It is impossible not to fall in love with zinnia at first sight. When the flower is opened, it is a colorful ball with many petals.
Variety of varieties
There are many varieties of zinnia. There are tall plants, the stems of which rush up 1 meter. These giants look great in both single and group landings. In the latter case, they are placed in the middle of the flowerbed, framing with border flowers.
Breeders brought dwarf plants that do not exceed 20 cm in height. These look great along the paths, gracefully border the lawn, flowerbed.
The color scheme of zinnias is diverse. It can be white, yellow, red, pink, orange, there are even multi-colored.
The inflorescences of these charming creatures can be pompoms, dahlias, cacti, chrysanthemums, fantasies, gaylardieotsvetnye.
To be able to admire elegant plants annually in your suburban area, it is not necessary to buy zinnia seeds. Gardeners with experience know how to collect seeds, but beginners will quickly master this simple science. Then you can breed your favorite varieties.
Seed Harvesting Dates
Even during the opening of the buds, it is necessary to notice the bushes that you like most. Put stick marks near them. Leave no more than 5-6 inflorescences on one plant, which will be the mother liquor. Then they will grow large enough, give excellent seeds.
From the moment of budding to seed ripening, at least two months should pass. Therefore, what else is important to know about zinnias: how to collect seeds and when to do it?
Since these flowers do not tolerate autumn frosts, it is important to have time to collect flower seeds. Tsiniya should not be seized by the first frost. If in your region night autumn frosts, when the temperature drops below -1 ° C, can be in mid-September, then the buds that have attracted should bloom no later than mid-July.
Another important condition that will help to obtain high-quality material is planting plants with light flowers separately from bright ones. So, buds of white, yellow color, being in the vicinity of raspberry, red, can be dusted. The result is a plant that will have red dots on light flowers. From seeds next year will appear a completely different color of zinnia. How to collect seeds so that they are well stored until next spring is another issue that should be resolved in early autumn. It is necessary to collect them in dry, clear weather. This should be done during the day, because in the morning and evening hours at this time of year - abundant dew.
Zine: how to collect the seeds of these plants?
After choosing the optimal day for collecting seeds, you need to carefully examine the flower head. It should consist of dried scales, this is the seeds of zinnia. You can see how they look in the photograph. Seeds are dark oval flakes 3-5 mm long, pointed on one side.
It will clearly show how to collect zinnia seeds, photo. It is important not to confuse them with dried petals. Proceed in stages. First, cut off the dried flower head with secateurs. Put it on a piece of cellophane or light paper. Carefully remove the faded petals, under them you will find flower seeds. Tsiniya must be well ripened. If its head is not sufficiently dried, cut it, put it on paper and dry it at room temperature. If possible, then at +35 ° C. After that, in the manner described above, collect the seeds.
How to collect seeds from which terry flowers will grow?
Not always subsequently from the collected seeds will appear plants with terry inflorescences. To increase the chance of a fluffy flower, collect only those seeds that are closer to the edge of the head of the bud. Pay attention to what seeds look. If they are brown in color, have a notch in the upper part, then a flower with petals will grow from them next year, like a chamomile. There is a high probability of the appearance of terry from longer, darker and point-down seeds. It is very high for long sunflower seeds of a triangular, awl-shaped gray color.
Arrange the collected seeds in small paper bags, label the variety. You can store them at room temperature in a cool place for 3-4 years. After this time, they will lose germination.