How to collect seeds from different plants after ripening

How to collect zinnia seeds

Each gardener grows all kinds of annual flowers on his site. It would seem very good that you can renew your flower garden every year. But for this you will have to constantly buy new seeds of your favorite flowers.

Fortunately, you can assemble them yourself at home. Thus, you only have to pay for the first bag of seed. Also, you do not have to go shopping in search of the flowers you like.

In this article, you will learn how to harvest zinnia seeds.

Seed collection

In order to collect the seeds, you just need to choose the most beautiful inflorescences in your flower garden and wait until they ripen and dry. After that, you can cut off the box. The plant will take about 2 months to fully mature, so it is better to leave the very first flowers in advance. They most often grow large and lush.

Cut baskets can be dried additionally in a dry room. Then you need to carefully pull out the petals and get the seeds. After that, they are sorted out, dried again on the newspaper and laid out in paper envelopes.

Attention! Store seeds in a cool, dark place. Such a room must necessarily be dry so that mold or rot does not form.

Large seeds germinate most quickly, 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 the seed is harvested only from terry 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 quality material for sowing. Simple flowers grow from dark brown heart-shaped seeds. It is better to get rid of such people. Leave only elongated, spear-like seeds with a pointed triangular tip. They usually have a grayish tint.

Of course, such a selection does not guarantee that absolutely all inflorescences will be terry, but there will be much more of them. In addition, large and high-quality seeds have a higher germination capacity. Immediately after you take the seeds out of the flower, you can sort them out, and leave in this form for storage.

Then in the spring there will be less worries with sowing.

Advice! You need to sow seeds thickly, since not all of them can sprout. It would be better to play it safe and then thin out the plants if there are a lot of them.

Taking a good look at the seed baskets, you can see that there are several types of seed:

shield-shaped cordate;
spear-shaped sharp;
elongated with a ponytail.

Although these seeds are collected from one inflorescence, completely different zinnias can subsequently grow. Therefore, experienced florists sort out the seeds and sort each species separately. These are the flowers that can be obtained from each of these species:

The most common zinnias can be grown from shield-like or heart-like seeds, even if the seed was harvested on a double inflorescence.
Simple or semi-double zinnias grow from spear-like ones.
Terry inflorescences grow from elongated seeds, at the tip of which there is a grayish tail. It is these flowers that are most appreciated.

Important! It is easiest to care for simple and semi-double inflorescences. Terry zinnias require special careful care

So you have to consider how much time you have to take care of the flower garden.

Terry zinnias require special careful care. So you have to consider how much time you have to take care of the flower garden.

When the seeds are harvested

The seed can be considered mature as early as 60 days after the start of flowering. Therefore, it is advisable to leave the first emerging flowers for these purposes.But even among them, you should choose only the largest and most lush.

Then they will need to be dried and only suitable seeds selected. Store them in a cool dry place.

It is very important that in winter it is not affected by cold and moisture, otherwise they will simply damp

Under suitable conditions, they can be stored for 3 or 4 years without losing their sowing qualities.

If you are growing multiple varieties, then these seeds should be stored in separate boxes or envelopes. Do not forget to sign each bag so that you do not get confused 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 zinnia. Then they plant the plants in rows or circles.

If the room temperature was not suitable or the seeds were stored in a plastic bag, germination may decrease. The shelf life will also be reduced. It will be better to sow such material next year, since in the future they may not sprout.

Zinnia: growing from seed

Both perennial and annual zinnias can be propagated generatively.

Zinnia graceful

How and when to collect seeds

Seeds for subsequent planting must be collected from flowers that are brightly colored and have the correct shape. It is best to pre-select specimens that are especially pleasing to the eye during flowering. It is recommended to take seed material only from those plants that have a thick stem and a well-developed head. It is better not to take seed material from low-growing plants, as it will be of poor quality.

For your information! You need to collect zinnia seeds two months after the beginning of flowering. From that moment on, they are considered mature.

How to collect seeds

Collecting zinnia seeds is necessary in dry and sunny weather. If it rained before the expected harvest time, then you should wait until the buds are completely dry, as a rule, this happens within 3-4 days. If the summer is rainy, experienced gardeners in such situations cut wet flowers and dry them at home. Otherwise, the seeds may lose their germination due to rotting.

Before you start collecting seeds, you need to prepare a dry container, a sheet of paper or cotton bags. Subsequently, the collection is carried out in the following sequence:

First, the most suitable and dried flowers are determined. The fact that they are ready to collect seeds is evidenced by the dark color of the head and the stem of a brown shade. A stiff brush should resemble the middle of a flower.
With your fingers, you need to carefully remove the middle from the flower and put it in a container.
As soon as the middle is removed from all the flowers, the seeds should be gently shaken out from them onto a sheet of paper, then sorted out.

