Thank you so much for doing this test, and the fact you did it twice is amazing 🤩 and proves that it wasn’t just by chance. Awesome videos, I love your channel! Keep up the awesome work and happy gardening ♥️
I've wondered about this myself, but because I start alot of seeds, it was always most practical to sprinkle them over the potting soil so they are laying flat and cover them with a thin layer of potting soil. You can easily save the seeds from year to year and have all the marigolds you want. This method works great.
My friend Maria has a lot of marigolds. All she does is cast the seeds to the wind. She's living in her childhood home and her mother planted marigolds the same way 🎉
Yeah I imagine that would work too. I sell a lot of my starts so I start pretty much everything in containers. Only thing I direct sew is root crops like radishes and carrots.
That is the beauty of the marigold! She is the gift that keeps on giving! The dried flowers are seedlings, so once you have a few marigolds, you have millions!
Had several packets & brands of Marigold seeds. One of the packet's directions indicated planting the seeds flat (horizontally). They grew successfully.
I was thinking maybe the needle would go into the ground at sort of an angle to anchor it. I’m curious to see which part of the seed the roots come out and which part the sprout comes from.
It might be interesting to sacrifice one of the seedlings by pulling it out of the tray to see where the green shoot/plant was coming from and where the root was coming from this would inform us of the correct orientation for planting the seed.
I sometimes have the seed still stuck to the seedling when it emerges and it seems they sprout from the middle of the black area and not on the end as I would have thought.
This was awesome! I always wondered and just planted them flat. I plant numerous marigolds and distribute throughout my gardens as they are very effective in keeping the deer from invading my veggies and flowers.
I freely scattered a $2 Dollar General box of Marigold seeds in 3 rows of my vegetable garden. They weren't planted until June, because it was a last minute decision to plant them. Nothing happened for the longest time, but once they came in, they went wild. I didn't think they'd grow so tall and bushy. I'm so excited for next year, because of all the seed heads I'm gonna be saving for next year 😊
Planted the right way 😎 mine are growing good so far planted them about 3 months ago have some frost damage but sure it will bounce back grate transplanted about 50 seedlings yesterday and ima trans plant some of the bigger plants into the soil today if it don’t rain
Yes that’s what I’ve always done with all of my flowers lol I literally just take half of each packet combined them in a Tupperware container and then go around sprinkling them and lots of them actually pop up so it definitely works!!!
The flat ones if you do the damp paper towel seed press against the inside of a jar experiment we do with kids in elementary school has the root going down stem going up out of the other end of the seed. It seems lying flat on the ground is the natural orientation for seeds. 😉👍💖
Thank you, put 4 seeds in 1 pod, on a 6 pod pack 17 of them popped out of 24. Laid them all sideways. Watched this video 2 months ago and had to come back and say I appreciated this
I usually dome any seeds I start to hold in moisture and keep them from drying out but it's not necessary. You'd just have to ensure they don't dry out. I don't usually use a heat mat for marigolds but depends on the temp of the grow room when I start them. Anything over 60 degrees should be fine but will germinate faster at around 70 degrees.
The first package of marigold seeds I purchased from a seed company had no white end…both were effectively pointed ends. I planted on February 21st (now the 26th) up & down, not laying flat, and it seems I have very few that have germinated at all, despite putting plastic wrap over the top of the small container I planted them in. Starting to wonder how many are going to actually germinate.🤔
@@gapey Watching this video and a couple of other videos on the topic of planting Marigold seeds indoors, they all had the white ends. So, yes, it is very curious that the ones I purchased from a seed company did not. I have ordered some more of different varieties from them. It will be interesting to see if the seeds in the new order have a white end, when they arrive.🤷♂️
oh they are bottle cap water nozzles I found on Amazon. There's a link to my amazon store in the description of all my videos I have it in there under gardening supplies.
I watched this video today, and then planted my marigold seeds 'laying down". I have them in my dining room for the time being. Does anyone know if I should put a grow light on them now, or wait until leaves emerge from the soil?
They don't need any extra light until they germinate so just keep an eye on them and check every day and once they start waking up move them to the grow lights.
Glad I found this video. I recently planted some Marigolds and they germinated. However, I was just wondering what would be the best way but I see they can germinate either way.
@@gapey Thank you, I built some raised beds out of pallets and already have some hardy seeds in, as rabbits eat young plants on the golf course, the marigolds seeds will go in these in may for England, as we may still have frost
Thanks for the tip. I get so many that volunteer I just transplant them to the garden's edge. When I first planted the seeds years ago I just dropped them in a shallow trench.
