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miss_fernandez

Starlight Zinnia? Dont think so!

Miss.Fernandez
9 years ago

I bought a packet of Burpee's Starlight Mix Zinnias because they were small. I planted them all over my garden and placed a marker on most of seeds. It's been about 2 months.... And I have this. It doesnt look like the other zinnias I have (much taller). Anyone seen these before? Is there a chance I got a bad batch? The small flower behind it is not part of the plant

Comments (18)

  • Miss.Fernandez
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Closeup of the leaves

  • sweet_betsy No AL Z7
    9 years ago

    Perhaps a tree of heaven-ailanthus. Certainly not a zinnia.

    This post was edited by sweet_betsy on Sun, Sep 7, 14 at 21:45

  • Miss.Fernandez
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This is what's left of the seeds. Dont' look like tree of heaven seeds. They looked like Zinnia seeds when I plant it them. and they're all in the right places I planted them

  • Iris GW
    9 years ago

    It is definitely Tree of Heaven, a really bad weed tree.

  • donna_in_sask
    9 years ago

    That weed tree seed could have already been in the soil.

  • missingtheobvious
    9 years ago

    However, the seedlings' leaves are compound leaves (like walnuts, tomatoes, etc.), while zinnias have simple leaves (like maples, cucumbers, etc.).

    Also, these seedlings are plainly a woody plant (which ailanthus is, being a tree) rather than an herbaceous plant (like zinnias and other annuals).

    Ailanthus are a horrible nuisance tree. One of their major traits is that they spread so prolifically: i.e., they grow where they were not planted. Doubtless you have one or more ailanthus, fully-grown, within a block or two, seeding the entire neighborhood.

    http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/aial1.htm

  • larry_gene
    9 years ago

    Was that was the one spot where Ailanthus sprouted (rather than at every location Zinnia was planted)?

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    9 years ago

    I get the impression that this is a lone seedling that has, by chance, cropped up in the vicinity of where a seed was planted.

    Regardless, the OP needs to examine her seed sowing techniques, as long as the seeds were fresh. Seed depth, moisture level, even a layer of mulch can affect seed germination.

  • Miss.Fernandez
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for all your responses... I have about 15 little sprouts all over my garden (my garden is only 10'x25').... And I marked the locations of the seeds with small bamboo skewers. I did this because I lose track of my seeds and then pull them out thinking they're weeds. LOL.

    It definitely looks like Tree of Heaven but I would hate to think that I purposely planted over 15 seeds that came from Burpee and T-o-h sprouted. I thought they looked funny and not like the other Zinnias I planted. I guess I'll be pulling them out this weekend.

    Can it be that I got a bad batch? I got the seeds from Walmart or Home Depot (only 2 places I have bought seeds from this year). I really really really know that all the locations I planted the seeds in, a similar sprout is growing.

  • Iris GW
    9 years ago

    The other thing to consider is that soil disturbance (such as when planting other things) can cause seeds in the area to sprout because the disturbance exposes them to the light they need to germinate.

    No one may ever know if the seeds you bought were contaminated with weed seeds.

  • larry_gene
    9 years ago

    Take care in your yard to completely clean the soil surface before digging or planting. Although ailanthus and zinnia seeds do have common basic features, ripe/aged ailanthus seeds have a distinct twist and the actual seed is centered in the structure while the zinnia seed is at one end.

    Ailanthus seed does not need much help to get going and I suspect one could find at least 50 more seeds in your yard for ever one that sprouted. Perhaps there is a recently matured tree nearby.

    In the unlikely event you can not find any ailanthus seed in your yard (where with that many seedlings many surface seeds would be expected), then the seed packet could be suspect (but what flower seed company would have ailanthus seed around as a possible contaminant?).

    This post was edited by larry_gene on Tue, Sep 9, 14 at 23:48

  • Miss.Fernandez
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'll check the neighborhood for Ailanthus and I'll be pulling them out this weekend. Thanks for all your help!!

  • Miss.Fernandez
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Now. How do I get rid of Ailanthus? I pulled the smaller ones out this weekend but the bigger ones broke at soil level. I noticed they had a long tap root. will Roundup kill it?

  • katisu
    9 years ago

    Try planting your remaining seeds in an indoor pot and see what crops up. That way you can rule out seed contamination.

  • larry_gene
    9 years ago

    Breaking off Ailanthus seedlings at that early stage will stop them. A more thorough way is to use a small shovel and get the root about 6 or 8 inches down. One good angled stab with the shovel usually does it.

    Another possibility is that a nearby large tree was removed. That can trigger sprouts from the original root system at a considerable distance. I have a little cluster of Ailanthus sprouted up 40 feet from a tree that was removed several years ago from a neighbor's yard. Every year we pull out several, the big trees are long gone.

  • Iris GW
    9 years ago

    If they keep resprouting,cut just above soil level with pruners and dab a little herbicide on them. Would need to repeat several times, but keep at it.

  • Miss.Fernandez
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you everyone for your advise. I will pull out what's left of the tree.

    I'm a new home owner and not familiar with what the previous owners had. I know I have a stump in my garden and cannot ID it. It's been there since I moved in (2 years ago) and no sprouts coming from the stump. Could this stump be Ailianthus?

  • larry_gene
    9 years ago

    It would not be hard to find out. The timeframe is right for a stump and sproutings. The next time you get an ailanthus sprout, dig around. A sprout from an old root system that is producing sprouts will not go very deep, certainly less than one foot. The alignment of the underlying root will probably point back to the stump.

    If your sprouts are not attached to an underlying old root, they must be from old seed or another living nearby tree.

    Ailanthus seed tends to sprout up along fence lines or at the base of foundations or walls, or disturbed areas, whereas old root sprouts can pop up anywhere. Some years are skipped, other years have many sprouts.

    When digging in ground in the vicinity of a big Ailanthus, long, shallow, linear roots are often encountered.

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