After the seeds are sorted out, you need to sort them and arrange them in matchboxes, bags or paper envelopes, depending on your preferences.

Note! It is strictly forbidden to store seeds in plastic bags, as this threatens them with rotting, as a result of which they become unsuitable for planting.

Zinnia seeds

Seed selection and planting time

When collecting seeds, experienced gardeners immediately sort them into groups depending on shape and size. They are stored in breathable bags or packages, in places protected from light and freezing temperatures. If everything was done correctly during the collection of seeds, then they perfectly retain their germination for 3-4 years. To ensure the quality of the seeds before planting, you need to soak them. There are absolutely no difficulties in choosing seeds.

Planting dates are determined depending on the planting method and the climatic conditions of the region. In the southern regions, in early spring, zinnia is immediately sown into the ground.In all other regions, mid-April is considered the most optimal time for sowing seeds for seedlings.

Preparing seeds for planting seedlings

When planting a flower such as zinnia, growing seedlings from seeds is considered the best option in all regions of Russia except the South. Seedlings can be grown both at home and in greenhouses or hotbeds.

Before sowing, the seeds collected from the plants are recommended to be independently kept in a solution of potassium permanganate or phytosporin. Such activities will help destroy fungal spores. If the seeds were purchased in a store, then they do not need preliminary preparation.

Sowing seeds in the spring directly into the ground

As soon as the weather settles in the region, zinnia is planted in the ground. In regions where winters are not very cold, seeds can be sow before winteras they are not afraid of low temperatures. In spring, the flower is sown from late March to late May. In Siberia and the Urals, it is best to sow as late as possible.

Sowing rules for seedlings

The seeds are planted in the ground and watered abundantly. If germination is too dense, then it must be thinned out. It is not recommended to transplant the flower, as it has a very weak root system. Such activities significantly slow down the development process.

It is recommended to sow seeds in the ground no deeper than 1-2 cm.The distance between the rows should be within the range of 30 to 40 cm.

Why do I collect seeds from double zinnia, and from them zinnias with simple flowers grow?

Zoya Casanovich

It is not enough to collect seeds from terry specimens, you also need to select the correct seeds of the desired shape. So seeds that have the shape of an awl and spear, a wrinkled surface and a gray-brown color are more likely to give terry offspring.

Nadejda Tiunichina

The next time you collect seeds from zinnia, please note that they are different according to the forem.
1. similar to flat shields: brown, with sharp edges and grooves on the tops of the seeds;
2

spear-like: darker and more oblong, thinner towards the base, slightly bent, triangular, with a raised petal-shaped tongue, with a slightly wrinkled surface;
3. having a subulate uvula: grayish, even more oblong, wrinkled, triangular and subulate.
From the seeds of the first type, plants with the most common flowers are obtained - simple, non-double zinnias.
Sowing seeds of the second type, from most of them, you can again get non-double flowers, and only from a smaller part of such seeds, semi-double and double zinnias grow.
And only the third type of seeds gives plants with large double flowers, lush blooming and especially magnificent under the condition of a very warm, sunny summer and sufficient watering (in the absence of rain in a drought, when the leaves of the plants fall).
Therefore, if you want to grow only double zinnias from your own seeds, you will have to work hard sorting the seeds after threshing the collected and dried flower heads.
Of course, double zinnias are as beautiful as roses, but in fairness it is worth saying that zinnias with simple baskets bloom very profusely and not only have a peculiar charm, but are also more resistant to adverse weather conditions. Unlike double zinnias, which suffer from inflorescence rot in cold rainy weather and therefore risk dying even before dissolution, zinnias with simple flowers grow and develop better, decorating the garden with their numerous flowers. In addition, simple zinnias suffer less from strong winds compared to terry zinnias.
5 Like Complain

When to collect flower seeds
When to collect seeds
When the flower seeds are harvested
When to start planting seeds for seedlings
When apples are harvested
Bellflower crowded cultivation from seeds
Purslane cultivation from seeds
Gelenium seed growing
Blueberry growing from seed
Growing blueberries from seeds
Growing stachis from seeds
Cochia growing from seed
Growing lisianthus from seeds
Growing catalpa from seeds
When to dive zinnias
Cochia summer cypress growing from seed

Outdoor cultivation and care

It is quite simple to care for zinnia in the garden:

