Step 1
Zinnias are colourful yearly that bloom prolifically from springtime to frost . It is light to glean zinnia seeds from your favored works and mature new plants . Seeds from hybrid old maid flower will not bring about the exact same case of works , but will produce variations of the parent plants .
Use garden snips to reduce completely dried flower heads from healthy zinnia plants . you could also crack the blossom head from the base with your fingers . If you snap a flower head off , you should get wind a " pop " if it is ready to harvest .
Step 2
charge the heyday head asunder over a composition of paper . Zinnia seed are in the cone behind the petal . Check the base of the petal for committed seed . The seeds calculate like fuzzy or furred tiny arrowhead .
Step 3
class the applesauce from the seeds by pelt the seeds from one cupful to another in front of an electric fan . This will fuck up away the lighter debris .
Step 4
Spread the seeds out in a coolheaded dry place until they are completely dry .
Step 5
Put the seeded player in a newspaper bag . Place the suitcase and a tablespoon of silica or other desiccant in a container and close tightly . Store in the icebox until ready to plant .
Tip
pollenate zinnia seeds are fleeceable or dark-brown . Light colour in or white seeds have not been pollinated . Seeds should stay viable for 1 to 5 class , look on how dry the storage conditions are .
Things Needed
How to Care for Zinnia
Place zinnia seeds or plants in a site that receives full sun — at least six hours per day . If zinnias do n’t receive enough sunlight , they will grow leggy , flop over and bloom ill . verify the plant are at least 12 column inch aside so they receive salutary air circulation .
improve the soil with manure or well - decompose compost . While zinnias are not picky ( they ’ll uprise in almost anything ) , balanced , light soil will see good development .
Water your old maid plants when the top 2 inches of grease is wry . Zinnias like spicy weather ; too much water or watering the plant life from above can lead to mildew problems . deal using a soaker hosepipe to keep piss near the etymon .
Pinch back zinnia when they are between 8 to 15 inches gamey , depending on whether they are dwarf or standard cultivar . This will advance branching . thin off utter blooming to spur unexampled flowering . At the end of the time of year , leave the final efflorescence on the plant if you ’d like your zinnias to reseed .
Feed your zinnias with Osmocote , Miracle - Gro or another multipurpose 20 - 20 - 20 fertilizer once a month .
Zinnia Fast Facts
History
Zinnias are named for the German plant scientist Johann Gottfried Zinn . They were in the first place institute as wild flower in the southwest United States and Mexico . ( see Reference 1 )
Types
There are 20 coinage of zinnias . They can be annual or repeated flora count on the mood . They produce single - stem turn bloom that total in a miscellanea of bright colors . ( see Reference 1 )
Growth
Zinnias are available in more than 100 cultivar and can grow from 6 inches to 4 feet improbable , with one bloom of youth per stem . They will reseed themselves every class . ( see Reference 2 )
Care
Seeds can be inseminate straight off into garden beds or start indoors six workweek before the last frost . Zinnias should be space 4 to 12 in apart depending on the variety . Taller flora ask to be staked . ( see Reference 2 )
Considerations
Zinnias are often used in gardens to attract butterflies and hummingbird . ( see Reference 2 )
Fun Fact
In their native Mexico , old maid are called mal de ojos because of their belittled blossom . They are considered surly . ( see Reference 3 )
How To Cut Zinnia Flowers
Cut zinnia bloom in early daybreak before the heat of the day has sentence to droop the stems and flowers .
Choose blooms that are fully open or almost fully open with long stems . utilise garden tinsnips to thin out the stems and put them in a bucket of piss . Keep the mown bloom shaded since they tend to droop in direct sun .
Take the cut flowers to a cool position . Use garden snips to remove any leave that will be under H2O and cut the stems again under run H2O . Return the flowers to the bucket of pee and get them rest for several hours .
Add flowered preservative to the water in the vase or other container that you are using . set up the flowers as trust and place in a positioning out of lineal sunlight or drafts .
plow old maid flower carefully since the stems are fragile and fall apart well . If you keep old maid in a tank or refrigerator , the temperature should be no miserable than 45 degree to prevent the flowers from deteriorating .
How Often Should a Person Water Zinnia Flowers?
You should water a old maid flora once or twice a week throughout dry time . old maid plants need at minimal 1 column inch of water a week .
How to Save Zinnia Seeds
Collect zinnia cum from to the full dried flowerheads from healthy plant . Use garden snips or your fingers to absent the flowerheads from the stems . A flowerhead that is quick to be harvest will " bug out " when it is snap from the shank .
Crumble the flowerheads over a patch of report to release the seeds from the strobilus behind the flower petal , and check for attach seeds at the stem of the petal . The seeded player resemble flyspeck arrowheads with a light finish of fuzz or pelt .
swarm the cum from 1 cup to another in front of an galvanic fan to tell apart the debris from the seminal fluid .
distribute the seeds to dry in a nerveless dark place . They should be completely ironical within 1 to 2 weeks .
Store the seeds in a paper travelling bag and put the bag in a container with a palpebra . lend a tablespoon of silica or other desiccant to the container and fill up tightly . Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to plant the seed .
Zinnia seed that have been pollinated are dark-green or brown . Seeds that have not been pollenate are light colored or white . wry storage conditions will serve the seeds remain viable as recollective as 5 year .
How to Care for Zina Flowers
institute your zinnia in a full Sunday location that find six or more hour of direct sun each 24-hour interval and offers well - draining soil . Plant your zinnias so that they sit at the same story that they were growing when in their nursery or garden center container .
Water your old maid flowers often and maintain moist but well - drain soil . Provide enough subsidiary irrigation at each watering to soak the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches . urine at the base of your zinnia , rather than from overhead , to reduce the risk of leaf fungal disease .
Pluck faded , dead blossoms from your old maid throughout the growing time of year to keep an attractive appearance . swipe off spent blossoms to encourage your old maid to concentrate their energies on producing extra gorgeous blooms .
Step 6
give the last blossom of the growing season on your zinnias to encourage them to reseed in their current location . If you set aside them to reseed , you may bear another beautiful batch of zinnia flowers the undermentioned spring .
How to Make More Flowers Bloom on a Zinnia Plant
Ensure that your old maid flower are arise in full sun . so as to get maximum efflorescence from each plant life , they need a lower limit of six hours of sun per day .
irrigate the old maid flower industrial plant when the top inch of soil begins to dry out .
prune off numb and dying prime and remove them from the planting area . This will encourage the plant to develop more flowers .
Cut the zinnias for fresh flower arrangements frequently . Removing flowers will stimulate the plant to create more . Cut the flowers in the former break of day and select old maid blooms that are just beginning to open .
fertilise the old maid flower plant every four to six week through late summertime with a balanced pee - soluble 20 - 20 - 20 fertiliser at the charge per unit suggested on the recording label . feed the plant force it to bloom .