I've always planted them flat, just seems like that's how you are supposed to plant them. I've always had an excellent germination rate (95-100%). They remind me of little paint brushes .
I have thousands of seeds I saved from last year....tomorrow I plan on starting the seedlings.....will plant them flat.........thank you so much! I was a little confused and you have answered all my questions!
@@gapey No, No .. lol. I just saved so many thinking I could share them and I shared a lot but I still have a lot! Hopefully for the first time I won't have to buy the actual plants.....but can grow my own! I'm new at all this ... love it!
Been planting marigolds since a small child with my mother. Have always just sprinkled them onto the soil and sprinkle a little soil over the top. Water in and there you go! 3-4 days germination is all.
Thanks for the great info! I saved marigold seeds from the plants I bought last year and wasn't sure how they wanted to be. I planted pointy side down but Im going to do another tray now just laying flat.
So cool! I was thinking of doing a test similar to this with Milkweed seeds. I see people who remove the fluff that's on the seeds before planting them, but nature doesn't have someone come along and de-fluff the seeds, so why do we remove the fluff? I have a whole bunch of Milkweed that I'm going to plant this spring and yeah- I'll try some with fluff and some without fluff to see if there's a difference. Thank you for this video :) I love to see experiments!
really enjoyed the video, i guess you kinda have to think how things do in nature, it doesnt think about which way its going really, ever since i started saving my seeds from mine, I just sprinkle them around and they come up where ever, and the ones i left in the ground they just drop their seeds and more come up the next year, and they get SO much bigger and prettier than the ones i used to purchase :) God Bless you and your gardening this year!
I actually planted some the other day, and just sprinkled them in a pot and covered them a little with soil, still waiting on them to come up. When I saw this video pop up i thought oh goodness, hope i did it right lol, thanks for your response!
I saved several flower heads from last year(1st time) and am only getting a small fraction of the seeds to germinate. Naturally, I went to UA-cam for data! Thankyou for sharing your experiment. :)
I'm in the same boat. I saved a ton from heads last fall and maybe have 2/12? It's a flower day so I'm going to try replanting over and doing it flat this time!
It's possible the flowers had poor pollination and that could make the seeds not viable. Make sure the seeds are stiff and not super flimsy. If the dark part of the seed easily bends in half then it's probably not going to sprout.
@@gapey good thought. I might have to replant (again!) This time using the ones I bought from the store last year and planted in vain. If these don't germinate I'll try that and make sure to check my seedlings if I keep them again.
@@gapey Ahh Thankyou for the tip. I just recently discovered most of my sunflower seeds are also hollow. Pollination being the most likely culprit. From now on I will make there is an actual seed in the shell :)
@@jsmythib Yeah I ran into that with one of my sunflowers too. I just pinch the seed hard and if it doesn't crack and flatten then it's got a seed inside. Probably more than 50% of mine had no seeds inside.
Haha nice! I planted them flat because it was my first year planting them and it works out great so I am glad you confirmed haha Now the sad thing is (and the reason I looked for videos) is to see what they looked like as seedlings because now I see I have been pulling them up thinking they are weeds! 🤦🏻♀️ dang it… live and learn.. but the plants I had last year gave me like hundreds of seeds so.. I can plant more haha 🤣
@@MsFlipper1969 I haven't tried growing them in the greenhouse. I probably need to find a dwarf variety. I'm trying some called joker this year that I don't think get too tall so maybe I'll try that.
@Gapeys Grub they don't need to stay in the greenhouse too long, they're pretty tough once big enough. I've grown different varieties, almost all outside. These two were self seeded in discarded tomato tubs that I prolonged last autumn
Loovvvee your experiment. I fail time and time again to start them. I watched another UA-camr hardly covering the seeds with dirt, not all seeds sprouted and they can hardly stand up cause not enough dirt! I will restart the seeds again! Thank you for posting your experiment!❤
Good luck! are you using store bought or saved seeds? I've also seen people suggest not even covering them at all. I'm not sure how well that could work.
@@gapey Both. I restarted winter sowing them in milk jugs (2) but this time I did cover them, cross fingers. I barely covered them and they can barely stand up cause there is no dirt for them to hold on to at the root level. Thank you for responding.