Watering must be timely and abundant. Zinnias are poured at the root so that the water does not fall on the flowers. If it rains regularly, you can skip watering. Zinnias do not like waterlogging of the soil.
After watering or rains, the moist soil is freed from weeds and gently loosen aisles.
Feed zinnias twice over the summer. The first time - a month after transplanting to the flowerbed, and the second time - during the formation of buds. As fertilizers, you can use ready-made mineral fertilizers or liquid manure.
If you do not seedlings pinched, then you can carry out this procedure after the transplanted flowers take root in the open field. After pinching, the plants will begin to bush. The procedure can be omitted. Then zinnias will turn out to be tall and elegant.
Withered flowers should be regularly delete, so that new flowers form and bloom on the bush as quickly as possible.

How to properly collect seeds of terry petunia

Many people grow petunia on plots, verandas and balconies. But not everyone knows that petunia is a herbaceous perennial plant. And its seeds can be easily collected by yourself, providing yourself with planting material for the next year. So, this article will tell you how to collect petunia seeds and when.

A few words about the plant

Growing petunias from seeds on your own is not at all difficult. You just need to collect the flower seedlings after they have faded. And sow them in early spring.

A variety of flowers and varieties of petunia will not leave indifferent any grower and gardener.

Beautiful and rich, these flowers can be semi-double and double forms. By the way, it is the double forms that are more difficult to form seeds due to the degeneration of the ovary of the flower into petals. Well, what petunia can be, the video will demonstrate.

What are the seedlings of culture

When the seedlings are ready to be harvested

Petunia seeds need a fairly long period before they are fully ripe. As a rule, for this they need about 2.5-3 months from the moment the flowers bloom. Collecting flower seeds must be carried out when the fruit bolls acquire a yellowish tint.

They are the first to ripen and begin to fade. In order not to "lose" such buds, at the very beginning of petunia flowering, they should be marked somehow.

How can you get seedlings

The targeted buds with small capsules containing the seeds are removed from the plant. Further, the fruit-boxes are also removed from the inside. If the boxes containing the seedlings are slightly unripe, they can be laid out on the windowsill, having put small "bags" on them in advance. This should be done so that when the seedlings are opened, the seedlings do not crumble, and their collection is as comfortable as possible. Some growers put these fruits in tea bags. Then, upon opening, all the seeds remain in it.

From the moment the box opens, the seedlings should be dried for a couple of days in a warm place. Next, they are ready for storage until the next spring planting.

The germination rate of the seeds of this flower culture is quite good, it ranges from 3 to 4 years. Proper storage will allow your petunia planting material to retain these properties.

Use paper bags or envelopes to store petunia seeds. Having packaged all the seedlings very carefully in packages, they should be signed so as not to confuse the varieties in the spring. A dry, warm place is suitable for storing them.

How are harvested seedlings planted in spring?

Collecting seeds correctly means that you are guaranteed to provide yourself with high-quality planting material.You can start sowing seeds at the end of March. At home conditions for seedlings seedlings of petunias are sown in the second half of March and April. Sowing is carried out in open ground later, in May. You can see the planting method by video.

At the optimal temperature regime (from +20 to +25), the first shoots of petunias will appear, which should be provided with good lighting and rotation of containers with plantings around the axis once a day. When growing seedlings, it is worth remembering that petunia does not like excess moisture and lack of light. Flowers treat fertilizers and growth stimulants very well.

Flowers are planted in the garden at the end of May. By that time, the seedlings will get stronger, become full-fledged and, possibly, even begin to bloom.

Features of growing zinnia - when to plant, and how to care (video instruction)

And growing zinnia from seeds is such a simple process that many gardeners fell in love with it. For those who are not yet familiar with these flowers and do not know how to grow it from seeds, we dedicate this article.

Description of the plant

Zinnia belongs to annuals, which are grown from seeds. Due to its rapid growth, with the help of zinnias, you can give the garden more brightness from the beginning of summer until the arrival of autumn.

The seeds of this flower culture are quite large. Therefore, growing charming zinnia from seeds will turn into a fascinating process, because working with it is very simple. From the date of planting of seedlings, it will take only 2-2.5 months when the buds will bloom and the plants will bloom. How you can achieve these results can be found in more detail below. We offer photos of flowers and a step-by-step description of the planting process and cultivation.

Magnificent zinnia is capable of growing, reaching gigantic sizes (for example, like the California giant variety), and maybe dwarf bushes, representatives of the Lilliputian form (pictured).

