Zinnia

Zinnia - this herbaceous perennial in the form of a plant and a shrub belongs to the Aster family. She comes from the southern part of the Mexican territory. Botanist, pharmacologist, and director of the botanical garden Johann Gottfried Zinn, who lives in Göttingen, became the person after whom the name was given to this plant species. The first cultivation of this plant was started in the time of the Aztecs in the 15th century, but the countries of the European continent met it in the 18th century, and within a short time became incredibly popular among gardeners who decorate their gardens with them. At aristocratic receptions, this flower was also indispensable. With the onset of the 20th century, the flower was grown in every corner of the globe, and in the period from the 30s to the 60s of the 19th century, it was a symbol in the state of Indiana. At the moment, there are about 20 known species and many more hybrid plants and varieties. Zinnia enjoys such great popularity for its spectacular appearance and ease of cultivation.

Distinctive features:

Zinnia can reach a height of 1 meter, but it can be no more than 20 centimeters, it depends on which variety was chosen. The leaves are shaped like an egg, petiolate, their arrangement can be opposite or whorled. They are whole, with a pointed tip and pubescence along the surface. Inflorescences in the form of baskets are arranged one by one on long flowering shoots, their diameter is from 3 to 14 centimeters. They are collected from reed flowers with tiled placement in one row or many rows. They can be painted in many different colors and shades, for example, yellow, purple, snow-white, red, orange or blue. The inflorescences also consist of small tubular median red-brown or yellow flowers. The fruit is in the form of an achene at the top of which there is a tuft.

Flowering is abundant and long, you can enjoy it from the very beginning of summer until late autumn. The zinnia flower is highly resistant to hot and dry periods. It is grown by gardeners because of its spectacular appearance and unpretentiousness, and also because cut flowers can decorate the house for a long time. Perennial zinnia can be grown only in areas with mild and warm winters; in colder regions, its cultivation is possible only as an annual due to the intolerance of the species even to minor and short-term frosts. Among gardeners, the plant has received the nickname Major. On the territory of Europe, landscape designers are very actively promoting the rustic style of the garden using marigolds, marigolds, daisies and, of course, zinnias. However, since ancient times, this flower has retained its nobility and continues to decorate flower beds along with more aristocratic species. Zinnia is also a good neighbor for vegetable crops, because it grows exclusively upward, without creating a shade.

Sowing rules:

Zinnia, as a perennial and annual plant, propagates using seeds. Sowing can be carried out in an open area in the garden, but only in warm regions where return frosts are excluded. Where frosts are possible at the end of spring, even short-term ones, it is possible to grow only with the help of seedlings, because the seed material will die even with a slight minus. Those who have been cultivating this flower for a long time claim that the hardened seedlings behave perfectly during transplantation, after which they quickly adapt, take root and actively begin to develop.

Before sowing, the seed must be prepared. It must be wrapped in a cotton cloth moistened with a growth stimulant solution, which will help separate seeds that are germinating from those that will never hatch. Freshly harvested seeds will take a couple of days to release the first sprout, but the old ones will take about a week. At the end of March, you can start sowing in peat pots filled with an earthen mixture, those seeds that hatch. It is necessary to plant in pairs no more than 1 centimeter deep. During the pick, the plant feels very bad, for this reason it is best to use not common containers, but separate containers. After sowing, the soil must be moistened and transferred to a room where the thermometer will not fall below +22 and rise above +24 degrees, and with good lighting. With proper sowing, the first seedlings will appear within one week.

Seedlings: care rules

The development of adventitious roots in Ziniya takes place within a short time, for this reason, when pulling the plant, it is necessary to add a small amount of earthen mixture to the container. It is important to provide the plants with a sufficient amount of bright diffused light, otherwise severe painful stretching will occur, and the colors will become less bright.

With proper planting, the density of seedlings will not occur, which means that a pick that is painful for the plant will not be needed. Before the planned transplantation of plants into the garden, it is necessary to carry out a hardening procedure. To do this, you need to put them out on the street every day, starting at one hour and increasing the time you spend there every day.

When to plant on a garden plot:

Planting seedlings in an open area in the garden takes place in the last couple of weeks of May, but it is important to remember that the threat of return frosts should disappear, because this species does not tolerate the cold.

For growing, you need to choose an area where there will be good lighting and protection from strong winds. Zinnia loves soil with a lot of nutrients, well-drained and with a neutral level of acidity. Site preparation should take place in advance, preferably in the fall. It includes digging the earth deep into 50 centimeters with the introduction of compost or deciduous humus, as well as garbage collection and cleaning of weeds.

How to plant:

When preparing the landing holes, it is important to maintain a distance of 35 centimeters between them. Planting is carried out in peat pots, but the transshipment method can also be used. Flowering will begin in mid-summer.

Garden care rules:

Zinnia is very picky, so caring for her is quite simple.

It is important to remove weeds on time, loosen the top layer of the earth and carry out abundant watering, during which water should flow under the base of the plant and in no case should not fall on the buds. The branches of this spectacular flower are powerful, therefore they do not need additional support.

Fertilization:

After the seedlings appear, before the seedlings go to the garden, it is necessary to feed them three times with the help of mineral fertilizers, in which nitrogen, if contained, is in small quantities. After transplanting to the garden, fertilizing can be changed from mineral to organic, they must be carried out twice during the summer. The first top dressing should be carried out 30 days later, after the flower has been transferred to open ground. The second is when buds begin to form.

