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ideal Zinnia soil requirements

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Posted by gardenspider 5B (My Page) on
Thu, Jul 23, 09 at 16:18

I have been growing 'Purple Prince' zinnia cultivar for a couple years now. Primarily because it attracts so many butterflies. My soil is mostly clay.

I would like to know what the ideal soil mixture is for maximizing the speed of growing these zinnias, to attract as many mid summer butterflies as possible. I think the species is (Zinnia elegans).

I've tried starting these indoors, and it does seem to help.
This year I've been imagining using small pots to sink into the ground. I could get the seedlings started indoors, transplant them to the pots that have the ideal soil mix, then drop them in the pre-dug holes. Another benefit to the pot is being able to set them out earlier in the season and being able to bring them into the garage when we are still getting late night frosts.

Would some type of fertilizer help speed it's growth?

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RE: ideal Zinnia soil requirements

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fertilizer (try watering with DILUTE fertilizer solution) the soil should be a light well drained mixture Ideal pH 6.0-6.5
may also wish to try "pet Pots"

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RE: ideal Zinnia soil requirements

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Would you please tell me where you got seeds for purple zinnias? Thank you.

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RE: ideal Zinnia soil requirements

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Burpee packaged seed. Sell it at Lowe's and Home Depot around here. I don't know if they sell it on their website though. They do have Dahlia bloom form listed though, I'll include the link ~ rather expensive. I prefer the single bloom form, seems to work best as a butterfly attractant ~ and way cheaper for the seed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Burpee

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