Seeds Flowers - 4 g

Common Zinnia (Zinnia elegans), known as youth-and-old-age, is one of the most rewarding annuals you can grow from seed. Its bold, daisy-like blooms come in a vibrant range of colours and sit on long, sturdy stems that make them a favourite for cutting. Cheerful and dependable, this variety brings warm-season colour to beds, borders and containers while attracting pollinators to the garden.

Planting

This is a frost-tender annual that will not tolerate cold. Start seed indoors about 4-6 weeks before planting out, or direct-sow once soil is reliably warm at around 21°C and all danger of cold has passed. Sow about 0.6 cm deep (roughly 1 cm on local packets) and cover lightly. Seeds germinate in about 3-5 days at 27-29°C soil, or 5-7 days at 21-24°C. In Egypt, sow from late February through April; in the Delta and coastal areas start in March-April, while Upper Egypt suits late-February to March. Give plants full sun, at least 6 hours daily.

Fertilizing

Apply a balanced general-purpose fertilizer (equal NPK) at planting. After that, feed roughly monthly with a fertilizer higher in phosphorus than nitrogen to encourage abundant blooms. For container-grown plants, a high-potassium feed such as tomato feed during flowering is beneficial.

Care

Water when the top 2.5-5 cm of soil is dry, around 2.5 cm per week at the base of the plant, keeping foliage dry to limit disease. Space dwarf types 20-23 cm apart and taller ones about 30 cm apart for good air circulation. Thin seedlings at about 7.6 cm tall, pinch the central tip at 20-30 cm to branch, and deadhead regularly. Watch for powdery mildew, leaf spot, botrytis and damping-off. Flowers appear roughly 8-12 weeks after sowing.