Do you want to learn how to grow zinnias? I have been growing Zinnias for years. They are one of my favorite summer flowers. Once they begin to bloom, they keep going until the first hard frost! That means with a little care in May or June, you can have hundreds of gorgeous flowers until October. Mine lasted until November this year. The make amazing cut flowers and the more you cut, the more they come back. They keep pollinators happy for months and draw many, many butterflies to your garden. I’ve spent a great deal of time learning how to care for Zinnias and want to share some of my experiences. There are two simple things that make a HUGE difference when growing zinnias.
How to grow zinnias: Planting the seeds
First, you want to plant them as early as you can, but after all danger of frost has passed. I am sometimes daring and plant them two weeks before the frost date if the weather seems to be steady. For me, that means planting in mid-May. I usually notice the first blooms by the beginning of July and by the end of July, my garden is exploding with blooms. It might seem like a long time to wait, but it is totally worth it.
When planting the seeds make sure that you prepare the soil in advance. This is one of the most important steps and I cannot underestimate how crucial it is.
I decided to experiment last year. When I planted the Zinnias on the right, I tilled the soil ahead of time. I did not till the soil on the left side but instead put down some potting mix. As you can see, you MUST till the soil when planting zinnias.
I planted one whole pound of zinnia seeds last year- that is thousands of seeds. Instead of measuring the distance between each seed, I just took handfuls of seeds and broadcasted them as evenly as I could with my hands, then gently raked the soil to cover them with dirt. Be careful when you rake them and use gentle, short strokes so that you don’t move all of the seeds to the front of the garden. Also, be sure to plant them in an area that gets a lot of sun. They will not do well at all in the shade. If you need a source for seeds, I highly recommend getting them from American Meadows.
After you plant the seeds, you should see seedlings within about one week. They don’t need a lot of care at this stage, but I make sure to water them if isn’t a lot of rain. You will see them begin to wilt if they need water, but it is better to lot let them get to that point.
How to Maintain a Beautiful Zinnia Garden:
The secret to growing the biggest, greenest zinnias is to fertilize them! I can’t underestimate what a huge difference this makes.
Various websites recommend a 5-5-5 blend. My best success, by far, has been with Miracle grow. I mostly use the Rose mix because I water my roses at the same time.
As the summer progresses, keep an eye on your Zinnias to see if they need water. I water mine pretty frequently in the summer. Avoid watering them at the end of the day because they are prone to getting powdery mildew (a type of mold that looks like white powder). If your zinnias get powdery mildew, you can help them by using my natural spray for roses– it works on Zinnias as well! It prevents pests and helps stop the spread of powdery mildew.
And that is how to care for Zinnias! I hope you try growing them- they have given me more joy than I imagined.
