Zinnia is popular with many gardeners. A large variety of colors, different bushes and minimal maintenance. - it's all about zinnia. Another name for zinnia, by which it is widely known, is majors.
Zinnia flower has a long flowering period - up to 35 days. The cut flower also takes a long time — from one to two weeks.
This plant is an annual, easily grown seed. The seeds are very large, and therefore it is quite easy to work with them. From the day of planting seeds, after just 2-2.5 months, the buds of beautiful zinnias will be already blooming.
Did you know? Majors can grow into dwarf bushes - the Liliput variety, and into giant shrubs, like the California giant variety.
Sowing zinnia for seedlings
Planting zinnia seedlings occurs in one of the ways:
- sowing seeds at home;
- sowing seeds immediately in open ground.
Often practiced method of sowing zinnia at home, because it can be done earlier and thereby bring the beginning of the flowering period of the plant.
When to sow
Sowing seeds for zinnia seedlings at home falls on the end of March - mid-April. In this case, the grown bushes of seedlings transplanted into the open ground will rapidly grow and bloom in late May - early June.
Did you know? More than twenty species of zinnia are known. But only four of them are cultivated in the culture: Fine, Narrow-leaved, Fine-flowered, Linearis.
How to sow correctly
Before sowing seeds in the soil it is necessary to wrap them in gauze or cloth, which is pre-saturated with Appin. In this way, seed germination is checked. In fresh seeds, sprouts appear in the first few days, and old ones will germinate for about a week.
Germination seeds of 2-3 pieces sown at a depth of 1 centimeter, while maintaining sufficient space between plantings. Peat pots in which the planting is carried out must contain a wet substrate.
Seedlings moistened and placed in a bright place. For germination the optimum temperature is 22-24 degrees. Subject to the listed conditions, sprouts will appear quickly.
Care of the first shoots
The first shoots appear around the 6-8th day of sowing. The optimum temperature for the care of the first shoots - 19-22 degrees. Young plants quickly form adventitious roots. If the seedlings stretched, you need to add the soil in the pots.
It should strictly follow the rule - grow zinnia in a bright place. In the penumbra, the plant turns into a weak and painful.
Pickling seedlings
Pickling a zinnia is necessary if the seeds have been densely sown. But if the distance between shoots is normal, there is no need for a picking. When planting in peat pots, you can avoid picks. This method is widely practiced because culture doesn't like picking.
Hardening seedlings
To land in the open ground was successful, in late May, zinnia seedlings need temper. To do this, in the daytime, it briefly endured to fresh air. So she gets used to the environment.
Planting of seedlings of zinnia in open ground
When the zinnia has grown and the seedlings are ready for planting in open ground, you need to do everything as it should, so that the plant continues its growth and is pleased with flowering. It is important to choose a landing time and place. It is also worth knowing what scheme is used for planting major seedlings.
When to plant seedlings
When and how to transplant zinnias in the open ground is very important for the subsequent growth of the flower. You need to wait until the danger of return frost has passed to plant the plant. This usually occurs in the second half - the end of May.
Choosing a place for zinnia
Place for zinnia should be chosen with the expectation that the plant is warm and light-loving. Therefore, the best location will be the area under the open sun, without any shadow.
Places where there are drafts should be excluded. Wind flows can damage bush stems. Also before planting zinnia plot must be cleaned of weeds.
The soil in the plot should be fertile and loosened. It is very important that drainage, because zinnia does not like stagnant moisture in the soil. Sand can be added to the soil during planting to provide drainage. This will help avoid stagnant water after watering or rain.
Scheme for planting seedlings
As such, the scheme for planting seedlings of zinnia does not exist. But for some varieties of plants it is important to observe the distance between the bushes of flowers equal to 30-40 cm. Tall varieties are planted in rows with a distance between them of 40 cm, sredneroslye - 30 cm, undersized can grow at a distance of 10-15 cm. Planted by transferring the plant or with a peat pot.