Try this: rough up the ground with your favorite land scarifying tool. sprinkle your seeds on the soil, Then cover with about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of peat and water in. They will sprout just fine and you won't need to transplant or anything
So i kept the seeds last fall from my store-bought marigolds. They are in a bowl in my garage. Will they germinate and grow if I use them? I kept them because I heard they were pretty easy to reuse from the previous year. I'll definitely plant them flat now.
I thought I'd peek at UA-cam to see some results, because I've just sorted mine and planted them flat because they seem to do much better than pointy side down. I imagine because in nature they'd drift from the flower and when landing, end up flat for the most part. So noted for next year - flat all the way!
Interesting. Never thought about it. Usually direct sow and always sprinkled them flat and never had any issues. This year is the first year I started them for starts and still sowed flat. All have germinated.
great that you got 100% germination! I've never tried direct sowing them. We always have such a cold spring and they would probably take forever to germinate.
Very interesting that pointy side up or down seems like complete chance. The sideways, as you'd find them dropping in the nature, at least was consistent and makes sense.
Yep it does make sense. I didn't think it would matter that much. I will probably try this test again in the future and see if I continue to get better results planting flat.
I knew I should have watched a video before I planted my seeds yesterday in trays. I did 48 of them pointy side down. Hopefully some will germinate. Lesson learned :)
I'm getting ready to plant some marigold seeds saved from last year and was wondering about this. So looks like I will just scatter them and not worry about the pointed ends...just like Mother Nature does it....she knows best.
@@gapey Thanks...Where I was going to sow the seeds has 3inches of mulch and it's already too hot to uncover that area. So I am starting them in a seedling flat first and then will plant them in that area. I remembered to just lay the seed flat in each cup. I'll let you know the results.
This is exactly what I wanted to know. I’d love to know what the seed looks like when it has only just sprouted, as in where the root comes out and where the sprout comes out. Elsewhere I have seen the recommendation of planting them one inch deep, which surprised me.
They seem break through the middle of the black part of the seed. Sometimes when they sprout the seed is still attached to the top and it's attached at the middle.
Fun little experiment!! One must keep in mind that natural seeding puts seeds in the ground in random positions forever and everything still grows. Still a fun thing though!
Thank you! What a great experiment. I wish I'd watched your video before I planted seeds today. I planted them directly but now I'm going to plant them in trays.
@@gapey Thank you. Was curious if they were considered to be a warm or cold weather plant, with the warm weather plants wanting the heat between 80º & 85ºF, whereas some of the cold weather plants one should not use a heat mat or, if using one, set for no higher than 70ºF.
Love growing marigolds mine always come up in 2 days just open air no lid and dont cover them with dirt and they will sprout faster. Have a good day everyone.
@@gapey its weird right and i live in central canada aswell. I find when the seeds naturally fall they usually never get fully covered by soil, so i find they also naturally grow quicker being partially exposed.
Thanks for the great video! I immediately subscribed to your channel 🙂 I am an avid gardener but, shamefully, this is my first year growing from seed. I have been overly ambitious lol. I now have 2 indoor greenhouses, each almost 5'x5'x6' I currently have 50+ tomato plants 😂 About the marigold seeds, can I ask how moist the soil was when you planted the seeds? I saw you gave them just a sprinkle before covering with the dome. Did you mist them or anything while they were germinating? Thanks!
The potting soil should be pre moistened, just enough so when you squeeze it, it holds together but doesn’t drip water when you squeeze. I like to give just a little spritz on top at the end. If using a humidity done, it shouldn’t need anymore water. But if you see the top of soil dry out you can spray more water but shouldn’t need to.
Thank you so much for doing this test, and the fact you did it twice is amazing 🤩 and proves that it wasn’t just by chance. Awesome videos, I love your channel! Keep up the awesome work and happy gardening ♥️
Yes 🙌🏼 I agree
Exactly! It’s not rocket science.
I wonder if the middle tray was more insulated from temp fluctuation or evap.
My mom was planting them just throwing them randomly in the ground since I can remember. They always grew beautifully :)
Did you cover them with soil or just left them on top?
It seems like throwing them around would allow them to lay flat. Makes sense, scents and cents.
@@avalanchecannon7911 this made me smile
@@29928 Then my day was successful. 🙂
@@avalanchecannon7911 aw you're so sweet
I've wondered about this myself, but because I start alot of seeds, it was always most practical to sprinkle them over the potting soil so they are laying flat and cover them with a thin layer of potting soil. You can easily save the seeds from year to year and have all the marigolds you want. This method works great.
Or put them on toilet paper, roll , wet and seal in zip-bag. They will sprout quick. then transfer to the soil.