Choosing a place for plants

In terms of soil for growing zinnia in a personal plot, fertile and loose soil is suitable. An important quality that the soil should have is drainage. Since zinnia does not tolerate stagnation of moisture in the soil, you can add sand when planting. Thus, it will be possible to "dilute" the soil and avoid stagnation of water after irrigation or rain.

You can grow zinnia on the site using seeds in one of the following ways:

sowing seeds at home for seedlings;
sowing seedlings directly to the garden bed under the open sky.

Sowing for seedlings

Individual deep pots can be used for planting seedlings, which are filled with a light and loose substrate.

The seedlings of this flower culture are quite large in size. Therefore, they must be buried in the soil to a depth of about 1 cm. At the same time, additional covering of containers with a film to create a greenhouse effect is not required. You can see the first shoots in about 5-7 days. They will be the same as in the photo.

Further, it is not difficult to care for the seedlings. It will be enough for seedlings to fertilize a couple of times. Also, until the zinnia sprouts are transplanted to the garden, they must be hardened, periodically taking them out into fresh air, gradually increasing the intervals. The grown sprouts need to pinch the tops. This way you can achieve the formation of a more beautiful bush.

Zinnia does not belong to frost-resistant plants, and therefore, it is possible to plant seedlings grown at home from seeds only when the earth is sufficiently warmed up. As a rule, seedlings can be transplanted to the garden bed at the end of May. The scheme for planting seedlings: 30-35 cm between plants and about the same in the aisles.

Sowing directly to the garden

The holes for the seeds are prepared 5 cm deep. You can place several seedlings in one hole. With the correct planting time, the first shoots will appear on the surface of the soil after a week. If necessary, it will be possible to thin out the sprouts, leaving about 30 cm between them in order to grow full-fledged flowers.It is recommended to cover seedlings with special material so that possible frosts do not damage the crops.

Caring for seedlings growing in the garden is also not difficult. The main thing is to moderately water the soil and feed the plants using complex fertilizers.

Often, flower growers use this particular option for planting zinnia seeds, since growing it in this way is much easier than using the seedling method.

Even in spite of the fact that seedlings begin to bloom in the garden much later than the planted seedlings. So, for example, when planting seedlings at the end of May, zinnia flowers will bloom in June, and seedlings planted in a flowerbed in May will delight with flowering at the end of July.

You can get acquainted with the process describing the cultivation of zinnia by watching the video.

How to collect planting material

The seed pods should be carefully cut from the stem using sharp scissors. Dry seeds should be removed onto a sheet of paper, which can later be used as an envelope for storing seeds until next spring.

Seedling care

It is not difficult to care for zinnia seedlings. The main rule is to provide plants good lighting... Otherwise, the seedlings will stretch out and look painful. If the seedlings are stretched out, you can simply pour soil around the seedlings. Adventitious roots form on the stalks of zinnia, and the bushes will become stronger.

To water seedlings follow as the soil dries. While the seedlings are small, it is better to spray the soil around them with a spray bottle. Do not overfill the plants, otherwise they can get sick with a "black leg" or other fungal disease.

Feed seedlings during growth and development at home are recommended three times with mineral fertilizers. Top dressing should be complex, with a minimum nitrogen content.

For better tillering of zinnia pinch over the 3rd or 4th pair of leaves.

Two weeks before planting in the garden, seedlings begin temper... To do this, on a warm day, they take it out to an open balcony or plot. The first day the plants are kept in the fresh air for an hour. The hardening time is extended every day. Seedlings should be hardened in a place protected from drafts and shaded from direct sunlight.

Zinnia: growing from seed

Godetia flower - growing from seed at home

When a steady heat comes, the soil warms up and the night frosts recede, the majors can be planted in a permanent place. To begin with, the seedlings are poured abundantly with settled warm water. This will allow less injury to delicate roots when dividing seedlings.

Next, the root system must be carefully placed into the finished hole to a depth of 10-15 cm, covered with dry earth (peat, rotted foliage), slightly squeezed around the stem and watered with warm water

Important! If the seedling is in a peat cup, then the plant is planted in the hole directly in it. A few tips for preparing the soil:

A few tips for preparing the soil:

before planting seedlings, it should be fed with mineral fertilizers;
dilute with sand and peat for deoxidation;
after planting, mulch (with peat, sawdust, sand).

When to plant zinnias in the ground

In southern latitudes and central Russia, zinnia seedlings are planted in open ground in the third decade of May (taking into account the retreat of spring return frosts). On the territory of Siberia, the landing is postponed for another half a month or a month. In any case, 1-1.5 months should pass from sowing to disembarkation. If everything is done correctly, then within a month after planting in open ground, the first buds will appear.