

If you opt to fertilize your plants, it's never a bad idea to test your soil first to make sure you aren't adding more than your plants need.

If your soil already has an abundance of something—like nitrogen—and you add a lot more, it is a waste of time and money and may even harm your plants.

Don't worry if you used the fertilizer a little too eagerly. For the remainder of the season, refrain from feeding and instead give the soil a nice, long, deep soak to try and flush out any excess that may be left.

8. Too Much Rain Or Humidity

African marigolds might stop blooming or the existing flowers will close up and rot if you have a ton of rain or extremely high humidity.

They simply don't like that much moisture and they'll react negatively if they receive more than they prefer.

There isn't much you can do to improve the situation if there has been a lot of rain or humidity besides wait for Mother Nature to calm down a little. Pruning any rotten or moldy blossoms will be necessary in the interim.

9. Watering

I've yet to see a marigold that stops blooming because of too little water, but I've definitely overwatered and caused my plants to falter.

That's not to say that in times of extreme heat and drought, you can just stop watering your plants. However, this kind of dehydration will simply cause the plant to die off entirely rather than preventing the development of new blossoms.

On the other hand, if you overwater, this may cause the roots to rot.

When this happens, the first sign is often a reduction of blooming, or the plant may stop producing flowers altogether. Later, the foliage starts drooping and the plant eventually collapses.

Root rot can be caused by drowning the roots with too much water or by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani or various fungi in the Pythium genus.

There is nothing you can do if your marigold collapses already. However, if you simply aren't seeing flowers and there isn't another obvious reason, dig around the plant's base and examine the roots. Are they mushy and black? And is the soil wet?

If so, treat for root rot.

The first step is to stop watering once the soil is at least an inch deep dry. Apply a copper fungicide soak to the soil at the same time.

The use of a copper fungicide concentrate to create a soak is possible. Incorporate it into the soil by combining it with water as directed by the manufacturer. Repeat this every ten days.
Read More:

• Are Marigolds Poisonous To Cats
• Are Marigolds Annual or Perennial

Conclusion: Marigolds Bloom

When cultivating marigolds to produce the most blossoms, keep these facts in mind:

• Late spring to early fall is when marigolds are in bloom.
• In warmer climates, marigolds can bloom well into the fall.
• To encourage your plant to produce more flowers, remove dried marigold blooms all throughout the summer.
• In order to maintain flower production throughout the summer, protect marigolds from extreme heat.
• Sow marigold seeds 2 weeks before the last spring first to ensure the longest growing season and the most flowers.

Using this information, along with the right amount of sunlight and watering, you can encourage your marigolds to bloom early and add vivacious pops of color to your garden all summer long. Their long-lasting blooms make marigolds a favorite among gardeners.