6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

I have searched from Google and here are the information I found out. A brief description about zinnia and the seed germination.

Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)

Zinnia is a genus of 20 species of annual and perennial plants of family Asteraceae, originally from scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the American Southwest to South America, but primarily Mexico, and notable for their solitary long-stemmed flowers that come in a variety of bright colors.

70 Germination
Temperature
(Fahrenheit)

D Lighting

5-7 Days to
Germination

5 Weeks Sowing
to Planting

eek...Zinnias are usually so easy. but mine just died big time. One site says indoor seedlings only want an inch a week.

Q: Now I hear they like lots of water? Or 1 inch a week?

Can I start new seedlings? ( I can't sow outside due to community garden rules)

Do those no-transplant bioDeg. pots get soggy?

'over-water the seedlings just to deliver poison to the gnats'

Most of what you see with the dunks, bits, or even granulated form of BTi is 'inert ingredient' used as a carrying agent that then releases the BTi into water. It's not a poison, its a naturally occurring bacterium that is harmless to us, birds, fish, our pets, but stops the development of only mosquito and gnat larvae when they ingest it.

If you had some of the water/liquid prepared and your soil is already moist, pour in just enough to introduce some of the released bacteria to the potting medium, you don't have to drench. Then next time you water, go ahead and give the pots your usual amount of water and do that with the treated water each time until they are really gone. The adults aren't causing any damage and only live a matter of days so you don't really have to exhaust yourself chasing those. You don't want the larvae to mature to more adults so are treating the soil. Also, you seem to have a full blown case of gnats now, one overwatering if you were to do that isn't going to make it worse ;)

Dave, with as much as you grow, I thought you knew the difference in the BT and just had a case of fingers on keyboard getting ahead of you ;)

Dave, with as much as you grow, I thought you knew the difference in the BT and just had a case of fingers on keyboard getting ahead of you ;)

Its all the dirt under my fingernails this time of year!! Falls into the cracks in between the keys. *grins*

Dave

They look really healthy and happy! When can you usually plant out in your area? I don't think you started to early.

Yes they need to be hardened off - any plant needs time to adjust to real sun and wind slowly - even things the were wintered over.

Dahlias, peppers and eggplant like heat, but everything else can start going out as soon as you have warmish (above 50) days. Petunias, agastache, viola and verbena can easily handle nights in the mid 30's. To much cold will slow them down, but won't really harm them.

It is the 5 days without water that I would be worrying about.

Good to know that all of my flowering plants (except the dahlias I guess) can go out soon. I'm thinking of transplanting the petunias (some have already started to bloom) in row containers in front of my house and bringing them in when temps are not favorable at night.

Spinach is one of the few vegetables that likes it cold - even for germination. And grows fast enough that starting inside and early is pointless. It winter sows well (check the WInter sowing forum). I don't know the weather in OK right now, but you could probably already sow it outside. I have about 30" of snow covering my garden beds, so it will be a while before I can start it. Use that kit to start tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, they need the head start.

Agree - sow outdoors when soil temp is 5 ��" 20 C (41-68 F).

Give it some time, newly germinated seedlings can be a little hard to identify, but I think most would describe crocus seedlings as looking more like grass....

Here is a link that might be useful: Saffron crocus seedlings/young plants

Funny story... I mislabeled my cup. It's a Florida giant watermelon.....

I have too many to plant, next year it will be best. Small veggies this year, next year mostly veggies. New to this home...have to get grounds ready. ( :

Have you had luck with peat pots? I hope with the underwater method to keep them moist enough...but know I'm on thin ice. Using them today for Oriental Poppies because I know the roots don't like transplanting. Will get them so moist at the end that I can peel off part or all the bottom (leave sides intact) when it is time to put them in the yard.

20 tomatoes is a LOT. Good for you!!!!! What do you do will all of them? I will only have about 4-6 this year. Sweet 100's and Cherokee purple and a roma for sauce. I will can some, make some sauce too, but I am wondering if it is possible to freeze any? What do you think? Nuts I know.....

No, I have never used peat pots and probably never will. I have heard too many horror stories, plus, the plastic ones are reusable year after year so it cuts down on cost. I understand the concern though, with plants that don't like transplanting.

I have found (for vegetables anyways) that as long as you do it when very very young they usually make it through. When I have transplanted things like cukes, beans, and squash, which are all notoriously poor movers, I have had the best luck before the true leaves appear.

It is? Shoot, there's people out there that grow hundreds of tomatoes a year! I will wind up giving away quite a few of them, but I don't thin any of my starts, I just separate the seedlings and grow them all (seeds are too expensive to just kill them after they sprout IMO). Never tried freezing any, though, if you were planning to use them for sauce and stuff I think it would be a perfectly good option.

If it is 3 weeks until you can transplant them out side then you will have to do an interim transplanting indoors. Plant them deep in the new pots, burying most all of that bare stem.

Dave

Well, to me they donâÂÂt really look large enough to be outgrowing their container just yet. The medium theyâÂÂre in appears to be a little too wet and probably a little too shallow. Transplanting to larger pots later will definitely be beneficial. For now, IâÂÂd just try to straighten the seedlings up, add more of your growing medium (to cover most of the stems as Dave has suggested) and cut down on the watering.

Art

I think with the pods it was probably too wet, when using mix it was probably not pressed down enough to remove air spaces, or possibly I was dropped seed onto the mix, added more mix, then watered and or agitated which could have put my depth way off.

This time I premoistened the mix, gently pressed it down added the see and then covered with the appropriate depth followed by another light pressing.

I expect things to go better this time.

Remember, some seeds need light to germinate and should not be covered. ie. impatiens and petunias for example.