My friend Maria has a lot of marigolds. All she does is cast the seeds to the wind. She's living in her childhood home and her mother planted marigolds the same way 🎉
Yeah I imagine that would work too. I sell a lot of my starts so I start pretty much everything in containers. Only thing I direct sew is root crops like radishes and carrots.
That is the beauty of the marigold! She is the gift that keeps on giving! The dried flowers are seedlings, so once you have a few marigolds, you have millions!
So ultimately, those seeds are almost sure to grow no matter how they land. This is cool! Thank you.
Yeah pretty much but you'll likely get a better germination rate planting flat. :)
@@gapey yes, I was just noting how intelligent these seeds are
I scatter them and let go as they may. I winter sowed mine.
That's great. I haven't tried winter sowing. Surprised I haven't had any volunteers come up either.
I just planted them flat last week for the first time. Good to know they grow best the way I planted them. Thanks!
Good job!
😁 same here!
Had several packets & brands of Marigold seeds. One of the packet's directions indicated planting the seeds flat (horizontally). They grew successfully.
Interesting. Don't think I've ever seen a packet with instructions on how to plant them.
I drop the seeds and push in with a finger and it always works. thanks for the effort.
Yep that's how I did it for years but after this experiment I'll be planting them flat. :)
Thank you so much for your experiment and results. ❤ I saved seeds last year so I will plant them flat.
You're welcome. Good luck!
A thought is that perhaps mother nature made them into this shape because they are intended to lie flat since that is how they would fall
That sounds very likely!
I was thinking maybe the needle would go into the ground at sort of an angle to anchor it. I’m curious to see which part of the seed the roots come out and which part the sprout comes from.
Not Mother Nature… it’s God
@@Lashay7
Thanks.
I'm God.
I would have thought they’d land like shuttlecocks, bearing in mind that in nature they wouldn’t tend to land on bare flat ground.
This is the first video I watched on how to place Marigold seeds. Thank you so much , I will be placing them flat .
Nice! Glad it was helpful.
I just planted mine flat just a few days ago. Great experiment!
Yay you did it right!
Great vudeo. 😊i just throw them in cover with soil. They grow
that's all there is too it :)
I have de podded and collected about 10,000 marigold seeds. I won’t be sowing them one at a time.luckily the ‘lying flat’ sowing worked best
wow! You going to plant them all? You will have a good size field if you do.
Well I need a huge cardboard flat about 3’ x 2’ and a good 3” deep. l have lots of places to just plant them in clumps.
Thank you so much!! This is very helpful!! Happy Spring to all the growers out there!!🙌🌿💫
Glad it was helpful! Yay Spring!
It might be interesting to sacrifice one of the seedlings by pulling it out of the tray to see where the green shoot/plant was coming from and where the root was coming from this would inform us of the correct orientation for planting the seed.
I sometimes have the seed still stuck to the seedling when it emerges and it seems they sprout from the middle of the black area and not on the end as I would have thought.
This was awesome! I always wondered and just planted them flat. I plant numerous marigolds and distribute throughout my gardens as they are very effective in keeping the deer from invading my veggies and flowers.
good to know they keep away deer!
I freely scattered a $2 Dollar General box of Marigold seeds in 3 rows of my vegetable garden. They weren't planted until June, because it was a last minute decision to plant them. Nothing happened for the longest time, but once they came in, they went wild. I didn't think they'd grow so tall and bushy. I'm so excited for next year, because of all the seed heads I'm gonna be saving for next year 😊
Ohh good story?
YAY!!!!!❤
ive always done them sideways, but ive never had the same success i have with other seeds doing this so this is something ive always wondered!
I'm convinced..thanks for the test
Planting now in the great state of Ohio.
Awesome! Good luck.
A total seed nerd. 🤓 I love it!!
hah yes!
Planted the right way 😎 mine are growing good so far planted them about 3 months ago have some frost damage but sure it will bounce back grate transplanted about 50 seedlings yesterday and ima trans plant some of the bigger plants into the soil today if it don’t rain
Fun video! I've always just sprinkled the seeds on the soil outside,then watered them!! A person can't kill them, haha!!
Yeah that works too. I know a lot of people direct sow them though I haven't done it that way myself.
Yes that’s what I’ve always done with all of my flowers lol I literally just take half of each packet combined them in a Tupperware container and then go around sprinkling them and lots of them actually pop up so it definitely works!!!
I'm going to try this. For years I've tried to do free cast in the garden but had no luck. Thanks for sharing this!
