Balcony
French marigold
Tagetes patula
- Cat: mildly toxic
- Dog: mildly toxic
- Light: full sun
About the plant
The French marigold, despite its name, comes from Mexico and Guatemala. It flowers in yellow and orange all summer, and its strong smell is said to keep some pests away.
French marigold and pets
- Cat
- mildly toxic
- Dog
- mildly toxic
- Signs
- mild stomach upset; the sap can irritate the skin
No entry in the ASPCA list; the Pet Poison Helpline lists marigolds (Tagetes) as mildly toxic. Pot marigold (Calendula) is another plant, non-toxic.
If a cat or a dog ate this plant and shows signs, contact a vet straight away.
Instead: safe for cats and dogs
Care
- Watering
- about every 2 days in summer (April to September), every 7 in winter
- Light
- full sun
- Air humidity
- normal
- Temperature
- 10–32 °C
- On a balcony in winter
- does not stand frost (likes at least 10 °C): take it indoors before the first frosts
- Feeding
- May to September, every 3 weeks
- Grown
- in a pot
It blooms from June until the frost; pick off faded heads. An annual: on the compost after the season.
This is a rough guide for a flat in Poland. In flowers every plant also has its own watering interval, which learns from how the soil was.