A nursery experiment was carried out during 2011 - 2012 at Najaf, Iraq, to determine the response of marigold plant to organic fertilisers and their extracts. A factorial experiment was conducted involving three factors (2 x 4 x 2) namely, type of compost (the extracts of peat moss and sheep manure), concentrations of foliar application (0%, 20%, 40% and 60%), and the mixed in soil and foliar application. The results showed that the type of organic fertiliser and the application method significantly affected vegetative growth (leaf number/plant, shoot dry weight, leaf chlorophyll content, and carbohydrate leaf content), and flowers parameters (length of the flower stem, flower number/plant, and flower diameter). This study showed that compared to the other fifteen treatment conditions, the application of extract of sheep manure applied at 40% concentration and as a foliar spray produced superior results on both vegetative growth and flower parameters.

Keywords: Organic fertiliser, peat moss, sheep manure, Iraq.