Phyl,

"i put d.e. all around them & have also never seen any evidence of slugs ~~ or earwigs ~~ because they were such tiny seedlings, i almost think it would have to be something very small ~~ a knat??"

What is "d.e."?

It will help to identify the pest that is skeletonizing your small zinnias, and to help with that I would suggest that you do let your seedlings get larger before you set them out.

In the meantime, since you haven't seen the culprit in action, we could guess that the damage is occurring at night, so set out a few "test" zinnia seedlings and go out at night with a flashlight and see if you can see what is going on.

A likely nocturnal suspect would be slugs, which can do the kind of {{gwi:10753}} damage you describe, in which case I would recommend Sluggo, which is based on iron phosphate and is nontoxic and safe around pets and actually breaks down to supply iron to your plants. Sluggo is usually available locally in garden centers, but if you can't find it locally you can always order from one of the many Internet stores. However, that would be premature until we identify what creature is destroying your zinnia leaves. It might not be slugs or snails, in which case Sluggo wouldn't help.

If you have a lot of pillbugs (also called sowbugs), they can do damage to plants near the soil. There are baits to control them, but the simplest control is to mulch your plants with sand. Pillbugs like to live under dead leaves to shield them from the sun and keep them from losing their body moisture. Sand creates a miniature desert in which they can't live. As it happens, slugs and snails also hate sand and won't cross dry sand.

Finding out what creature is doing your damage is key to solving your problem with zinnia seedlings. Zinnias are considered to be easy to grow, and breeding them is a hobby of mine.

ZM

d.e. is diatomaceous earth ~~ supposed to take care of the slugs ~ (?)~ i also have sluggo; but didn't use it in this case cuz when digging in this particular area i have never seen a slug (unlike other damper areas of my yard)

hmmmm ~ definitely have lots of sow bugs & those things with lots of legs that run really fast (?) ~ the sow bugs seem *too fat* to me to be capable of climbing up the little, very thin, stems of my seedlings!

i would post a picture, however the skeletonized tiny plants wouldn't even show up!!!

i found your advice helpful ~ i do have a bag of sand & will make circles around my next plantings ~~ which might not be for awhile cuz i will try to get them a bit bigger before i try again ~

i will also clean up the area of debris (eliminating hiding places) (?)

zenman, thanks so much for your advice ~ it is appreciated ~ phyl

Phyl there is great temptation to get the new seedlings into the soil where they will spend the summer. You may also justify this move by the fact that potting up to a larger size will cause a check in growth that will set the growth back about two weeks. However planting tiny seedlings directly in the garden subjects them to hazards not experienced by a larger plant. Your problem will be mostly solved by planting a bigger plant. Al

I don't have any luck, either - unless I plant full-grown plants out, the chipmunks and/or squirrels snap off the plants (? eat them or just play with them). BAH!

I have had problems with various animals running through my zinnia patch and just accidentally damaging my zinnias. Since zinnia breeding is a hobby of mine, I protect my favorite zinnias with "zinnia cages".

{{gwi:1837}}

The zinnia cages are just small tomato cages, adapted for use with zinnias. They have given protection against accidental collisions with neighborhood dogs and they are also helpful in windstorms.

ZM

i just had the same problem with sunflower and morning glory seedlings. the seedling leaves get chewed off but the stems remain. i replaced some of them but am leaving a few stalks as an experiment. how likely is it that those stalks will keep growing? some of the morning glories actually died, so i wonder if it's a below-the-ground culprit--moles and voles are a real problem here. any insight/advice welcome!

I believe if all the leaves are gone, the plants will die.
Tammy

Have you checked for earwigs. They will do just the damage you describe. When the babies hatch out they are a tiny gray insect but they come out in droves. and can devour a plant in a night. When they get bigger they take the classic earwig shape and color. They like slugs are night feeders.

I once had a problem like yours with marigolds and they were not little plants either. I edge my herb garden with marigolds. I went out one morning and several of them had been chewed on but one was a skeleton--the stem and veins of the leaves were all that was left. That night I took my flashlight out and it was earwigs. Earwig bait took care of them. Now I put out earwig traps of molasses oil and soty sauce every spring. If I get some fine if not well I know I don't have a problem

oilpainter~What is soty sauce? Where do I find molasses oil, is it in the grocery store or ?? Thanks!

Pretty sure they mean a mixture of molasses, oil and Soy Sauce. Might be able to substitute corn syrup. I am making these traps today, in a small container near some skeletonized seedlings.
Best of luck!

Hello, everyone. First time posting on this topic.

