Zinnia F1 Seeds

Zinnia F1 (Zinnia elegans), also loved as youth-and-old-age, delivers the showiest blooms in the genus: large, fully double flower heads with densely packed petals in a glowing mix of scarlet, rose, orange and gold. The uniform F1 plants branch freely on strong stems, making them a favourite ornamental for sunny borders, containers and especially the cutting garden, where they last beautifully in the vase and draw butterflies all season.

Planting

Zinnia is a frost-tender annual that needs warmth. Start seed indoors about 4-6 weeks before planting out, or direct-sow only once the soil is reliably warm at around 21°C and all danger of cold has passed. Sow about 0.6-1 cm deep and cover lightly. Seeds sprout in 3-5 days at 27-29°C soil, or 5-7 days at 21-24°C. Give full sun, 6+ hours daily. Space dwarf types 20-23 cm apart and taller plants about 30 cm apart for airflow.

Fertilizing

Apply a balanced general-purpose fertilizer (equal NPK) at planting. After that, feed roughly monthly with a mix higher in phosphorus than nitrogen to fuel more blooms. For plants in containers, a high-potassium feed such as tomato feed at flowering gives a useful boost.

Care

Water when the top 2.5-5 cm of soil is dry, around 2.5 cm per week, always at the base to keep foliage dry and discourage powdery mildew, leaf spot and grey mould. Thin seedlings at about 7.6 cm tall and transplant before roots crowd. Pinch the central tip at 20-30 cm to encourage branching and deadhead regularly. First flowers open about 8-12 weeks after sowing.