How to hybridize zinnias -- it's easy.
zen_man
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (17)
123 456 Tx z9a
6 years agozen_man
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoRelated Discussions
Zinnias from seed (direct)- exactly HOW easy are they?
Comments (5)This is my first year sowing Zinnias directly too. In the past I put them into little peat pellets, let them grow a couple weeks and then put them out. They where always magnificent, the envy of the neighbourhood! Then, last year we where selling the house, and I forgot to get them started. Around June, the agent told me that I needed more "colour" in the garden, so off to the nursery I went to buy my sure fire Zinnias, already started for me! I spent a fortune on them, they where in 4 or 5 inch pots, and almost 8 inches high when I planted them and the result was... PITIFUL! Those poor flowers struggled and clumg for dear life the whole growing season! So, I have become a big believer that direct sown, or sown very closely after germinating is indeed best! since you have so many seeds, I would perhaps throw down some seed when you think you "might" get away with it. but hold some back for the next few weeks, and overseed... This way if frost does get the first bunch, you will have more to try! I have not adivce for birds, but if the seed is burried or raked in, chances are I would think they would leave it alone. As for frost, my mother lives in a zone 1. (Yeah, not a typo). The thing all the old ladies do with their plants, because they do manage to grow things in those 50-75 days they can... is throw a blanket over anything that is frost sensitive for the night if the weather threatens. They all keep a stack of "garden blankets" handy. It is very easy then to cover large areas, quickly, with little fussing! And has worked with excellent results for as long as they can remember!...See Moreare all Blc hybrids easy to grow and bloom???
Comments (6)I don't agree that SLC require less light. That is a falacy. More light for any cattleya means more flowers and better growth. What you gain from SLCs is smaller growth habit. "Miniature" as some might say. Most hybrids are easy to grow than straight species under artificial light, but this isn't really all that true. The big floofy hybrids, whether they are BLC, C. LC or Pot, can be tall growing and take up a lot of space or hit the light depending how low you have the light hanging. What you want is a nice, compact growing cattleya (which means that it has short rhizomes and doesn't gallup out of the pot)....See MoreZinnias, Zinnias, and More Zinnias!
Comments (11)Mike, Wildseed Farms has amazing prices on some common seeds, both wildflowers and ornamental garden-type flowers, and also some herb seeds as well. You can buy in small or huge quantities. I spent about $4 on two packs of Laura Bush petunia seeds a few years ago, and have had purple, pink and white Laura Bush petunias ever since. They cost me nothing because they reseed everywhere. (Laura Bush is an heat-tolerant ornamental petunia that blooms all summer long even when the temps are in the 100s, unlike the more heat-sensitive bedding plant petunias you buy in stores.) Every time I see the pots and hanging baskets of petunias in stores in the early spring I want some. They're so pretty and I'm so starved for flowers at that point. Then, I remind myself to be patient and my Laura Bush reseeders will pop up out of the ground and be blooming before I know it.....and they do. I've planted a lot of flowers, both wildflowers and then others like cultivated varieties of cosmos, sunflowers and zinnias from Wildseed Farms and have been happy with every single one. Almost all of them reseed for me, which means I'm not running back and buying more seed every year. Right now, I still have 5 containers of the purple-flowered Laura Bush petunia in bloom. I dug up the tiny seedlings out of the garden path last March or April and put them in the pots. Periodically I shear them back to stimulate new flowering growth. At night, I roll or drag them into the garage. Sometimes, I have left them out with temps as low as 10 degrees though, and they haven't frozen yet. These few flowers keep my spirit nourished in the winter when they aren't any native flowers in bloom. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Wildseed's Website...See MoreZinnia Whirligig Hybrid
Comments (1)I don't usually post here, but this is a good question at this time of year when seeds are maturing and we are all out in the garden collecting. Not all seed sellers on Ebay know that the seeds they collect from hybrids will not come true, or maybe they don't care in some cases. Hybrids do not come true from saved seeds. Some hybrid populations eventually stabilize if you keep selecting only plants with the characteristics you want generation after generation rather than performing the original crosses each year, but seed companies typically do not do that and it can take years of selection to acheive. If you save seeds from hybrids, the plants will exhibit a range of characteristics based on the backgrounds of the parents. You will likely get some plants that are exactly like the plant you started with, but you will get a lot of variation as well. I sometimes use seeds saved from hybrids and the first generation is often pretty good if you don't mind some surprises and are prepared for it. If you need uniformity of size, color, height or color, don't bother. You may also lose other important characteristics like disease or insect resistence, improved bloom time, etc. If you continue to save seeds from those plants, the resemblance to your original will deteriorate each generation until there is little or no resemblance. I have purchased seeds on ebay for several years. Unfortunately, I purchased seeds this year that were not at all true to type. Yesterday I looked at a pricey hybrid variety I wanted and rather than bid, I emailed the seller and asked her how she got the seeds. She answered that they were fresh-she just saved them from hers. I won't be bidding on those....See More123 456 Tx z9a
6 years agozen_man
6 years ago123 456 Tx z9a
6 years agozen_man
6 years agoWhirly Gigs
6 years agozen_man
6 years agoerasmus_gw
6 years agozen_man
6 years agozen_man
6 years agoerasmus_gw
6 years agozen_man
6 years agoerasmus_gw
6 years agoRenee
2 years agoHU-649257159
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago
Related Stories
CONTAINER GARDENS8 Easy Container Plants to Grow From Seed
Get beautiful blooms and herbs in summer by starting these choice garden picks from seed in spring
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES6 Wonderfully Easy Roses for Any Gardener
Look like an expert even if you're just starting out, with these low-maintenance gems of the rose world
Full StoryMOST POPULAREasy Green: 23 Ways to Reduce Waste at Home
Pick from this plethora of earth-friendly ideas to send less to the landfill and keep more money in your pocket
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNDesign an Easy-Clean Kitchen
"You cook and I'll clean" might no longer be a fair trade with these ideas for low-maintenance kitchen countertops, cabinets and floors
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES10 Easy Edibles for First-Time Gardeners
Focus on these beginner-friendly vegetables, herbs, beans and salad greens to start a home farm with little fuss
Full StoryCONTAINER GARDENS3 Steps to Creating Quick, Easy and Colorful Succulent Containers
Take a bright container, add a colorful succulent or two and have a professional, summery design in minutes
Full StoryGROUND COVERS10 Succulents That Make Pretty, Easy-Care Ground Covers
These low-growing succulents create interest in the drought-tolerant garden
Full StoryFLOWERS AND PLANTSPlant Ilex Cassine for a Privacy Screen That Feeds the Birds
Dahoon and its hybrids provide lovely evergreen foliage in southeastern U.S. gardens
Full StoryHOMES AROUND THE WORLDEast Meets West in 3 Modern Japanese Homes
Contemporary Japanese houses often mix traditional and Western elements. These hybrids offer the best of both worlds
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Aloe ‘Blue Elf’
This compact, sun-loving aloe hybrid thrives where many aloes don’t
Full StoryColumbus Design-Build, Kitchen & Bath Remodeling, Historic Renovations
More Discussions
erasmus_gw