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Saving My French Marigolds From Leaves Eating Bugs

Content submitted by: Barbara Weiner

Gardening teaches me a lesson in not trusting everything I read or see on the internet  or any media at face value.  I spent my $1.00 to buy a dainty little French Marigold plant after learning from the internet that French Marigolds are pest-resistant, heat tolerant and low-maintenance.  After buying my little pot, I dreamt of it growing big in the container and producing lots of bright orange flowers.   But like all dreams, dreams are always just dreams.  Dreaming to have a blooming Marigold plant doesn't actually make it happen.  My French Marigold was literally wilting under the sun.

After I solved the wilting-in-the-heat problem in my last post, I started to see holes on the leaves of my French Marigolds.  Some bugs, and I don't know what in particular, have been munching on my marigolds!  So I went on Amazon.com to look for something that can kill bugs organically. After reading a dozen ingredient lists, I bought Mantis MPP003 Botanical Insecticide/Miticide ($19.95 for 32 fl oz).  I bought this spray among all the brands because this one has 100% all natural listed ingredients, while others, even though branded as organic; have 30% of unlisted ingredients which I don't want to take a chance with.  I just don't want to expose myself to more chemical in addition to all the chemical lawn sprays and god knows what other sprays the landscaping company contracted by my landlord's HOA has been spraying all the time on a weekly basis.  

Eager to kill whatever bugs that have been chewing on my plant, I mistakenly sprayed this 100% organic insecticide in the strong afternoon sun without reading the product direction first, so I burnt the tips of some leaves.....

Aside from the burning mistakes I made, my French Marigold seems to be surviving as of now, with new flowers showing up.... 

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