You must be or you would have more and they'd be bigger than 2 inches. Marigolds are the easiest plants to grow.

How deep did you plant them? did you keep the ground moist until they sprouted? What was your weather like--was it very hot and dry so it dried the ground out?

If it's hot and dry and you want to plant marigolds--try this for another year. Wet the ground where you want to plant very well--this is the moisture that will make the seeds sprout so don't just wet the top--let the moisture sink into the ground. Take a plastic pot and turn it upside down and press into the soil, then remove it. Put a couple of seeds on the ground inside the circle and sprinkle just enough dry soil to cover the seed. Then put the pot back over the seeds and put a stone or something on top so it doesn't blow off. After about 3 days check your pots daily to see if the seeds have sprouted.

The seeds don't need light to germinate and when you lift the pot you'll see it is moist under the pot. When they've sprouted remove the pots and grow them like any other plant.

The weather has been very hot. I water the marigold up to 4 times a week. When I asked my teacher about it a few weeks ago , she said the weather was very hot and to wait for the cool weather to hit in. The reason I think that the marigolds didn't sprout is beacuse the seed was like one year old. I don't know if that was a problem.

No seeds will grow even if they are a year old. I have had seeds sprout even older than that.

I think the culprit is the weather. Are you by any chance living in Florida or a southern State--you must be if it's hot? Marigolds germinate at 75 to 80 degrees.

I think you are watering a little too much. When you water really soak the ground and then don't water again until it's dry. Unless it is really hot and dry once or twice a week is probably enough. You can give a plant too much water and that is worse than not enough.

plantgardener, if the seed weren't stored carefully, then the results can be pretty chancy as they age. Yes, much older seeds than that CAN germinate, but not if they've been stored where they can get too hot or too cold, or where they dry out completely. Seed quality matters.

We really don't have enough information from you to help you much. Soil type, drainage, sunlight, how deeply you planted the seeds, and many other factors make a big difference. We really can't even tell you if you are watering too much since we don't know that soil and drainage situation.

My first GUESS was that you had planted these seeds too deeply into the soil and they've had to struggle to reach the light of day. That kind of stress will slow them down considerably.

I live in Arizona where it can get up to 115 degrees.The soil drys out very quickly and thats why I water it so often. I think the reason the seed didn't do that well was that it was stored in a cabinet by stove.

That would do it, plantgardner! Marigold seeds need to be stored in a dry, dark, cool location.

I have no place to store my seeds that is cool. In this apartment my seeds are in a box under the bed(the bedroom being above the kitchen, and it gets very warm). I planted french marigold seeds this year that were 2-3 years old and they grew like gangbusters.
I don't think you are watering too much Plantgardener, but the soil may not be staying 'consistantly' moist. Getting too dry between waterings could delay or prevent germination(JME). It also sounds like the soil that your tiny MG is in may need some mulch on top to keep it moist. If it is in full sun, can you give it a little shade until it grows a bit? If you can keep this little guy alive until it blooms, you can harvest seed for next year.HTH

oh come on peeps ...

annual seeds are planted in late SPRING ... not august ...

warm soil.. warm [NOT STEAMING HOT] days ... generates the root growth for the flowers a few months later ....

dampish spring soil ... [compared to august]

no one plants seeds in AUGUST ..... in 115 degrees .. and hopes that they can generate the roots necessary for vigor ...

very simply .... next spring... which i have no idea for your zone.. go spend a buck on a pack of fresh seed ... simple scratch the soil.. spread the seed ... recover so that they are barely covered ... tamp down the soil with your hand [soil contact is imperative] and maintain dampness until they sprout ...

then.. INSURE proper water in the root zone [not just the surface] FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON... watering is an art.. not a science.. meaning you dont do it on a schedule... you insert your finger .. and water when the soil is dry ... or so hot.. that it will be dry the next day ....

almost all annuals [excepting true desert plants] require nearly constant dampness ...

the fact that your did survive.. tells me.. you got close with the watering.. but you might need to cut a day or two.. from every 4 days ...

the other thing going on in spring.. is the shorter days ... the declination of the sun .... though where you are.. its minimal .... but again ... in august.. your lucky they didnt singe into a little pile of death ...

regardless.. PLEASE try again.. at the right time of year.. and i will bet a buck.. you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams ...

ken

Ken, in many parts of the country, marigolds are used as a fall bedding plant. In very warm climates, they could be grown all year round. I agree that sowing seeds in the middle of a heat wave can be a challenge, but it can be done.

True. I am particularly researching day neutral annuals that I can stagger-plant through out the season. I will do testing with Marigold Triploids next season. I ,too, will have to deal with heat issues so I will plant new seeds every two weeks in this test.
The best price I found was at Geoseed, which fortunately I really like.
Incidentally, soak seeds for 4 hours then plant. I keep most seeds moist until they germinate as specified on many tech sheets by the seed producers. But that's me; others have their successful techniques.
Bob