5 Tips for Growing Amazing Zinnias
This summer when I built my new raised garden beds in the center of the garden I planted a pollinator garden. I wanted to start small and allow perennials to get established before I turned the entire bed into a pollinator garden. On the sides of the garden I decided to plant some flowers that are great for cutting and using in flower arrangements. So I decided to try out growing some zinnias and dahlias since they are two of my favorite summer flowers.
Since I was only growing two different types of cut flowers I decided I wanted to learn everything I could about growing and harvesting these flowers and using them in arrangements. I did a lot of research, leaning heavily on information from flower farmers and their blogs and YouTube videos. Let me tell you, I learned so much this summer, especially about growing zinnias! (FYI- My dahlia plants really didn't take off, I did not buy a good variety for cutting- lesson learned I will probably try to start them from seed next year so I can grow better varieties for cutting.)
Anyways, I really wanted to compile some of the top pieces of information I learned about growing zinnias this past summer through my research and experience. They really are a perfect flower to get started with if you are looking to add some cut flowers to your yard or garden!
Below check out my top 5 tips for growing Zinnias! Hope you find these useful in starting your cut flower garden!
Note- the variety of Zinnia that I planted is Bernary's Giant Mix. I highly recommend this variety if you are looking for great cut flowers in a wide variety of vibrant colors.
1. Prune the Zinnia plants...
I was so hesitant to prune back my little Zinnia plants. I had done a lot of research and watched some videos on YouTube and everyone recommended pruning them back to help them branch out and produce more flowers. So, I cringed and cut them all back. Let me tell you, it was the best decision I made with growing zinnias! They branched out like crazy! I have huge, full plants that just have kept producing flowers all summer long!
Pruning zinnia plants is really easy! All you need to do is wait until they are about 10-12 inches tall; you want to make sure they have a couple sets of leaves. Once they reach this point you will cut the tops off of the plants. I cut down about 4 inches or the top two sets of leaves with a sharp pair of pruners. (See picture above) That's it- pruning zinnias is that easy!
2. Cut them so they keep blooming...
As flowers bloom on your zinnia plants it is important to cut them so that they continue to multiply and bloom. I planted 12 Zinnia plants at the beginning of the summer. Throughout the summer I probably cut more than 200-300 zinnia flowers off of these plants. It was amazing to see them continue to grow!
A couple of tips for cutting the flowers:
- Check the stem to make sure the flower is ready to be cut. Grasp the stem above where you plan to cut and wiggle the flower a little. The stem should be firm and not have any give- if it feels flimsy it is not ready yet so give it a couple more days.
- To cut- follow stem down as close as you can to the main stem of the plant or where it connects to another stem, cut just above the leaves as shown in picture above.
3. Do NOT over water them...
Over watering was a mistake I made early in the growing season with my zinnias. Between getting a lot of rain at our house and then me watering in the evenings the plants were getting too much water. The leaves started to get brown spots and looked like they were drying up almost (see picture above). I found out that zinnias do not need that much water and this is a common reaction to over watering. They actually are very heat and drought tolerant, which makes them a great flower to grow!
4. Give them plenty of space...
As I said before, pruning the zinnias back will allow them to branch out. Not only do they branch out but they also grow pretty tall. They completely filled my raised garden beds and were about as tall as the fence around my yard. I only planted 12 little plants and I have been cutting at least 30 zinnia flowers a week on average.
Definitely follow the directions on the seed packet or plant tags for the spacing because they will need the room to grow!
5. Use flower food in vase...
In my research about zinnias I found out that they have stems that are hairy which tend to allow any soil or bacteria to cling to them. If you put them straight into water it will become cloudy/dirty pretty quickly. If you add a packet of flower food to the water in the vase it will help to majorly extend the vase life of your flowers. Flower food not only contains food, but also a small amount of bleach which helps keep any bacteria at bay and will keep the water clean.
For more tips on caring for cut flowers check out my post: 5 tips to Care for Flower Arrangements!
Happy Gardening!
