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Zinnia was grown by the ancient Aztecs; Russian summer residents are also well acquainted with this flower, but they call it mainly “major”. Zinnias are perfect for decorating a local area in a rustic style, which in recent years has become increasingly popular in Europe and throughout the world. You can combine these flowers with marigolds, snapdragon, marigolds or use more elegant varieties to create a composition - zinnia looks great in tandem with any flowers. Flower growers love majors for their variegated colors and amazing unpretentiousness; they are valued for their ease of cultivation and long flowering periods.
This article will be devoted to how to grow zinnia from seeds, when to plant seedlings in the ground and how to care for adult flowers.
Description of the species
Zinnia (Latin name Zinium) is a shrubby plant from the Asteraceae family. This flower comes from southern Mexico, and since the end of the last century, zinnias have already been distributed on all continents of the globe.
The characteristics of zinnia flowers are as follows:
- annual growing season, although in warm countries this flower is cultivated as a perennial;
- different heights of flowers - from 20 to 100 cm, which makes it possible to divide all zinnias into dwarf, low-growing, medium-sized and tall types;
- the leaves of the flower are entire, ovate, pointed, pubescent with hard short hairs;
- the stem is powerful, herbaceous, also covered with fluff;
- inflorescences – apical single baskets;
- the diameter of the flowers can be different - from 3 to 15 cm;
- peduncles are long;
- petals can be arranged single-row or tiled, creating complex lush inflorescences;
- Zinnias are painted in absolutely any shades, except for the blue palette;
- the flower is resistant to drought and high temperatures;
- Zinnia does not tolerate cold well, the flower and its seeds die at -1 degree;
- Majora fruit is an achene with a tuft, filled with seeds;
- The plant is very unpretentious, its seedlings are easy to grow at home.
Determination of planting dates
To answer the question of when to plant zinnia seedlings, you need to know some of the features of this flower. For example, The growing season for zinnias from sowing seeds to flowering is about two and a half months. The “seedling” phase of the life of these flowers lasts from four to six weeks.
The timing of sowing zinnias will largely depend on the climate in a particular region of the country, because, as already mentioned, these plants do not tolerate cold at all. Even a short-term zero temperature will be destructive for major seedlings, so you should plant flowers only when the soil has warmed up well and the threat of spring frosts has passed.
Simple calculations will help determine what The optimal time for sowing zinnia seeds for seedlings will be mid-April. Such seedlings will have time to grow, harden and strengthen before being planted in a permanent place. In this case, the flowering of zinnias should begin at the end of June or in the first days of July.
How majors sow seedlings
So, you need to sow zinnia no earlier than April. By this time, flower seeds, soil for seedlings and containers are prepared. To check the germination of seeds, it is recommended to wrap them in a cotton pad soaked in Epin solution. Last year's seeds should hatch within a couple of days, but older ones will take about a week.
The soil for sowing major seeds should be nutritious, loose, and well-drained. A self-prepared mixture of garden soil (which can be taken directly from the flower bed), peat, humus and river sand in equal proportions is ideal.
The container for sowing zinnia seeds should be low, but voluminous - then planting flowers will be common. There is also the option of planting zinnia seedlings in individual pots or peat tablets.
In any case, major seeds are laid out 2-3 pieces in one planting hole. The depth of seed placement should not exceed one centimeter.The distance between adjacent holes is about five centimeters.
The seeds spread on the ground are lightly sprinkled with dry soil or peat and the plantings are sprayed with a spray bottle. Now you need to create greenhouse conditions for the flower seedlings by covering the container with cling film or transparent glass.
How to care for seedlings
Until the seeds germinate, the film or glass should be removed several times a day and wiped dry with a clean cloth to remove condensation. As soon as all the sprouts appear, remove the cover and place containers or cups with zinnia in a brighter place. This could be a table near a window or a windowsill. As a rule, in April there is already enough natural sun, so there is no need to add additional light to the flower seedlings.
