How to Grow a Calendula Antares Flashback

Start Calendula Antares Flashback seeds indoors in the spring four to six weeks prior to the last expected frost. Sow them in flats or small individual pots in African violet potting mix. Keep the seeds at temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit in a dimly lit area.

Mist the soil daily with room-temperature water. Do not let the soil dry out. Move the seedlings into a more brightly lit location after germination. Do not place them in direct sunlight. The seeds can also be sown directly in the garden up to two weeks prior to the last expected frost.

Prepare the planting location in the fall or one to two weeks before the last expected frost. Choose a location that receives at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day. Find a location where the Calendula Antares Flashback plants will be shaded from the afternoon sun in hot climates.

Amend the soil with organic matter such as leaf mold, compost or well-aged manure. Add a 6-inch-deep layer of organic matter to soil that is sandy or nutrient poor. Add a 1- to 2-inch-deep layer to nutrient rich or loamy soil. Mix perlite or shredded pine bark mulch into heavy clay soil that drains slowly. Calendula Antares Flashback plants will grow in soil that is only moderately fertile but the soil must drain quickly.

Work the soil amendments into the soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches with a shovel or rototiller. Make sure they are completely mixed in with the soil.

Plant the Calendula Antares Flashback seedlings 2 feet apart in the garden after the last expected spring frost. Use a hand trowel to dig shallow holes to plant the seedlings. Plant them at the same depth they were growing in their containers. Water the seedlings generously to help the roots settle and get a good start.

Water the Calendula Antares Flashback plants once or twice per week. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings. Pinch the stem tips back as the plants grow to encourage bushier, more compact, plants. Deadhead or remove the flowers as they fade to promote continued blooming throughout the summer and into the fall in cool climates. In hot climates these plants generally bloom only through spring.

Cut the plants back with hand pruners to a height of 6 inches when they begin to fade in hot climates. The plants may die out altogether at the end of June or beginning of July when daytime temperatures soar. When cut back and kept watered, they may survive to grow and bloom again in the fall.