Contents
These flowers appeared in gardens more than 150 years ago, but they still do not lose popularity – zinnia is one of the ten most popular annuals in the world. And this is no coincidence – it is impossible to resist her charm. Even seasoned botanists at one time admired its beauty and gave the name “graceful zinnia.”
Now this plant is associated with the grandmother’s garden, it is actively used in the design of flower beds in a rustic style, and meanwhile, the birthplace of zinnia is Mexico. She has become like family to us. And the breeders tried and added incredible colors to it.
How to determine landing dates in your area
Zinnia is a heat-loving plant, its Mexican origin affects. Therefore, seeds are sown in flowerbeds in the last days of May, when the threat of frost is already minimal. Seedlings are planted in late May – early June (1).
The optimal age of zinnia seedlings is 60 days. Therefore, seeds should be sown in the second half of March – early April (2). Later sowing is also possible, throughout April, but then it will bloom later.
How to prepare seeds for sowing
Before sowing the seeds, you need to soak them for a day in warm water so that they swell. They do not require additional processing.
– Soil for growing zinnias can be bought at the garden center – any universal one will do, – explains agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – But remember that it is based on peat, and it dries up very quickly, so you need to constantly monitor the humidity and water the crops on time. In general, it is better to prepare the soil yourself. The ideal composition is a mixture of foliage (it can be collected in the forest), soddy land (from meadows), peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1: 1.
Zinnia seeds are sown in boxes or containers to a depth of 1 cm at a distance of 2 – 3 cm from each other. After sowing, the soil must be properly moistened with a spray bottle so that it gets wet to the full depth, and then cover the box with foil and put it in a warm place with a temperature of about 25 ° C.
– If the seeds are fresh, shoots will appear in about 5 to 10 days. Old seeds germinate longer – 8 – 12 days. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the film from the box must be removed and the seedlings placed in the brightest place – ideally on the southern windowsill, – recommends agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova.
When the seedlings have a second true leaf, they are seated in separate containers – small plastic cups will do just fine.
Tips for caring for zinnia seedlings
Lighting. Zinnias require plenty of sun. If there is not enough natural light, for example, seedlings are on the western or northern window, then additional lighting with phytolamps will be required. Otherwise, the plants will begin to stretch and be weak.
Temperature. An ideal option for zinnia, when the temperature is about 20 ° C during the day, and 10 – 15 ° C at night. In such conditions, the seedlings are strong and stocky.
Watering. Adult zinnias tolerate drought without difficulty, but young plants need abundant watering. But not frequent – it is important that the soil has time to dry completely, these plants do not like excess moisture.
Feeding. Usually, zinnia seedlings need only one feeding – 2 weeks after transplanting into cups – with any liquid complex biofertilizer according to the instructions.
If the seedlings begin to stretch (this happens if it does not have enough light, and the apartment is too warm), then once every 1 weeks it needs to be fed with superphosphate: 2 tbsp. spoons per 2 liters of water – this fertilizer will slow down its growth.
Among annual flowers, petunias are especially popular, but growing seedlings of petunias is not so easy. However, if you know some tricks, everything will work out.
Pinching. A month after germination, it is useful to pinch the tops of the shoots at the zinnia seedlings – after that the plants will bush better and eventually produce more flowers.
Hardening. Even if all the conditions are met, the seedlings still turn out to be pampered – the conditions of the apartments are very different from the street ones. Therefore, it must be prepared for planting in open ground – gradually harden.
“They begin to do this in the phase of 4–5 true leaves,” explains agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – First, the plants are taken out to the balcony during the day for 2 to 3 hours (in no case should they be placed in the sun – the seedlings should be in the shade during hardening, otherwise burns will appear on the leaves). Then the “walk” is increased, each time adding a couple of hours. After about 7 days, seedlings can be left overnight, but on condition that the air temperature does not fall below 10 ° C.
Landing in open ground. Zinnia seedlings are planted in flower beds in the last days of May. But if it’s cold outside, the weather forecast promises frosts, then it’s better to wait until early June.
You can even plant flowering seedlings, but on condition that a clod of earth is preserved (3).
Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse
Sowing seeds for seedlings: March 4 – 5, 8 – 10, 13 – 17, 20.
Sowing seeds in open ground: 5 – 15 April, 15 – 17, 21 – 24, 26, 29 – 30 October, 7, 12 – 13 November.
Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground
Transplanting: April 25 – 26, May 1 – 15, 31.
Popular questions and answers
We talked about growing zinnias with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.
How long does the germination of zinnia seeds last?
How to use zinnias in landscape design?
From other plants, zinnia goes well with lupins, geyher, hostas, bergenia and chistets.
Is it possible to grow zinnias at home on a windowsill?
Sources of
- Kudryavets D.B., Petrenko N.A. How to grow flowers. A book for students // M .: Education, 1993 – 176 p.
- Tavlinova G.K. Flowers in the room and on the balcony (2nd ed., revised and additional) // L .: Agropromizdat, Leningrad branch, 1985 – 272 p.
- Kiselev G.E. Floriculture // M.: OGIZ – SELKHOZGIZ, 1949 – 716 p.