Due to lack of light, zinnia seedlings may stretch out. If this happens, it is necessary to cover the formed adventitious roots by simply pouring a little soil into the tray. The scorching spring sun can also destroy zinnia seedlings, so it is better to provide the flowers with diffused light (covering the window with a curtain or dense mesh).
Zinnia seedlings should be watered regularly, but not too much - the soil should not dry out, but excess moisture is also not needed. Water for irrigation is taken at room temperature.
At the end of May, you can gradually take the seedlings outside or onto an open balcony for the purpose of hardening. The hardening process should last at least a week.
Landing in the ground
Everything is clear about how to grow zinnia seedlings; all that remains is to figure out how to plant these flowers in a permanent place. The best time to plant seedlings in the ground will be the end of May; in the northern regions it is better not to rush and wait for the June warmth (after all, the cold is detrimental to zinnias).
When the soil warms up well, you can start preparing:
- Containers with seedlings are thoroughly spilled with warm water so that the branched roots of the zinnias can be easily separated from each other.
- Choose a well-lit area in the flowerbed, protected from drafts and wind. The soil there should be neutral, nutritious, well drained. Therefore, if the soil does not meet these requirements, it must be prepared (deoxidized, added sand and peat, fed with mineral fertilizers).
- Given the spreading nature of zinnias, holes are made at a distance of at least 35 cm from each other. The depth of the holes should be about 10-15 cm.
- The seedlings are transferred to a permanent place by transshipment or flowers are planted in peat cups (tablets). You need to act very carefully, since majors do not tolerate transplantation well, their roots are easily injured.
- Squeeze the soil around the stem of the seedling and water each plant with warm water.
Direct cultivation from seeds is also quite suitable for zinnias, because these flowers do not like transplanting. If the weather in the region is still cool, and it’s time to sow flowers, you can create a mini-greenhouse over the crops by simply stretching plastic film. In the southern regions, zinnia seeds are simply sown in the ground at the end of May or early June. In this case, the flowering of majors will be later (by 2-3 weeks), but the plants will be much healthier and stronger.
How to care for majors
Photos of zinnia flowers are beautiful: these large inflorescences of various shapes and colors will become a real decoration for any garden. What will especially please the gardener who has chosen the majors is that they do not require any complicated care at all.
All zinnia care consists of the following simple steps:
- It is necessary to fertilize flowers only twice a season (one month after planting seedlings and immediately before flowering). Both a mineral complex and a solution of liquid mullein are suitable as fertilizer. Fertilizers should be applied in liquid form, watering the flowers at the root.
- If a gardener needs short but dense zinnia bushes, then the flowers can be pinched. This is done at the seedling stage, when several pairs of true leaves appear on the plants. Pinching is done over 4-5 sheets. You can also form a bush of majors in a flowerbed, but do this before the budding period.
- During periods of severe drought, zinnias need to be watered; water is applied strictly at the root, being careful not to wet the leaves and flowers.
The most dangerous pests for majors are aphids, chafers, slugs and snails. The last two need to be dealt with “manually”: collecting gastropod pests, laying slate near the flowers, or mulching the soil with large sawdust. With insects, everything is simpler - the flowers are sprayed with chemical insecticides a couple of times. - Zinnia can get sick, usually due to fungal infections or all kinds of rot. It is extremely difficult to combat such diseases; the affected flowers have to be removed completely. Therefore, it is better to prevent infection and follow the recommendations for growing majors: plant flowers in a sunny place, do not thicken the plantings, and do not overdo it with watering.
At the end of the season, the zinnias are simply pulled out along with the roots and destroyed in order to plant seedlings of new flowers in the flowerbed next spring.
Conclusion
Zinnia is an unpretentious and very beautiful flower, which is difficult not to notice because of its variegated and rich colors, large buds, thick and lush bushes. Growing majoras is not at all difficult; these flowers can be planted either from seeds or seedlings. How to plant flowers correctly is described above - you just need to follow the recommendations given.
More information about planting zinnia seeds is described in this video:
