Zinnias are asters and belong to the daisy family. They bloom profusely from May to October and are therefore one of the most popular summer flowers that also last surprisingly well in the vase. The pretty flowering plants can be easily grown from seed and can be transplanted into the garden or balcony box after the Ice Saints.
When and how should you sow zinnias?
Zinnias can be grown indoors from February in cultivation containers with low-nutrient sowing soil or sown directly into the bed from mid-May. The seeds should not be sown too densely and should be well moistened. After the Ice Saints they can be planted outdoors.
Seed procurement
Zinnia seeds are available in many garden centers or specialist retailers. The seed bags usually contain a mixture of seeds of different colors. If you have already cultivated zinnias in your garden, you can harvest the seeds yourself in autumn.
The cultivation
You can grow zinnias indoors from February onwards. Special cold frames (€35.00 on Amazon) for the windowsill are ideal. Follow these steps:
- Fill the cultivation containers with low-nutrient sowing soil.
- Do not sow seeds too closely. A maximum of three seeds should be placed in small cultivation pots, and it is even better to only place one seed at a time. A distance of five to ten centimeters is recommended for seed trays.
- Cover the seeds thinly with soil, as Zinnia is a dark germinator.
- Wet well with a sprayer.
- Put a lid on. This should always remain slightly open (insert a wooden stick) so that the seeds do not start to mold or rot. Alternatively, you can remove the cover for a short period of time every day.
- Place the containers in a warm place on the windowsill, where the zinnias will germinate after just eight to ten days.
- If several seeds have been planted per pot, they must be pricked out when the plant is ten centimeters high.
Relocation to the open field
After the Ice Saints, when the temperatures no longer fall below freezing, the small zinnias are planted in the garden.
Direct sowing
Zinnias also germinate well outdoors. If you don't want to rely on self-sowing, which is not reliable due to the plants' sensitivity to frost in our latitudes, you can sow Zinnia directly into the bed from mid-May. The seeds are placed three centimeters deep in the ground about twenty centimeters apart, covered with soil and watered with a soft stream.
Tip
Zinnias are ideal as attractive balcony plants that can easily withstand hot phases and thundershowers. However, it is important to water Zinnia sufficiently and fertilize regularly so that it continues to produce new flowers.