Using zinnia in flower bed design
Zinnia in the flowerbed is often the desired flower. This is an annual unpretentious plant that blooms beautifully and combines well with many other plants.
A flower bed with zinnia in the center will look beautiful, low-growing geraniums or lobelia will be planted in the foreground, and tall cosme or amaranth will be planted in the background.
Zinnia refers to plants that are not too clearly following the sun. Therefore, for the beds, the view of which is opened from the north side, they are very well suited.
Care for zinnia on a bed
If after transplanting to a flower bed, zinnia has taken root, it is necessary to start caring for it. Care is the regular loosening of the soil, weeding, as well as watering and fertilizer. During flowering need to remove faded flowers in time.
Do zinnias pinch the tops?
From the moment the zinnia is planted in the flowerbed, you can begin caring for the plant. Held pinching zinnia. Such a procedure with its tips will provide young sprouts with bushiness in the future. To zinnia bush, you need to pinch it over the third or fourth pair of leaves.
This must be done when zinnia is still in the seedlings, but it can be done after rooting in open ground. If the plant is grown for cutting and flowers are required on high peduncles, the nip is not performed.
Watering and Zinnia Fertilizer
Since zinnias grow better in fertile soil, you can fertilize the soil before planting. To do this, the soil on the site needs to be dug up and put into it compost or humus. After that, the ground is mixed with fertilizer and well loosened.
Also in the list of what to feed the seedlings of zinnia include mineral fertilizers - superphosphate, potassium sulfate, nitrophoska. They are bred in a ratio of 1 tablespoon per 1 square meter of land.
When the plant is already blooming, it can be fed to maintain. Liquid fertilizers for flowering plants are suitable for this.
Watering zinnia should be carried out in compliance with the main requirements of the plant - without excess moisture, which can lead to rotting of the roots. It is for this purpose that the soil is drained.
The plant can be watered rarely and plentifully. It refers to drought-resistant, so some lack of moisture will not affect negatively. It is important when watering to ensure that water does not fall on the inflorescences of the plant, as this can lead to decay.
Important! After the rains need to cut off flowering inflorescences. This will help to prolong flowering, and it will be more abundant.
When to harvest and how to store seeds
Zinnia seeds are harvested after ripening of the baskets in which they are located. It occurs after two months of flowering. The seeds of first-order shoots have the best qualities. Therefore, it is necessary to initially identify several shoots from which the seeds will be collected, and remove all side shoots from them.
Ripe baskets with seeds are brown in color, they are cut, dried, the seeds are removed from them and cleaned of flower residues.
Store zinnia seeds in a dry place at a constant temperature. Germination lasts 3-4 years.
Important! Seeds must be harvested as soon as the baskets left on the seeds begin to dry. Otherwise it will rain, and then they may rot or become moldy.
Resistance of zinnia to diseases and pests
For those who are wondering how to grow zinnias in the country, it is important to know how to deal with plant diseases and pests.
One of the most common diseases of zinnia is leaf spot. The signs are brown round spots with a red rim on the leaves of the plant. With this disease, the leaves turn yellow and fall off.
Having noticed the first signs of leaf spotting, it is necessary to remove the affected areas of the plant. If you run this process, then the plant will need to say goodbye.
Also among the diseases of the plant appear gray rot, fusarium, powdery mildew. They are treated with fungicides.
All diseases occur with excessive watering and with dense planting of plants to each other. Therefore, the first thing you need to pay attention to the cause of the disease and eliminate it.
Pests that can affect zinnia slugs and snails, aphid, May beetles. You can get rid of aphids by spraying a solution of tar soap - 10 g per liter of water. Or you can apply solutions "Aktellika" or "Fufanona."
Snails and slugs lure, scattering pieces of roofing material and slate in the area, then they can be collected manually. May beetles are also harvested by hand from plants and dumped into a bucket of soapy water.
Zinnia is not a capricious plant, planting, growing and caring for it is not difficult. It is necessary to follow only the most elementary rules that do not require much effort and time-consuming.
