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Post by ahntjudy on Apr 10, 2018 23:18:18 GMT -5
Last season I bought a pack of Profusion Cherry Zinnia seeds...started them as usual under the lights...they then grew well outside and from them, I saved a lot of seed for this year...
As I'm getting ready to start them indoors, I was looking online for a seed planting depth and came across a site that had additional info about viable zinnia seed...
It mentioned that the viable seeds contained developed embryos...non-viable seeds were just empty shells... I had never thought of that...so I looked through all the zinnia seed I had saved and sure enough, there were a great deal of seeds that were just that...empty shells...
If the seed contains an embryo, it is firmer and resists bending...if the seed is empty, it obviously bends easily... So, now knowing this info and rather than planting non-viable seeds as I would have done had I not read that article, I sat there and went through every single seed, gently bend testing them all for 'bendability'...
If you have ever seen zinnia seeds, they look a little like little arrow heads...This variety is rather small...Less than 1/4"... It was tedious and time consuming, but at least now I have a good batch (hopefully) of seed that will have an increased chance of high germination...
Seemed like interesting information to share...
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 10, 2018 23:32:04 GMT -5
Interesting. I could see spot-checking a batch of seeds, but I am not sure I'd have the patience to bend-test each seed by hand!
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 11, 2018 7:58:38 GMT -5
That's interesting and good reason to plant extras
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Post by guruofgardens on Apr 11, 2018 8:33:42 GMT -5
I know that zinnia seed saving sounds tedious, but saving and checking on the viability sure helps in the Spring when you're so busy to plant. Save the dead zinnia flowers and store them in a paper bag. Get them out when the weather is suited for hot soup and staying inside. It’s a nice winter project.
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stone
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Post by stone on Apr 11, 2018 8:53:59 GMT -5
Wait a minute.... I'm not going through several ounces of seeds to check viability...
Much simpler just to scatter them over a prepared bed and come back and transplant them out of the bed... Or... Scatter a handful over the soil in a 3 gallon nursery pot and then after they are large enough, dump them out and separate into gallon nursery pots, and set out in the garden after they've recovered from the rough treatment.
Zinnias are extremely easy to work with, why make an easy task difficult?
Plenty of seed in a flower head... Viable or not... If I save the dried flowers, and break them up as I sow, I get plenty of plants.
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Post by september on Apr 11, 2018 8:55:15 GMT -5
I've got bunches of dried zinnia flowers from past years that I haven't done much with. I can never keep track after I plant them, whether any of them are hybrids and so the seeds will come back as something unexpected. Not that it would matter if they were still big and colorful. The main problem I have is deciding whether the seeds will be fertile if I remove the head before it is all dried out. I don't like to keep those old heads in the flower bed for long. Anyone know if the seeds are "ready" when the flower first begins to fade, is half dried, or needs to be fully dry? One of these years maybe I will remember to test them at various stages myself.
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Post by ahntjudy on Apr 11, 2018 22:55:39 GMT -5
I agree with stone that zinnias are quite easy to just scatter and sow directly outside and that's what I do for the majority of my zinnia seeds... But with this particular batch, I wanted to have really good germination as I'm planting them in single cells on the heat mats and then under the lights so I have many early, developed plants to plant over my boyfriend's house... He's pretty much house bound and I like to get lots of early spring 'matured' flowers planted so he has a nice colorful visual outside over there... That, and the fact that it had been a 16 hour on my feet day and it was a really good excuse to make myself actually finally sit down to do that tedious job...
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stone
Pro Member
Posts: 170
Zone:: 8
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Post by stone on Apr 12, 2018 15:44:48 GMT -5
I've got bunches of dried zinnia flowers from past years that I haven't done much with. The main problem I have is deciding whether the seeds will be fertile if I remove the head before it is all dried out. Anyone know if the seeds are "ready" when the flower first begins to fade, is half dried, or needs to be fully dry? One of these years maybe I will remember to test them at various stages myself. Personally, I like to be certain. I let them completely dry on the stalk and they snap right off when I go to collect. Only problem with that method, the goldfinches have a taste for them... They leave me enough, though... not like the poppies. If you pick them green, how are you going to prevent mold and mildew? Drying in the sun would be problematic... and a flower with no plant attached would be difficult to hang upside down... If you could figure out how to dry without killing the seeds, I'd imagine that some would grow... I've saved other easily grown seeds before they were ripe and got plants, and zinnias have been domesticated a long time...
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Post by september on Apr 12, 2018 21:39:51 GMT -5
I think they would dry ok in my greenhouse during the summer, too hot to grow anything in there, just varying moisture from the open air. And I would likely cut the whole flower stem off, leaving the flower attached. Either hang upside down or just lay on my wire shelving. I think I will give this a try this summer, I need to deadhead the spent blossoms anyway, so nothing lost. And I can attach a label to the stems so I know the color. Thanks for helping me think this out!
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stone
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Zone:: 8
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Post by stone on Apr 13, 2018 8:00:55 GMT -5
Nope! If you ever forget the purchased seeds in the glove compartment of the car.... You will find they lose viability.... Fast!
Definitely don't leave valuable seeds to bake in the hot greenhouse!
I suggest getting over the need to cut the flowers off the plants.... I can't imagine where that idea came from anyway.... So much nicer to watch the plant perform the way that god intended.... First the pollinators visit, and then the seed eating birds visit!
Cut the flowers off and you have ugly cut up plants... Looks like the deer came to visit... Yuck!
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Post by september on Apr 13, 2018 9:46:58 GMT -5
Well, I have to disagree about not cutting off spent blossoms. Leaving a few for seed is fine, but too many crumpled and greyed old flowers are not that pleasant for me to look at, and I grow primarily for my own enjoyment. Pruning out old stalks and flowers can easily be done so it's not even noticeable, so no Yuck for me!
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Post by bestofour on Apr 13, 2018 18:51:51 GMT -5
ahntjudy, interesting info. Love zinnias. I’ve never even though about cleaning the seeds. I collect them as they dry and keep them in an envelope and sprinkle where I want them. Not good for serious trading because people get upset with uncleared seeds.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2018 17:36:21 GMT -5
You can do them like I do some of the herbs; cut them as long as you can, put the head down in a paper bag after either tying the stalks together and hang them to dry. I get the brown paper bags from my store with the handles attached and just put whatever it is in the bag and hang with the handles until dry.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Jul 1, 2018 22:25:08 GMT -5
ahntjudy, Cantaloupe seed is sort of the same way. I use my fingernail to check and make sure the seed is viable. It takes awhile, but I don't mind.
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Post by ahntjudy on Jul 2, 2018 8:00:24 GMT -5
Yep hairymooseknuckles...I didn't mind checking those seeds either... It was a relaxing (for a change) sit down job... On a positive note, darn nearly every single seed checked and started, germinated! I ended up with 4 flats of red solo cup zinnia plants...all of which got planted and are bushy, healthy and blooming nicely now!
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Post by octave1 on Jul 2, 2018 8:02:13 GMT -5
I have Zinnia that come up every year in the same spot as if they were perennials, due to self-seeding, and I really like this arrangement.
In the Spring, if I need to plant Zinnia somewhere, I go to the Zinnia bed, grab a dead flower head and scatter its seeds in the new spot.
Last year I had Zinnia grow next to Celosia, and since I never cut any flowers--in addition to being too busy for Fall clean-up, I now have a beautiful Zinnia and Celosia flower bed.
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