Zinnia how long from seed to flower

They come striped, speckled, solid and multicolored. To have blooms from early summer to frost, Michigan State University Extension suggests dead heading zinnias. Dead heading helps to promote the zinnias to keep preforming throughout the season. Nevertheless, zinnias get tired, so I recommend succession plantings of zinnias every two weeks.

I plan succession plantings commencing in late May and continue through about the first week of July. This guarantees showy blooms through late September. It is not too late to plant a few zinnia seeds for late summer color that will last until the first frost. Many varieties of zinnias will last from seven to 12 days in a vase. Most plants require a dark period to grow, do not leave lights on for 24 hours. Thin to one seedling per cell when they have two sets of leaves.

Transplant hardened-off seedlings to the garden after the frost. Accustom young plants to outdoor conditions by moving them to a sheltered place outside for a week. Be sure to protect them from wind and hot sun at first. If frost threatens at night, cover or bring containers indoors, then take them out again in the morning.

Sowing Directly in the Garden: Direct sow seeds in average soil in full sun after all danger of frost. Prepare the soil by removing weeds and working organic matter into the top inches of soil; then level and smooth. Most plants respond well to soils amended with organic matter. Compost is a wonderful form of organic matter with a good balance of nutrients and an ideal pH level, it can be added to your planting area at any time. If compost is not available, top dress the soil after planting with inches of organic mulch, which will begin to breakdown into compost.

After the growing season, a soil test will indicate what soil amendments are needed for the following season. Firm soil lightly with your hand, water and keep evenly moist. Seedlings will emerge in days. Thin seedlings to stand inches apart, depending on the variety, when they are about inches tall.

Planting in the Garden: Select a location in full sun with good rich moist organic soil. Prepare the bed by turning the soil under to a depth of 8 inches. Level with a rake to remove clumps of grass and stones. Dig a hole for each plant large enough to amply accommodate the root ball.

Place the top of the root ball even with the level of the surrounding soil. Fill with soil to the top of the root ball. Press soil down firmly with your hand leaving a slight depression around the plant to hold water. Water thoroughly, so that a puddle forms in the saucer you have created. This settles the plants in, drives out air pockets and results in good root-to-soil contact.

Use the plant tag as a location marker. How to Grow Keep weeds under control during the growing season. Weeds compete with plants for water, space and nutrients, so control them by either cultivating often or use a mulch to prevent their seeds from germinating. Mulches also help retain soil moisture and maintain even soil temperatures. For annuals an organic mulch of shredded leaves lends a natural look to the bed and will improve the soil as it breaks down in time.

Keep plants well-watered during the growing season, especially during dry spells. Plants need about 1 inch of rain per week during the growing season. Use a rain gauge to check to see if you need to add water. It's best to water with a drip or trickle system that delivers water at low pressure at the soil level. Zinnias' pointy seeds, shaped like little arrowheads, require only basic garden prep to sprout: sow them in well-drained soil, where there's full sun and lots of summer heat, and you'll have tiny seedlings in days, with flowers powering up in just a few weeks.

No perennial can claim that speed! One gardening friend doesn't even bother to prepare her soil—she simply sprinkles seeds wherever she'd like a few zinnias, waters those spots for a couple of days, and lets zinnias' easy-to-grow nature take its course. With variety names like that, you know you're in for color. Zinnias come in a preposterous palette of every bright and pastel except the blues , plus bi-colors, tri-colors, and crazy-quilt mixes designed for cutting, to attract pollinators, etc.

Zinnias have style, in addition to long, strong stems, so they are naturally destined for the vase. Wonderful language gets used when describing zinnia flowers: stars and daisies, dahlias and spiders, buttons and domes, and quill-leaf cactus. Flowers can be "singles," with petals lined up in a row around an open center, or semi-doubles, or doubles.

All work marvelously in floral arrangements. Of course, the tall varieties are the zinnias of choice for cutting: 'Benary's Giant' is famous for its three-foot-tall, sturdy stems and large flowers. Cut zinnia stems at an angle just above a bud joint. Zinnias are typically long-lasting in a vase—strip the stems of all but the most visible leaves before setting them in water.

Zinnias are low maintenance. Zinnias are attractive additions to cottage, butterfly and cutting gardens. They are drought-tolerant once established. Joyce Starr has been a professional writer and editor for over 15 years, specializing in the topics of horticulture and home improvement. By Joyce Starr Updated July 07, Related Articles.