Flowers · Flower

Growing marigold

Tagetes erecta · also called Genda, GaindaAfrican marigold, grown for its large orange and yellow flowers for garlands and worship, and as a border row in vegetable plots. Raised in a nursery and transplanted; frost kills it.

Where are you growing?

Gangetic plains: eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plains

Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail

African marigold plant with a large double orange flower — Photo: Joydeep · CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

Marigold in the Gangetic plains

Season
Round the year: late rains, winter and summer crops⁶
Sowing to last picking
About five to six months from nursery sowing to the last picking.
Nursery
Mid June⁶

Across India

When to sow it

Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.

Too late this season

The window here was Mid September. The next one opens in January.

Sowing now in:Central plateau Deccan plateau South interior East coast

Nursery
Transplant
Harvest
Under cover
Today

Gangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plains North-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, Sikkim Central plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha

Compare all 12 regions

Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu Cold desertLadakh, Lahaul and Spiti Sub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, Dehradun North-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, Delhi North-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, Sikkim Arid westRajasthan, Kutch, north Gujarat Central plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaCentral plateauNursery: FebruaryCentral plateauNursery: MayCentral plateauNursery: AugustCentral plateauNursery: NovemberCentral plateauTransplant: MarchCentral plateauTransplant: JuneCentral plateauTransplant: SeptemberCentral plateauTransplant: DecemberCentral plateauHarvest: April to JulyCentral plateauHarvest: July to OctoberCentral plateauHarvest: November to JanuaryCentral plateauHarvest: November to JanuaryCentral plateauHarvest: February to April Deccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north KarnatakaDeccan plateauNursery: FebruaryDeccan plateauNursery: MayDeccan plateauNursery: AugustDeccan plateauNursery: NovemberDeccan plateauTransplant: MarchDeccan plateauTransplant: JuneDeccan plateauTransplant: SeptemberDeccan plateauTransplant: DecemberDeccan plateauHarvest: April to JulyDeccan plateauHarvest: July to OctoberDeccan plateauHarvest: November to JanuaryDeccan plateauHarvest: November to JanuaryDeccan plateauHarvest: February to April South interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduSouth interiorNursery: FebruarySouth interiorNursery: MaySouth interiorNursery: AugustSouth interiorNursery: NovemberSouth interiorTransplant: MarchSouth interiorTransplant: JuneSouth interiorTransplant: SeptemberSouth interiorTransplant: DecemberSouth interiorHarvest: April to JulySouth interiorHarvest: July to OctoberSouth interiorHarvest: November to JanuarySouth interiorHarvest: November to JanuarySouth interiorHarvest: February to April West coastKerala, Goa, Konkan East coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra

Today

See the dates as a table

Region	Nursery	Transplant	Harvest
Gangetic plains	Mid JuneMid SeptemberJanuary to February	Mid JulyMid OctoberFebruary to March
Temperate Himalaya	Under cover: Late March to April, under cover	May to early June	Late July to early October
Cold desert	Under cover: April, in a greenhouse	Late May to early June	Late July to September
Sub-tropical foothills	JuneSeptember to OctoberUnder cover: January, under cover	JulyOctober to NovemberFebruary
North-west plains	End of JuneMid SeptemberUnder cover: January, under polythene	By 25 FebruaryFirst half of AugustBy mid October
North-east hills and valleys	September to early OctoberMarch	October to early NovemberApril	December to March
Arid west	JuneSeptember	JulyOctober	December to early March
Central plateau	FebruaryMayAugustNovember	MarchJuneSeptemberDecember	April to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April
Deccan plateau	FebruaryMayAugustNovember	MarchJuneSeptemberDecember	April to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April
South interior	FebruaryMayAugustNovember	MarchJuneSeptemberDecember	April to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April
West coast	Late August to SeptemberDecember	Late September to OctoberJanuary	December to February
East coast	FebruaryMayAugustNovember	MarchJuneSeptemberDecember	April to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

Before sowing

Land preparation

Farmyard manure

150 to 200 quintals per hectare

Apply while preparing the land.

