What do good zinnia seeds look like?
Zinnia seeds look like little arrowheads. In most cases, zinnia flower seeds are a grayish color, but early harvest zinnia seeds may be green in color. Two types of zinnia seeds exist — those that come from the petals and those that come from the florets. On average, zinnias will flower as soon as 60 days after planting, which is wonderful for the eager gardener. If left alone at the end of the season, they’ll produce hundreds of seeds that will readily reseed in the garden for next year.Saturate the potting mix with water and then place two zinnia seeds into each planting cell or pot. Press into the soil for good seed-to-soil contact and then cover with approximately half an inch of the potting mix.How long do zinnias take to grow from seed? Zinnia seeds germinate within 4 to 7 days. Flower buds develop within 6 to 8 weeks from the time of sowing and the plant can start blooming within 8 to 12 weeks from sowing seeds.Zinnia seeds are best harvested when the flower heads have fully matured and dried on the plant. Typically, this occurs in late summer to early fall before your first frost.
How do you store zinnia seeds for next year?
When it comes to saving Zinnia seed, I wait till the flower heads are brown on the plant, snip off, let dry inside a few more days and I toss in a brown paper bag to save for the next season. I let the Zinnias go to seed in the fall- usually late August in preparation for a mid October frost. Zinnias are annual plants, which means they do not come back year after year. They complete their life cycle in one growing season, then die off.After the zinnias flower, cut off the old flowers (a process called deadheading) to encourage more flowers to form. Zinnias are annuals and will die with the first hard frost of fall. However, if you want them to reseed, let the last flowers of the season mature fully and scatter their seeds.Zinnias don’t like to be crowded—space plants 9–12 inches apart for airflow and fewer fungal issues. Powdery mildew can be a problem, especially in humid climates—good spacing helps prevent it. Zinnias are one of the best beginner flowers to grow—they’re quick to bloom and very forgiving.Zinnias are considered a “dirty flower” in that they make vase water dirty, so you can either add a drop or two of bleach in with your flower food or change out the water every couple of days.Zinnias are annual plants, meaning they complete their life cycle in one growing season. They will bloom continuously throughout the growing season, which can last several months, as long as the spent flowers are deadheaded regularly.
Do seeds need to be dried before storing?
In all cases, seeds have to be spread out and dried in open air before they can be safely stored. Many seed savers have discovered this the hard way. Bean seeds, freshly harvested, seem dry to the touch but if you put them in a sealed jar or plastic bag they soon turn mouldy because they aren’t really dry inside. Seed storage is not difficult, but it makes the difference between seeds that last for years, and seeds that refuse to sprout after only a few months. The trick is to keep them dry and cold, and dry is more important than cold. Seeds have little living plants inside, and a small amount of stored food.Other seeds, including beans, carrots lettuce, peas, radishes, snapdragon, cosmos, sweet William and zinnia will remain viable (capable of germinating) for 3-5 years. Seeds need to be kept cool, dark and dry so that they retain stored carbohydrates and minimize fungal infection.The exception to this are tomato seeds, bell pepper seeds and chilli pepper seeds which need much more time – about two to four weeks. Now, with the paper towel seed germination method, I have found that most seeds sprout and develop into a plant in less than a week.
How do I dry and save seeds for next year?
Keep seeds dry and cool. A temperature between 32° and 41°F is ideal, so your refrigerator can be a good place to store seeds. A small amount of silica-gel desiccant added to each container will absorb moisture from the air and help keep the seeds dry. Craft supply stores sell silica gel in bulk for drying flowers. Before storing your seeds make sure they are dry, otherwise they will rot.