Azgarden said:I'm in the desert and it seems we are probably past the last frost date, so would it be safe to sow zinnia seed in the ground? ...Any tips on growing zinnia from you or ZM would be appreciated.
Hi Mary,
I have never grown zinnias under desert conditions. They might do well. You must have an incredibly long growing season. Are you subject to water rationing?
To get zinnias to come up quickly, cover them 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, and sprinkle the seedbed at least once a day until they emerge. Zinnias can emerge in 2 to 6 days if conditions are good. And they can bloom in as few as 6 weeks. A pollinated zinnia seed can develop to a growable form in as few as 3 weeks after it is pollinated. Planting zinnia seeds in the green stage can speed up the whole process.
Here in Kansas I can get two generations of zinnias outdoors, and you might be able to do even better than that and get three generations this year. I can get four generations a year, but two of those generations are in my indoor zinnia project. My second indoor generation is in the seedling stage now.
I am not suggesting that you start a break-neck zinnia breeding project, (you could if you wanted to) but if you should happen to spot a zinnia that you really like, you could hand pollinate it to get a heavy seed yield and grow some of those seeds to maturity this year. I suggest you include the Whirligig variety in your zinnia selections, because it has a lot of two-color blooms, and a few three-color blooms. Whirligigs have inter-species ancestry, which makes them extra interesting to grow.
Like I said, I have no experience growing zinnias in Arizona, but it could be an interesting experiment to give them a try.
ZM
