Question
I have been growing marigolds forever..  they were one of my hardiest plants.  For some reason this year they are the least hardy of all my plants and I have gotton different varieties from different nurseries with same poor results.

I bought one large container plant and forgot to water it for 2 days and it completely wilted... I hoped it would come back, but it got hard and more dried out even though I quickly replanted it in high fertilized fresh open soil in larger container.    I completely cut it back... do you think it will come back?    

Also I have lots of marigolds that are weak...  some look like they are almost dead...  Some have strong stem, but outer parts of leaves are soft and wilty.

Do marigolds respond better to moister or drier conditions?    For most part they are planted in full to part sun....  places they have done well for many many years.  I live in CT.

Thank you

Answer
Linda,
Marigolds come from hot places, and they like it sunny and on the dry side: although they don't want to dry out completely, they don't like soil that is kept wet.

Is it possible that the areas you planted them before have gotten more shady as time has gone on?  

Have you had a wet summer?  If so, the they might be suffering from root rot or other fungal disease.  Soft wilty leaves is one sign of too wet soil causing root rot (leaves wilt because the rotted roots can't take up moisture for the plant)  

Simalarly, if the plant has gone too dry too many times, the root systems can't take up enough water to keep it healthy.  If something ate the roots, this would also cause wilted foliage.

Finally, slugs like marigolds, and if slugs or snails eat the stems around the base of the plant, this can cause the tops to be wilted.

If the above does not apply, check the pH of the soil.  Although marigolds are pretty tolerant of a range of soil pH, very acidic or very alkaline might create weaker plants.  This in combination with other "off" conditions such as soil moisture or shade might contribute to plants not doing well.

If the marigolds were cut back to less than 3" I doubt that they will come back.

all the best,
C.L. Fornari
www.gardenlady.com