Tarragold Marigold, Tagetes lucida Leaftips Dying
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Lisa
Posted on: November 24, 2010

I just received several live plants your company; most seem to be recovering from the cold & travel fairly well--with the exception of the Tarragold marigold. The leaf tips seem both wilted and dried up. I’m unfamiliar with this plant and can’t find much information on it. I’m not sure if I should cut some of the stems to give it a better root-leaf ratio or put it under a plastic bag to help give it more humidity-- or whether it’s prone to losing its leaves after traveling or transplanting, in which case, I should leave it >alone. Maybe it’s something altogether different? Not enough light? too cold?

In our greenhouses the plant seems to be sensitive to drying out- something that can happen in transit. This would kill some of the roots and so the wilting. Put it into a plastic bag, but watch it carefully for rot and make sure you do not put the closed bag into direct sun as this would cook the plant.

Since this is November and it sounds as if the plant was shipped recently it may have gotten nipped by frost in transit. Because it is a tropical plant it would show more damage than other slightly frost-hardy plants. Watching it carefully for rot as it is in the plastic bag would be particularly important in that case.

As soon as the leaf damage stops getting worse, start opening the bag more and more to get it used to drier air. When the opening is large enough to prevent heat build up the plant over the period of a week into the brightest spot you can give it. If the internodes (the spaces between leaves) start getting longer you know you do not have enough light and may have to supplement with artificial light.

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