A little forest of red zinnia seedlings surface sown in their parent's pot

When it turned out that the zinnia plant I had grown from mixed given seeds bore beautiful red flowers, I was determined to propagate it even more. So, when the first couple of flowers finished blooming and the flower heads had dried sufficiently (I waited until even the stem had turned brown), I happily harvested the seeds and scattered them in the same pot that the parent plant was growing in.

It took several days for the first tiny sprout to emerge, soon followed by more little green stems, some with the dried seed casings still attached to their heads! Due to rain and wind, the seeds had drifted to one half of the pot. Some may have been dispersed even further, but I wouldn’t know. I’ve been diligently protecting these babies from the voracious snails by scattering some snail pellets around the base of the pot, because I have plans for them.

So, if you’re growing zinnias from seed, know that surface sowing works very well. The seeds were left out in the open, where they got full morning sun and any rain that happened to fall. I made the effort to keep the soil moist, watering once a day, until the plants sprouted. They have the first set of true leaves now, and when they add another 2 sets, they’ll go out to the garden. It’s going to be so pretty! 8)

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