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?

South interior: Bengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil Nadu

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 South interior

Season
Sown round the year⁴
Sowing to last picking
The crop lasts about 130 to 150 days in the field.⁴
Nursery
February³

Across India

When to sow it

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

Sow now

The window here is November.

Sowing now in:Central plateau Deccan plateau East coast

Nursery
Transplant
Harvest
Under cover
Today

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 East coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra West coastKerala, Goa, Konkan

Compare all 12 regions

Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu Cold desertLadakh, Lahaul and Spiti Sub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, Dehradun North-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, Delhi Gangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plains 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 West coastKerala, Goa, Konkan East coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra

Today

See the dates as a table

Region	Nursery	Transplant	Harvest
South interior	FebruaryMayAugustNovember	MarchJuneSeptemberDecember	April to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April
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
Gangetic plains	Mid JuneMid SeptemberJanuary to February	Mid JulyMid OctoberFebruary to March
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
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

Last ploughing

Farmyard manure

25 t per hectare

Work it in at the last ploughing.

Planting

Azospirillum and phosphobacteria

2 kg each per hectare, mixed with 100 kg of farmyard manure

Apply the mix at planting.

⁴

Day 0

Sow

Day 4 to 5

Seeds come up

^1,3

Day 21 to 28

Transplant

Day 130 to 150

Last picking

⁴

Water right after planting and again on the third day, then about once a week or as needed. Do not let water stand.⁴

Before sowing
Farmyard manure
25 t per hectare · Work it in at the last ploughing. · Last ploughing
Azospirillum and phosphobacteria⁴
2 kg each per hectare, mixed with 100 kg of farmyard manure · Apply the mix at planting. · Planting
Day 0
Sow
Day 4 to 5
Seeds come up^1,3
Day 21 to 28
Transplant¹
Day 130 to 150
Last picking⁴

Water right after planting and again on the third day, then about once a week or as needed. Do not let water stand.⁴

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

Soil pH^1,3
7 to 7.5
Well drained loam; 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 South interior aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

Watering⁴

Water right after planting and again on the third day, then about once a week or as needed. Do not let water stand.

Weeding⁴

Weed whenever weeds come up.

When	What	How much	How
Last ploughing	Farmyard manure	25 t per hectare	Work it in at the last ploughing.
Planting	Azospirillum and phosphobacteria	2 kg each per hectare, mixed with 100 kg of farmyard manure	Apply the mix at planting.

Sources⁴

Varieties and yield

Typical range

15 to 20 tonnes a hectare

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

Varieties grown here⁴

MDU 1
Pusa Narangi Gainda
IARI, orange.
Pusa Basanti Gainda
IARI, yellow.
Local orange and yellow types

Good neighbours^7,6

Grows well with

Pests and diseases^4,3

Organic and cultural controls only.

Pest
Thrips (Thrips tabaci)
What to do
- Hang yellow sticky traps, about 20 to an acre.
- Release the predatory mite Amblyseius cucumeris.
Pest
Mealybug
Pest
Bud borer, cutworm and Helicoverpa armigera
Pest
Red spider mite
Disease
Damping off
Signs
Dark spots and rings on young seedlings, which then collapse.
Prevention
- Look after the nursery well; losses are high in a neglected bed.
Disease
Wilt and stem rot
Signs
The collar rots; seedlings damp off and field plants wilt. African types are hit harder than French and dwarf types.
Prevention
- It gets worse in wet soil, so do not overwater.
Disease
Collar rot
Signs
Black patches on the main stem and rotting at the collar kill the plant.
What to do
- Water with care.
Disease
Leaf spot and blight
Signs
Brown dead spots on the leaves grow larger until the foliage is spoilt.
Disease
Powdery mildew
Signs
White powdery growth on the leaves and stems.
Disease
Flower bud rot
Signs
Young buds shrivel and turn dark brown; leaf tips and edges show brown spots.

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
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 South interior

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

Watering4

Weeding4

Varieties and yield

Good neighbours7,6

Pests and diseases4,3

Thrips (Thrips tabaci)

Mealybug

Bud borer, cutworm and Helicoverpa armigera

Red spider mite

Damping off

Wilt and stem rot

Collar rot

Leaf spot and blight

Powdery mildew

Flower bud rot

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1,3

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