Content
Every gardener grows all kinds of annual flowers on his plot. It would seem very good that you can update your flower garden every year. But to do this you will have to constantly buy new seeds of your favorite flowers. Fortunately, you can assemble them yourself at home. Thus, you only need to pay for the first packet of seed. You also don't have to go shopping to find the colors you like. In this article you will learn how to collect zinnia seeds.
Seed collection
In order to collect seeds, you just need to choose the most beautiful inflorescences in your flower garden and wait until they ripen and dry. After this, you can cut off the box. It will take about 2 months for the plant to fully mature, so it is better to leave the very first flowers in advance. They most often grow large and lush.
The cut baskets can be further dried in a dry room. Then you need to carefully pull out the petals and remove the seeds. They are then sorted out, dried again on newspaper and placed in paper envelopes.
How to select quality seeds
Large seeds germinate fastest; the first shoots may appear already on the 3rd day.But often both semi-double and non-double inflorescences can grow from one package. Even if you collect seed only from double inflorescences, there is still a risk that a large number of grown flowers will be simple or semi-double.
The only option is to select high-quality material for sowing. The simple flowers grow from dark brown, heart-shaped seeds. It's better to get rid of these. Only the elongated, spear-like seeds with a pointed triangular tip are left. They usually have a grayish tint. Of course, such selection does not guarantee that absolutely all inflorescences will be double, but there will be many more of them. In addition, large and high-quality seeds have a higher germination rate. Immediately after you remove the seeds from the flower, you can sort them out and leave them in this form for storage. Then in the spring there will be less worries with sowing.
By what signs can you distinguish zinnia seeds?
Taking a good look at the seed heads, you can see that there are several types of seed:
- shield-shaped cordate;
- spear-shaped sharp;
- elongated with a tail.
Although these seeds are collected from the same inflorescence, completely different zinnias can subsequently grow. Therefore, experienced gardeners sort through the seeds and sort each type separately. These are the flowers you can get from each of these species:
- The most common zinnias can be grown from shield-shaped or heart-shaped seeds, even if the seed was collected on a double inflorescence.
- Spear-shaped zinnias grow into single or semi-double zinnias.
- Double inflorescences grow from elongated seeds, at the tip of which there is a grayish tail. These are the flowers that are most valued.
Terry zinnias require special careful care. So you have to take into account how much time you have to care for your flower garden.
When to collect seeds
The seed can be considered mature already 60 days after the start of flowering. Therefore, it is advisable to leave the first flowers that appear for these purposes. But even among them, you should choose only the largest and most magnificent ones. Then they will need to be dried and only suitable seeds will be selected. They need to be stored in a cool, dry place. It is very important that in winter it is not exposed to cold and moisture, otherwise they will simply become damp. Under suitable conditions, they can be stored for 3 or 4 years without losing their seed quality.
If you grow several varieties, then such seeds should be stored in separate boxes or envelopes. Don't forget to sign each bag so you don't get confused later when planting. Also indicate on the packaging the year the material was collected. Some gardeners who like to arrange their flower beds in an original way also indicate the color of the zinnia. Then they plant the plants in rows or circles.
If the room temperature was unsuitable or the seeds were stored in a plastic bag, germination may decrease. The shelf life will also be reduced. It would be better to sow such material next year, since in the future they may not sprout.
Conclusion
Zinnias are very common and beautiful flowers. Many gardeners love to grow them. It is very convenient that you can prepare the seed yourself without spending either money or time on shopping. The collection process is very simple and quick, the main thing is to wait until the inflorescences are completely dry. So be sure to collect your own zinnia seeds. Then you can enjoy the results of your labor every year.
