How to Save Zinnia Seeds and Grow Trillions of Flowers • Gardenary Witnessing the wonder of seed creation was one of the factors that got me hooked on gardening. How could anyone not enjoy gardening if they knew how to harvest and conserve their own seeds? You are aware that seeds produce free plants, right? If you have one zinnia plant, you will never again need to purchase zinnia seeds or plants. 
The seed is the portion of the zinnia that contains the embryo.
What does a zinnia seed look like? – Zinnia seeds have a distinctive arrow form. In the middle of the head, near the end of the petals, they develop. Depending on the type of flower, numerous forms of roundness, length, or thickness exist. When they are mature, you may gently pluck the dried petal and the seed will separate from the flower head’s center and get attached to the petal’s end.
What do viable zinnia seeds look like?
What Do Saved Zinnia Seeds Look Like? Through Audrey Stallsmith Updated on 26 January 2018 Zinnias (Zinnia spp.) are quick-growing, low-maintenance annuals that offer an abundance of color from summer through fall. You may simply conserve seeds from your favorite plants so that you do not have to buy more next year.
- Depending on the kind, zinnia blooms can be round, double, pom-pom, or cactus-shaped and range in size from 1 to 7 inches, while the plants grow from 4 inches to 4 feet in height.
- Allow some of the nicest blooms to stay on the plants until their petals wither and turn brown to collect zinnia seeds.
- Give preference to heirloom, open-pollinated varieties such as ‘Cut and Come Again,’ ‘Granny’s Bouquet,’ and ‘Green Envy,’ as hybrid kinds like as ‘Blue Point’ will not grow true from seed.
If some of your plants are plagued with mildew, a grey, powdery-looking mold on the leaves, gather seeds from the disease-resistant ones. Remove the flower heads from the plant by snipping them off with sterile secateurs. Removing spent blossoms enables the plant to spread out and generate other flowers.
Once the flower heads have become fully brown and are completely dry, hold the petals and pull them out of the flower’s core. These petals should have seeds adhering to their tips. The seeds will be formed like arrowheads, with one end pointy and the other end wider, and each will have a prominent spine running up its back.
If picked from medium-sized zinnias, the seeds will be around 3/8 to 1/2 inch long, somewhat less than 1/4 inch broad at their widest point, and brownish in color. After collecting the seeds, separate them from the brown flower petals and distribute them on paper towels for several days.
- Once you are certain they are totally dry, place them in paper coin envelopes or tiny zip-top plastic bags and name them with the variety of zinnia and the harvest year.
- Place the packets in a glass jar with a screw-on lid and store them in the refrigerator until spring.
- Before planting mildew-infected plant seeds, soak them for a half-hour in water heated to 125 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the fungus.
A thermos can be used to keep water hot. It is preferable to spread zinnia seeds outside in early spring or summer, depending on your area, since if their roots are disturbed, they may produce single rather than double flowers. Plant dwarf varieties 6 inches apart, medium variants 12 inches apart, and gigantic varieties 15 inches apart with the seeds barely covered by dirt.
Spread some paper towels on a clean, level area where you may work to collect the seeds. Place a paper plate on the area and label it with the variety’s name using a marker. Take a dried zinnia flower and “flail” the seed head to release the seeds; hit it gently, pull it apart, or rub it between your fingers over a paper plate.
Can zinnia seeds be obtained from cut flowers?
FAQs about Seed Saving –
- How long may seeds be stored? Properly preserved zinnia seeds will remain viable for five to six years. Ensure that they are completely dry before storing.
- Can seeds be planted straight after being stored for the next year? Certainly, zinnias have sprouted when I let some to go to seed the previous year, but the results are not as constant as when I save seed and plant them purposely the following year.
- Can zinnia seeds be saved from cut flowers? Yes, if the blossom has withered on the plant. If the flower was picked when it was in full bloom and dried out after being shown, it is possible that the seeds were not ripe enough to be saved.
- How can seeds be examined to determine their viability? Easily test seeds before planting in the spring by following these straightforward testing guidelines.
– Sign up for Gardenary 365’s Cut Flower Gardens course. This online course teaches students how to cultivate, harvest, and arrange cut flowers. You will also have comprehensive access to our Gardenary course library within 365. Whether you planted them in your in-ground pollinator garden, flower beds, or raised-bed kitchen garden, zinnias will bloom profusely from the beginning of summer until the first frost.
(Here are some zinnias if you’re not getting enough of them.) As soon as you observe blossoms beginning to droop or appear spent (as though their time in the garden has ended), use a clean pair of pruners to trim the stems beneath the flowers. In the Chicago metropolitan area, the best time to collect flower heads is in late September or early October, when the blooms have passed their peak and the region is preparing for frost.
If you are in a region with a warmer winter, you may be able to enjoy your flowers for several additional months. Hang your flowers upside down for approximately one month, or until they are fully desiccated. You do not want to leave any moisture behind while storing them, because you risk mold growth. 
