How to Trim Mexican Mint Marigold

Mexican mint marigold, sometimes called Mexican tarragon (Tagetes lucida), has bright yellow flowers that bloom from early summer into fall. Its edible flowers and leaves are often used as a replacement for true tarragon when cooking. Mexican marigolds grow as perennials in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11, although you can enjoy them as annuals anywhere. The plants don't require heavy pruning, but a light trim improves flowering to provide a harvest of flavorful flowers and leaves.

Shears

Instructions

- 1
  Snip off dead flowers with small shears as soon as they wilt. Make the cut above the topmost leaf or bud beneath the old flowers. Frequent dead flower pruning forces Mexican marigold to produce more blooms.
- 2
  Shear back the entire plant by up to a third of its height if it begins flowering poorly, or if the growth becomes weak and leggy at midseason. Shearing back results in a fresh flush of more compact growth and new flower buds.
- 3
  Trim off flowers at their peak bloom to use in salads and other foods. Cut back the top 3 to 4 inches of actively growing stems for leaf harvest. Strip the leaves from the stems before using them in the kitchen.
- 4
  Prune off any dead or damaged leaves or stems at any time during the growing season. Removing diseased or dead foliage helps prevent problems from spreading to healthy plants. Dispose of the removed plant material immediately.
- 5
  Cut back the Mexican marigold in fall after the first hard freeze kills the plant back to the ground. Cut the stems to within 1 to 2 inches of the ground, but do not cut into the crown of the plant where the stems emerge from the root system.

How to Grow Hollyhocks in Houston, Texas

Shasta vs. Gerbera Daisies

Growing Flowers