Good luck! I've never direct sowed them but others seem to have success with it.
I've never planted anything in my adult life, and I just threw them in the nursey pots willy nilly 😂 glad to see I didn't make a huge mistake 😂
Some will grow no matter which way you plant them but might get more to come up throwing them willy nilly :)
The flat ones if you do the damp paper towel seed press against the inside of a jar experiment we do with kids in elementary school has the root going down stem going up out of the other end of the seed. It seems lying flat on the ground is the natural orientation for seeds. 😉👍💖
Yep that seems to work best!
You gave me the answer I was looking for! Thank you. I will plant my marigold seeds this morning. Thank you.
Good luck! I hope they came up!
Thank you, put 4 seeds in 1 pod, on a 6 pod pack 17 of them popped out of 24. Laid them all sideways. Watched this video 2 months ago and had to come back and say I appreciated this
17 out of 24 isn't bad. Glad the video helped!
I'm marigold lover. Each year I plant them lot. Going to plant them today and will use flat style. Thanks
Great! I hope they grow well for you.
Thanks for taking the time for the experiment, I have always wondered about that,
Glad to help
Two questions. did you dome them until they germinate? Did you have them on heat mat?
I usually dome any seeds I start to hold in moisture and keep them from drying out but it's not necessary. You'd just have to ensure they don't dry out. I don't usually use a heat mat for marigolds but depends on the temp of the grow room when I start them. Anything over 60 degrees should be fine but will germinate faster at around 70 degrees.
Thank You so much was so informative now I know exactly what to do with my marigold seeds
You’re welcome! I hope your marigolds germinate well.
The first package of marigold seeds I purchased from a seed company had no white end…both were effectively pointed ends. I planted on February 21st (now the 26th) up & down, not laying flat, and it seems I have very few that have germinated at all, despite putting plastic wrap over the top of the small container I planted them in. Starting to wonder how many are going to actually germinate.🤔
That's odd they didn't have a white end. If you try again I bet you will have better germination laying them flat.
@@gapey Watching this video and a couple of other videos on the topic of planting Marigold seeds indoors, they all had the white ends. So, yes, it is very curious that the ones I purchased from a seed company did not. I have ordered some more of different varieties from them. It will be interesting to see if the seeds in the new order have a white end, when they arrive.🤷♂️
@@gapey Seeing the various videos with a white end, I thought it odd as well.
With the new batch of seeds I’ve ordered, I will try laying them flat.
@@gapey As soon as another package of Marigolds arrive, I will plant again, on their sides.🤷♂️
VERY informative and I'm glad when I planted my seeds this morning, I just sprinkled them and let them lay flat. Glad I chose the right method!
Awesome! I hope they germinate well for you.
Great experiment! What are you using to water?
oh they are bottle cap water nozzles I found on Amazon. There's a link to my amazon store in the description of all my videos I have it in there under gardening supplies.
I just setup my starter medium in the basement, turned on my heating pad and ran upstairs to see how to plants these marigold seeds. :) Thankyou :)
You're welcome. good luck!
Thanks for sharing this. I've been planting them flat but wondered if that was right.
You did good! :D
I watched this video today, and then planted my marigold seeds 'laying down". I have them in my dining room for the time being. Does anyone know if I should put a grow light on them now, or wait until leaves emerge from the soil?
They don't need any extra light until they germinate so just keep an eye on them and check every day and once they start waking up move them to the grow lights.
Thanks for the reply. I hope I can get them to grow.@@gapey
Glad I found this video. I recently planted some Marigolds and they germinated. However, I was just wondering what would be the best way but I see they can germinate either way.
Glad it was helpful!
I've never really thought about it. I've always planted mine flat.
My first year trying, so thanks for the tips
Awesome good luck! I just started mine this month.
@@gapey
Thank you, I built some raised beds out of pallets and already have some hardy seeds in, as rabbits eat young plants on the golf course, the marigolds seeds will go in these in may for England, as we may still have frost
thank you for doing this experiment. I planted marigold this year for the first time and I'm collecting my seeds for next year. :)
Awesome!
I’ve always stuck them into the soil pointy tip down. Guess not anymore. Thanks for doing/ sharing this experiment.
You're welcome. That's how I used to do it too. :D
I bought me a pack of Marigold Reds and was wondering how to plant this bizarre seed lol. Thank you so much for this 💪💪💪
Yeah they are a little unusual. Glad to help!
