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my poor zinnias.. can they be saved?

12 years ago

hi all!

i started my zinnias (giants) from seeds, direct sow and they've been going like gangbusters, but had to move several of them due to either not enough sun, or the miniature dahlias were crowding. they range in size from 1-2 feet tall, and 2 of them already had a bud on them.

so i moved them over to a much sunnier spot - was able to get all the root ball for each one - but they started wilting almost immediately! what would your recommendations be?

do you think they'll make it? also, they're pretty tall with only one main stem, so i'm wondering if i should have been pinching them all along? for the ones i've left in place - should/could i pinch those? they're pretty tall with one stem as well...

thanks for your help

angela :)

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Comments (4)

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
12 years ago
I think most of them will live. If they are not too tall, you can place a lawn chair over them to shade them for a few days until they perk up. Keep them moist but not soggy until they look recovered. Removing some of the larger leaves can help also since they won't be transpiring so quickly.

My BF's dog dug up a bunch of my zinnias last month and I reburied the roots. Almost all of them are blooming now. You can pinch them if you want, but they will branch out pretty fast after the first flower sets some seeds. You might try removing some lower leaves on some stems to encourage branching that way.
ladybugsmom192
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks so much for the info. i'm just worried that they're so tall - they go on for forever and some were getting the bloom bud/head at the tip, with no branching out. so now i wonder for next time, if i should have been pinching all along?

angela :)
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Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
12 years ago
I don't usually bother with zinnias, but you absolutely can if you want to.
Donna
12 years ago
Pinching depends on the variety. Profusions don't need any pinching. But, it sounds like you have zinnia elegans, which can be up to four feet tall. I start pinching mine after they get the first two sets of true leaves, and always remove alot of any stem that I deadhead or cut for the house. You can stake them too.

Around here, our growing season is so long (into late November before frost), that I give nearly all my annuals a mid summer cut back, removing about 1/3 of the top of the plant. If you do this and then fertilize, they recover fairly fast and will look as good in the fall as they did at their peak in early summer.

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