⁶

Day 0

Sow

Day 4 to 5

Seeds come up

^1,3

Day 21 to 28

Transplant

Day 140 to 180

Last picking

Water every 7 to 8 days, more often on light soils. Keep the soil moist; dry spells at any stage hurt the crop, but avoid heavy watering.⁶

Before sowing
Farmyard manure⁶
150 to 200 quintals per hectare · Apply while preparing the land. · Land preparation
Day 0
Sow
Day 4 to 5
Seeds come up^1,3
Day 21 to 28
Transplant¹
Day 140 to 180
Last picking

Water every 7 to 8 days, more often on light soils. Keep the soil moist; dry spells at any stage hurt the crop, but avoid heavy watering.⁶

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

Soil pH^1,3
6.5 to 7.5
Deep, fertile, well aerated sandy loam that holds water; saline and acid soils do not suit it.
Sunlight²
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun. In shade the plants grow lanky and flower poorly.
Temperature^3,1
Grows best at 18 to 20 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the Gangetic plains aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

Watering⁶

Water every 7 to 8 days, more often on light soils. Keep the soil moist; dry spells at any stage hurt the crop, but avoid heavy watering.

Weeding⁶

Weeds are worst in the rainy season. Hand weed at 30 and 60 days after transplanting.

When	What	How much	How
Land preparation	Farmyard manure	150 to 200 quintals per hectare	Apply while preparing the land.

Sources⁶

Varieties and yield

Typical range⁶

125 to 150 quintals a hectare

Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.

Varieties grown here⁶

Pusa Narangi Gainda
IARI, orange.
Pusa Basanti Gainda
IARI, yellow.
Arka Agni
IIHR.
Arka Bangara
IIHR.

Good neighbours^7,6

Grows well with

Pests and diseases⁶

Organic and cultural controls only.

Pest
Bud caterpillar (Helicoverpa armigera)
What to do
- Pick off and destroy infested parts.
Pest
Aphids (Aphis gossypii)
What to do
- Pick off and destroy infested parts.
Pest
Red spider mite
What to do
- Pick off and destroy infested parts.
Disease
Damping off
What to do
- Pull out and remove infected seedlings.
Disease
Leaf spot and blight
Prevention
- Use good quality seed.
Disease
Collar and root rot
Prevention
- Use good quality seed.
Disease
Flower bud rot
Prevention
- Use good quality seed.

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed^1,3

Marigold crosses between varieties: keep 600 to 1,000 m between them, and pull out off type plants at the leafy stage and again at flowering.

When the seed is ready

Pick seed heads when the petals start to shrivel. Leave the small, poorly formed flowers.

Cleaning the seed

Dry the picked heads in the shade for 10 to 15 days, then in the sun for 1 to 2 days. Cleaned seed comes to about two fifths of the fresh flower weight.

Pack dry seed in plastic bags or other closed containers and keep it in a cool place. It stays good for about one to two years.

After the last picking

Pull the plants once picking falls off and compost the healthy ones. Take wilted or rotted plants off the field.

Pull the plants after the last picking and compost the healthy ones. Take plants that wilted or rotted at the collar off the field.

Rotation

Do not grow marigold on the same bed year after year; rotate it with a vegetable or a cereal.

Sources

Where this comes from

Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.

These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.

1Package of Practices: Cultivation of Flowers and Landscape Gardening 2020 (Marigold; seasonal flowers)Directorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
3Marigold crop pages: area, soil and climate, propagation, planting, manuring, irrigation, intercultural operations, harvesting and yield, pests, diseasesNational Horticulture Board, Government of IndiaRead the source
4TNAU Agritech Portal: Horticulture, flower crops, African marigoldTamil Nadu Agricultural University, CoimbatoreRead the source
6Livelihood generation through marigold cultivation round the year (Indian Farming 70(8): 22-24)ICAR (Indian Farming); authors at Krishi Vigyan Kendra Birauli, Samastipur, Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, BiharRead the source
7AESA based IPM package: Chillies and capsicumNational Institute of Plant Health Management and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Government of IndiaRead the source

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Growing marigold

Marigold in the Gangetic plains

When to sow it

One season, day by day

Soil, sun and warmth

Soil pH1,3

Sunlight2Includes AI suggestionsPart of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Temperature3,1Includes AI suggestionsPart of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Water and feeding

Watering6

Weeding6

Varieties and yield

Good neighbours7,6

Pests and diseases6

Bud caterpillar (Helicoverpa armigera)

Aphids (Aphis gossypii)

Red spider mite

Damping off

Leaf spot and blight

Collar and root rot

Flower bud rot

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1,3

After the last pickingAI suggestionNo published guide covers this for the Gangetic plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.