How to revive marigold with shrivelling leaves?

[novicegarden]

 

 

[novicegarden]

Hi All, I planted marigolds last week. This week I noted that all their leaves are shrivelling. It looks like they are dying. How to revive them?

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @novicegarden. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about marigold care.

It looks like something has been eating them. The shrivelling you’re seeing isn’t from disease or watering, it’s from the foliage being chewed, and the silvery residue on the leaves and soil is a classic sign of snails or slugs. They’ll often take out young marigolds very quickly because the tender new growth is so easy for them to eat.

You’ll need to deal with the pest problem before the plants can recover. Putting a ring of snail and slug bait around the area is the simplest option and usually works quickly. You can also hand-remove any snails you find, especially after rain or in the evening. Once the pests are under control, give the marigolds some Seasol and a little time. Since the stems are still intact, they often push out fresh growth and bounce back quite well.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[novicegarden]

Bingo @MitchellMc . I looked for the culprits at night and found them! You are right. The pesky slugs are eating away the marigolds at night. I removed the ones I could see. I will get those snail and slug baits to ward them off. Thanks heaps. I will keep you posted.