It can be fun to breed your own zinnias - Part 58
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zen_man
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It can be fun to breed your own zinnias - Part 41
Comments (112)Hi guys :) i don't mean to be rude & butt in the middle of your conversations but Im so eager to learn!! I'm in brooksville, Florida. Zinnias do well here (unlike many other flowers) : I just bought some zinnia seeds some from stores but most mail order :) :) I bought queen red lime- Zinderella peach & lilac, my favs!! - banarys giant mix - banarys giant salmon rose & giant wine - Candy mix- scabiosa mix- giant flowered mix- big tetra mix- Andes jewel-giant double mixed colors- giant enchantress, violet queen, double violet queen, bright pink, California white & California mix & cactus mix. This is my first year growing from seeds instead of transplants (accept for easy seeds -zinnias, sunflowers, ect..) my question is how do I make a new zinnia flower ? I didn't read all the posts on this thread. Am I supposed to take the pollen from a favorite zinnia and put it where on another ?? On the anthers? Which are the anthers on zinnia if so ? Also, is there a specific time this has to be done? I would like to try & cross pollinate to breed a few zinnias myself. Please help. I posted all zinnia seeds I bought hoping I could get some ideas on which to cross? And this is off zinnia topic but I figured u guys would know ! :) I have many seeds that need 65, 70-75• to germinate but being in Florida our mid day temps are rising well above 85-90• however, it cools down some at night being it's not summer yet. It can get down to 68-70• @ night. Will this inhibit germination of seeds that need 70• ?? If I plant seeds that need 70• and above and they're subjected to our hot days but get 70• temps at night will this inhibit all germination? Or will they still germinate but at a slower rate or will it decrease how many seeds actually germinate ?? I just figured if a seed doesn't need stratification, it's okay to plant at whatever temp as long as it's warm, it'll grow. But now that I've purchased some really nice seeds I don't want to take the chance of loosing any bc it was too hot for them to germinate or bc I did something wrong! Some seeds I bought only have 10 in a pack. So I have to be careful ! I don't have a good windowsill inside that I can place my seeds on for light if they need light & 70• temps to germinate ( we keep our air @ 69• @ all times) any suggestions ??? I apologize for butting in ! But I figured your the ones to ask for help :) thanks :)...See MoreIt can be fun to breed your own zinnias - Part 45
Comments (108)Hi Alex, " So, were you able to see how many votes you got on other stuff you entered, or just on the ones that won? And do we only pick one photo out of each category, or just one photo period? " Chuckle. I had forgotten all about that photo contest. I'm way too busy this year to enter. We are all in the "pre-Thanksgiving mode" here. And I hope to stay un-involved with "Black Friday." No clue on seeing the vote counts. I think you can enter a photo in each category. Good luck. You have taken a bunch of good photos, so I will be "rooting" for you. I'm not sure about that wording. But you get the idea -- I am on your side. More later. Namaste. ZM...See MoreIt can be fun to breed your own zinnias - Part 47
Comments (115)Hi Four, This is an older message thread (Part 47, while Part 51 is current) but I will respond anyway. Yes, in your B photo, the pollen florets are maturing and setting seeds and they probably no longer have nectar for butterflies, so you could could remove that bloom if feeding butterflies is your primary motivation. In your C photo it isn't crucial where on the stem you make the cut.. I would cut down lower on the stem because there isn't any significant advantage to leaving a lot of bare stem on your plant. If you want to make further comments, it would be better to add them to Part 51, which has only 21 comments, while this Part 47 now has well over 100 comments. ZM...See MoreIt can be fun to breed your own zinnias - Part 53
Comments (103)Hello four, " "Modified", that is. Do they have nectar? " Some of them have nectar, the ones I have observed with butterflies, skippers, bees, or day-flying moths feeding on them. I have no way of knowing whether my indoor specimens have nectar or not. I think they probably do have nectar. Just no butterflies to confirm that. " If the florets have a reasonable amount of nectar, then the volume of nectar in that one flower would be a butterflies' bonanza. " I have taken a few tubular zinnia petals apart, and the amount of nectar I find in each petal is relatively small. I would not describe it as a drop, but something more like a "micro-drop". Zinnias always attract a bunch of butterflies and such, but I think there are probably other flowers that have more volume of nectar. I am of the opinion that you have to be careful what you wish for. I still remember that freakish zinnia bloom that had so much nectar, and the tiny ants that were attracted to it in such scary numbers. ZM...See MoreWeston Adams
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