Thanks for the tip. I get so many that volunteer I just transplant them to the garden's edge. When I first planted the seeds years ago I just dropped them in a shallow trench.
I've yet to have any volunteer!
I've always planted them flat, just seems like that's how you are supposed to plant them. I've always had an excellent germination rate (95-100%). They remind me of little paint brushes .
You're smart! It just seems so satisfying to poke them into the soil though. :)
I have thousands of seeds I saved from last year....tomorrow I plan on starting the seedlings.....will plant them flat.........thank you so much! I was a little confused and you have answered all my questions!
wow are you going to plant thousands of them too? That's a lot of seeds! :D
@@gapey No, No .. lol. I just saved so many thinking I could share them and I shared a lot but I still have a lot! Hopefully for the first time I won't have to buy the actual plants.....but can grow my own! I'm new at all this ... love it!
I want to know, did you get good germination?
@@ArtByKarenEHaley It was pretty good. I show the germination in the video.
@@ArtByKarenEHaley Oh maybe you were asking Carol? :)
Been planting marigolds since a small child with my mother. Have always just sprinkled them onto the soil and sprinkle a little soil over the top. Water in and there you go! 3-4 days germination is all.
That sounds nice and easy! I like to sell my starts so always start them early indoors so they are ready to sell with everything else in mid May.
Thanks for the great info! I saved marigold seeds from the plants I bought last year and wasn't sure how they wanted to be. I planted pointy side down but Im going to do another tray now just laying flat.
Good luck. I'm sure you'll get lots of seedlings come up both ways.
Thank you for making this helpful video! Super interesting for those of us who save and replant our own seeds!
You're welcome :)
So helpful and to the point!!! Thank you so much!
You're welcome! Good luck.
Thank you, I was wondering which way they should be planted. I was just lucky all mine came up after planting them flat!
That's great! You made a good choice. :)
So cool! I was thinking of doing a test similar to this with Milkweed seeds. I see people who remove the fluff that's on the seeds before planting them, but nature doesn't have someone come along and de-fluff the seeds, so why do we remove the fluff? I have a whole bunch of Milkweed that I'm going to plant this spring and yeah- I'll try some with fluff and some without fluff to see if there's a difference. Thank you for this video :) I love to see experiments!
I'm sure the fluff on milkweed seeds doesn't matter for planting but I usually try to remove it just for easier storage.
really enjoyed the video, i guess you kinda have to think how things do in nature, it doesnt think about which way its going really, ever since i started saving my seeds from mine, I just sprinkle them around and they come up where ever, and the ones i left in the ground they just drop their seeds and more come up the next year, and they get SO much bigger and prettier than the ones i used to purchase :) God Bless you and your gardening this year!
I always like to experiment and see if there is a better way to do things but this time mother nature knows best!
I actually planted some the other day, and just sprinkled them in a pot and covered them a little with soil, still waiting on them to come up. When I saw this video pop up i thought oh goodness, hope i did it right lol, thanks for your response!
@@christinascleaning glad you did it right! :D
I saved several flower heads from last year(1st time) and am only getting a small fraction of the seeds to germinate. Naturally, I went to UA-cam for data! Thankyou for sharing your experiment. :)
I'm in the same boat. I saved a ton from heads last fall and maybe have 2/12? It's a flower day so I'm going to try replanting over and doing it flat this time!
It's possible the flowers had poor pollination and that could make the seeds not viable. Make sure the seeds are stiff and not super flimsy. If the dark part of the seed easily bends in half then it's probably not going to sprout.
@@gapey good thought. I might have to replant (again!) This time using the ones I bought from the store last year and planted in vain. If these don't germinate I'll try that and make sure to check my seedlings if I keep them again.
@@gapey Ahh Thankyou for the tip. I just recently discovered most of my sunflower seeds are also hollow. Pollination being the most likely culprit. From now on I will make there is an actual seed in the shell :)
@@jsmythib Yeah I ran into that with one of my sunflowers too. I just pinch the seed hard and if it doesn't crack and flatten then it's got a seed inside. Probably more than 50% of mine had no seeds inside.
I planted mine flat and the germination was crazy good. Just a little thin layer of vermiculite and coco mixed as a topper
Good to hear you did it the right way! :D
Haha nice! I planted them flat because it was my first year planting them and it works out great so I am glad you confirmed haha
Now the sad thing is (and the reason I looked for videos) is to see what they looked like as seedlings because now I see I have been pulling them up thinking they are weeds! 🤦🏻♀️ dang it… live and learn.. but the plants I had last year gave me like hundreds of seeds so.. I can plant more haha 🤣
I always just toss them in a small trench in the ground so they end up flat. Never started them in cells. Theu grow fine direct sown.
