Marigold

Water

Too dry to grow on rain alone. It would need irrigation.

Needs about 570 mm of water here in its growing months. Rain in its months gives about 50 mm it can use in a normal year (20 mm in a dry one), and the soil holds about 80 mm from the monsoon at sowing.

Temperature

Grows best at 18–27 °C on average, and survives 11–34 °C.

Here, in its growing months (day / night):

• Oct 32 °C / 18 °C
• Nov 26 °C / 11 °C
• Dec 21 °C / 7 °C (outside its best range)
• Jan 18 °C / 5 °C (outside its best range)
• Feb 22 °C / 9 °C (outside its best range)
• Mar 27 °C / 14 °C
• Apr 34 °C / 18 °C

Months in orange are outside its best range.

Nights in January can bring frost. When frost is forecast, water the field lightly in the evening.

Soil

Soil for Marigold: 8 out of 10 (good).

Not in the score: nitrogen, manganese and boron.

• The pH here suits it.
• Most fields here are short of potassium.
• Most fields here are short of zinc.
• Most fields here are short of iron.

Likes pH 6.0–7.0.

Money

Yield: about 49 quintals an acre, the typical figure across India (no figures for your state).

Rain gives it too little of the water it needs, so there's no income figure on rain alone: grow it only with irrigation.

No mandi or support price for this crop yet.