Im growing zinnias this year. I sowed 2 packs of seeds into some small starter flats which I then transplanted to 2 inch pots. Ill be transplanting them to larger pots this weekend, hopefully. The plantlets are doing very well, much better than other years when I would just direct sow them into the flower beds and let them fend for themselves.

Im also keeping a close eye on them because Im having a lot of damage caused by earwigs on many of my plants. At first I thought it was slugs and set out some slug bait, but then I actually caught several earwigs snuggled up into some leaves of my Helenium on which they had been feasting.

They were also decimating my beans. As soon as a bean would sprout, the leaves would be devoured. After resowing several times, I came upon a solution thats really worked for me. I remove the caps and cut the bottom off used water or soft drink bottles, and insert them into the ground, covering the newly sprouted bean seedling. The bottle acts as a mini greenhouse, not only protecting the plant, but also providing heat and humidity. After two or 3 days, the leaves have grown so much that they literally fill the bottle and I just slip it off. It really works. Maybe itll work on your zinnia and sunflower seedlings too.

Btw, Ill be setting out some of those earwig traps with the molasses, oil and soy sauce bait. Thanks for the tip.

I have the same question, but for a different reason. In other words " Why are my zinnias always a failure". I buy packets that show large, full blooms and when they bloom they are about half the suggested size and one layer of petals instead of three or more. And, color is another thing. I have bought several packets that show bluish purple and when they bloom they are always magenta or towards pink. I don't really believe there is a bluish zinnia. Does anyone know if it could be a deficiency?

Hi Nina,

"I buy packets that show large, full blooms and when they bloom they are about half the suggested size and one layer of petals instead of three or more."

Some seed companies buy their seeds from growers who do not spend the extra money to hire people to rogue their fields, and the zinnia varieties "run out" under those conditions. Generally, the seeds in packets on seed racks are not the best.

"I have bought several packets that show bluish purple and when they bloom they are always magenta or towards pink. I don't really believe there is a bluish zinnia."

The color pictures on seed packets are not reliable and, even if they were pretty good to start with, the ink colors aren't lightfast, and some colors fade with exposure to sunlight. In general, seed racks are not a good place to store seeds. I have even seen seed packets that were water damaged, but still for sale in a home store. The best way to purchase seeds is by mail order or online sale from a reputable seed company. Higher prices do not always ensure higher quality, but lower prices usually mean lower seed quality. You stand a better chance of getting quality seed if you buy from a seed company that also sells to commercial growers.

"I don't really believe there is a bluish zinnia."

There are bluish zinnias, but they are not for sale commercially. As a person who grows zinnias as a hobby, I can assure you that there are lots of zinnias that you can't get commercially. I don't think there will be a true blue zinnia until blue genes (I always think of blue jeans when I say that) from other flowers that have true blues are added to zinnias by genetic engineering. That has already been done to get blue roses.

But in the meantime, there are bluish lavender zinnias that actually look sky blue when they first open in the shade. But on exposure to sun, that color turns to a lavender. They are not available commercially.

"Does anyone know if it could be a deficiency?"

Zinnia buds and blooms can be seriously harmed by certain nutrient deficiencies. For the best results, use a soluble nutrient formula that contains a complete range of macronutrients and micronutrients. That includes the usual nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium as well as magnesium, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. Plants, including zinnias, also need quite a lot of calcium, which unfortunately is almost always absent from soluble nutrient formulas. Hydroponics growers almost always supply calcium as calcium nitrate to their plants. Garden soil usually contains some calcium, but not always enough for zinnias (or tomatoes). If you have previously added lime or gypsum to your garden soil, it should contain enough calcium. If I see calcium deficiency symptoms in my zinnias (and I do from time to time), I include some calcium nitrate in their foliar spray.

Foliar feeding is a good way to make sure your zinnias get the nutrients they need. If I see boron deficiency symptoms, I add a little extra boron in the form of boric acid in my foliar spray. You have to be careful with boron, because it doesn't take a lot of it to reach a toxicity level. I also supply a little cobalt and nickel to my indoor zinnias, but there is usually enough of those in garden soil.

And it is beneficial to supply soluble silicon to zinnias, to increase the strength of their cell walls, which makes for stronger stems and leaves, which contributes to disease resistance. Rice growers frequently supply soluble silicon in their fertilizer, because it is important for rice stems to be strong to keep the seedheads out of the water. It may seem counter-intuitive, but sand is not a way to supply silicon. I use a solution of potassium silicate to supply soluble silicon to my zinnias.

ZM

I can attest with certainty that zinnias from seed packs can be not what is advertised or sold. I am going to save my seeds this time, but many of the zinnias that I have are extremely interesting considering what I was sold.