I've never tried direct sowing them. I sell my veg and flower starts every spring so I gotta start them inside early for selling.
I just chuck them on the soil, lightly cover and water, they always come up😊
I've never tried direct sowing. we have such a long cold spring that I want to get them started early and I like to sell some starts too.
@Gapeys Grub I do too here in North England, germination is slow this year but 2 had self sown in the greenhouse and are ready to flower
@@MsFlipper1969 I haven't tried growing them in the greenhouse. I probably need to find a dwarf variety. I'm trying some called joker this year that I don't think get too tall so maybe I'll try that.
@Gapeys Grub they don't need to stay in the greenhouse too long, they're pretty tough once big enough. I've grown different varieties, almost all outside. These two were self seeded in discarded tomato tubs that I prolonged last autumn
Loovvvee your experiment. I fail time and time again to start them. I watched another UA-camr hardly covering the seeds with dirt, not all seeds sprouted and they can hardly stand up cause not enough dirt! I will restart the seeds again! Thank you for posting your experiment!❤
Good luck! are you using store bought or saved seeds? I've also seen people suggest not even covering them at all. I'm not sure how well that could work.
@@gapey Both. I restarted winter sowing them in milk jugs (2) but this time I did cover them, cross fingers. I barely covered them and they can barely stand up cause there is no dirt for them to hold on to at the root level. Thank you for responding.
@@danielleaf9146 good luck!
Interesting! I never even gave it any though as to which way I was putting down the marigold seeds. I always just laid them flat. Nice little video!
Good job! I used to always plant them the other way. It was just satisfying poking them into the soil. :D
Such a nice and informative video I have watched after sowing the wrong way a few hours ago 😌
oh oops! I'm sure some will still come up. Been doing it the wrong way for years myself. lol
Thanks for this simple experiment. In natural circumstances they will come mostly flat and with the tip first on the soil, I presume.
Yep! I imagine so.
Thanks for doing this. I now know which way to plant marigold seeds.
Glad it was helpful!
Try this: rough up the ground with your favorite land scarifying tool. sprinkle your seeds on the soil, Then cover with about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of peat and water in.
They will sprout just fine and you won't need to transplant or anything
Exactly what I needed to see ,thank you great video.
Glad it helped!
My parents had seeds for over 10 years, pluck the closed one in the fall plants those in the spring.
Nice. I've got some saved seeds too. Saved some joker marigolds from a friend's place last year and they are just starting to come up.
So i kept the seeds last fall from my store-bought marigolds. They are in a bowl in my garage. Will they germinate and grow if I use them? I kept them because I heard they were pretty easy to reuse from the previous year. I'll definitely plant them flat now.
If they were pollinated well then they should grow. Only one way to find out! :)
I have often wondered about this. Thanks for sharing
Me too. I couldn't find anyone else that did this test so had to try for myself to see which way worked better. :)
I thought I'd peek at UA-cam to see some results, because I've just sorted mine and planted them flat because they seem to do much better than pointy side down. I imagine because in nature they'd drift from the flower and when landing, end up flat for the most part. So noted for next year - flat all the way!
Yah flat is the way to go. Yep that's true they lay flat in nature and nature knows best! :)
Interesting. Never thought about it. Usually direct sow and always sprinkled them flat and never had any issues. This year is the first year I started them for starts and still sowed flat. All have germinated.
great that you got 100% germination! I've never tried direct sowing them. We always have such a cold spring and they would probably take forever to germinate.
Oh..wow..that's is very useful. Thank you very much for doing this video.💛 I am trying to seed but nothing show up. I will try it again.😁
I hope you have better luck this time.
Very interesting that pointy side up or down seems like complete chance. The sideways, as you'd find them dropping in the nature, at least was consistent and makes sense.
Yep it does make sense. I didn't think it would matter that much. I will probably try this test again in the future and see if I continue to get better results planting flat.
I knew I should have watched a video before I planted my seeds yesterday in trays. I did 48 of them pointy side down. Hopefully some will germinate. Lesson learned :)
Oh I'm sure you'll get some germinate. I had been planting them that way for many years before I did this experiment. :)
@@gapey And they've all germinated!
@@dedemaddox Yay!
I'm getting ready to plant some marigold seeds saved from last year and was wondering about this. So looks like I will just scatter them and not worry about the pointed ends...just like Mother Nature does it....she knows best.
good luck!
@@gapey Thanks...Where I was going to sow the seeds has 3inches of mulch and it's already too hot to uncover that area. So I am starting them in a seedling flat first and then will plant them in that area. I remembered to just lay the seed flat in each cup. I'll let you know the results.
I wonder if the flat did best because they had more consistent moisture
It's possible!
I just sprinkle mines flat and cover with soil and this method works best
That's definitely the best way based on my experiments!
I just threw mine in the soil a few days ago and I'm just hoping for the best lol.
that works!
It is easy. How do you think the nature plant them?
Thank you for imparting your precious knowledge to us. 😊
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful.
This is exactly what I wanted to know.
I’d love to know what the seed looks like when it has only just sprouted, as in where the root comes out and where the sprout comes out.
Elsewhere I have seen the recommendation of planting them one inch deep, which surprised me.
They seem break through the middle of the black part of the seed. Sometimes when they sprout the seed is still attached to the top and it's attached at the middle.
Do an experiment by germinating some in a damper towel.
Perfect timing. Just got a pack today.
Nice! Good luck. Fresh seeds should germinate well.
Fun little experiment!! One must keep in mind that natural seeding puts seeds in the ground in random positions forever and everything still grows. Still a fun thing though!
yeah I think in most cases natural seeding would lay them flat on the ground so makes sense that way may germinate better.
Nice video. I planted mine flat yesterday and I was thinking that I might have done the wrong method 😂
I've been doing it wrong for a long time. Glad you got it right! :)
thats the best way
Thank you for sharing this experiment with us. It's really helpful. 🤗🤗
You're welcome. I'm glad it helped.
Thank you! What a great experiment. I wish I'd watched your video before I planted seeds today. I planted them directly but now I'm going to plant them in trays.
Thank you I enjoy science and gardening 😊
Me too! You're welcome.
Flat it is! I planted a few pointy side down recently because they look like they’re meant to go that way if they fall.
I know right? That's how I've planted them for years but not anymore after this experiment.
Curious…did you use a heat mat?
For marigolds, I don't usually use a heat mat but the ambient temp of my growroom is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
@@gapey Thank you. Was curious if they were considered to be a warm or cold weather plant, with the warm weather plants wanting the heat between 80º & 85ºF, whereas some of the cold weather plants one should not use a heat mat or, if using one, set for no higher than 70ºF.
Dankeschön für das Video ich werde es genau so machen: flach sähen.
I throw them in an area and they grow. They turn out beautifully.
Nice. I've never tried direct sowing them before.
Love growing marigolds mine always come up in 2 days just open air no lid and dont cover them with dirt and they will sprout faster. Have a good day everyone.
That's great! 2 days is pretty fast.
@@gapey its weird right and i live in central canada aswell. I find when the seeds naturally fall they usually never get fully covered by soil, so i find they also naturally grow quicker being partially exposed.
@@MrJackassz
Was it warm when you planted them? Thank you. 💚
3 hours ago I thought about this! Didn't plant them. Hadn't even searched and this video came up!
Wow youtube can read your mind!
Thank you for doing the experiment! That is how we all get better at gardening!
You bet!
I just throw it on the soil and it grows...been doing that for years n loads of plants
Nice. That seems to be what a lot of people do.
Flat and pointy side down i went with the white part is the outer part with the flower attached km a bit fusterated gotta be patient to !!
I did mine flat last year and great results.
@@nicholasphilip7733 I've also discovered they don't like to be planted very deep so barely cover with soil should get better and faster germination.
Thanks for the great video! I immediately subscribed to your channel 🙂 I am an avid gardener but, shamefully, this is my first year growing from seed. I have been overly ambitious lol. I now have 2 indoor greenhouses, each almost 5'x5'x6' I currently have 50+ tomato plants 😂
About the marigold seeds, can I ask how moist the soil was when you planted the seeds? I saw you gave them just a sprinkle before covering with the dome. Did you mist them or anything while they were germinating?
Thanks!
The potting soil should be pre moistened, just enough so when you squeeze it, it holds together but doesn’t drip water when you squeeze. I like to give just a little spritz on top at the end. If using a humidity done, it shouldn’t need anymore water. But if you see the top of soil dry out you can spray more water but shouldn’t need to.
@@gapey Thanks so much for responding! 🙂
I love this kind of experiment
Thanks. Me too. Been wanting to do this test for a while and finally did this year.
Ive always wondered if there was a better way