Pinching:

Among gardeners, there is no exact understanding of whether to pinch zinnia and when to do it. Pinching is carried out if there is a desire for the bush to be more magnificent and more beautiful. Pinching is carried out when the seedlings are grown or already when they take root in a new place in the garden. We must do this over the fourth leaf. If there is no need for the splendor of the bush, but there is a need for spectacular flowers growing on long flowering shoots, then pinching is not necessary.

Possible troubles:

May beetle, slugs, aphids and snails on this plant can be found more often than any other pests. You can cope with gastropods with the help of traps in the form of bowls filled with beer, placed in different places and scatter roofing material with slate. These insects love to hide under these materials, making them easier to collect.

May beetles are collected by hand and sent to a soapy solution prepared in advance.

When aphids appear, it is necessary to dilute the soap in water at the rate of 1 bucket per 100 g. and process the leaves. In case of a large number of harmful insects, insecticides must be used, when using which, strictly follow the instructions.

Zinnia can develop fusarium disease, gray mold, spotting, and a statement such as powdery mildew, which is the most common plant on the plant.

It is necessary to carry out regular inspections of the flower. If any signs of illness are found, treatment should be carried out immediately.

Spotting can be identified by the round brown spots that cover the leaf surface. It is currently impossible to cure it, but in case of a small lesion, you can remove all infected areas, giving the plant the opportunity to continue its development. In case of a large lesion, the plant must be immediately removed from the ground and burned.

Powdery mildew can be recognized by a whitish coating on leaves and branches. To cope with it, as well as with fusarium and gray rot, you can use fungicides.

If cynia is properly cared for, it may never get sick at all. Diseases occur due to too frequent and abundant watering, as well as due to non-observance of the distances between plants when planting. For this reason, it is worthwhile to understand the cause of the diseases and remove all the shortcomings that led to them, and then carry out the processing of plants. Having understood and solved the problem, it will be possible to avoid possible troubles when growing in the future.

Harvesting rules:

The seeds reach full maturity and are ready to be harvested a couple of months after the inflorescences open. For this reason, you should pay attention to the inflorescences that opened first and harvest them after the allotted time.

The highest quality seed material is considered to be the one that is formed on the branches belonging to the first order, therefore, it is necessary to remove all lateral shoots growing on bushes marked for seed collection. As soon as the flowers turn brown, they must be cut, dried and seeds removed from them. Next, they must be cleaned by removing the dry remains of flowers and placed in a dry room with a constant temperature, where they can be stored for three years, while maintaining their germination.

Preparing for winter:

Since zinnia is not tolerant of cold weather in mid-latitude areas, it is grown as an annual, but in the case of growing in pots, it can be removed from the site by transferring it to a house where it is necessary to care for zinnia in the same way as for any plant grown in home conditions. Thus, from an annual plant, you can make a perennial.

Species diversity:

More than 20 species grow in their natural habitat, but only four are used for cultivation in their gardens for pleasure: zinnia narrow-leaved, graceful, fine-flowered, linearis... Particularly active work among breeders occurs with graceful and narrow-leaved cynia, this is the reason that any gardener has the opportunity to choose the variety and hybrid of zinnia that suits him among the huge number that exist in the world.

Graceful (Zinnia elegans)- a herbaceous annual with a height exceeding a meter in height with simple pinkish, snow-white or juicy orange inflorescences. Straight shoots with roundness in cross-section are covered with stiff bristles. On all branches, the formation of basket inflorescences occurs. Rootless leaves whole at the edges have a pointed tip and an ovoid shape.Their length is slightly higher than 5 centimeters, and their width is about 4 centimeters. The surface of the leaves is pubescent. The diameter of semi-double, double or simple inflorescences can be 5, and can reach 16 centimeters. They are made up of reed 4-centimeter flowers one and a half centimeters wide with different colors except blue. In addition to them, the inflorescences also consist of middle flowers in the form of a tube of brown with a red tint or yellow. The plant begins to bloom with the arrival of summer days and before the first frost. In natural conditions, the plant is especially widespread in the southern regions of Mexico. Cultivation as a cultivated plant began at the end of the 17th century. This species includes a variety of varieties and hybrid plants in large numbers, which have different classifications, which can be determined by what forms and what structure the inflorescences have, by how long they bloom and to what height the shoots rise. Varieties are early flowering, medium flowering and late flowering.

The varieties are divided by double, simple and semi-double inflorescences, as well as by the length of the stems. For example:

With a shoot height of more than half a meter, this plant will belong to high zinnia and this is grown in order to cut and decorate the house with them, making beautiful bouquets, it is not suitable for growing in a flower bed due to its bulkiness;

If the length of the branches is from 35 centimeters to half a meter, then this flower will belong to the middle zinnia and will look perfect in cut bouquets and serve as good neighbors for flowers in the garden;

If the length of the branches does not exceed 30 centimeters, then zinnia will already refer to dwarf or undersized branching shrubs, suitable for growing with home flowers or in an area next to the house next to other species.

Since the inflorescences are very diverse in shape, varieties are divided into different categories. Especially loved by gardeners engaged in growing in the middle latitudes, such as:

Zinnia dahlia - a powerful shrub plant of compact form or with spreading branches from half a meter to 90 centimeters long. All shoots belong to the first order. Leaves are slightly more than 10 centimeters long. When flowering begins, it becomes covered with inflorescences with an increased number of petals with a 14 cm diameter and taking the shape of a hemisphere. This category contains varieties:

Violet- from 60 to 75 centimeters in height, the owner of dense inflorescences related to the terry type and painted in violet color, the shades of which are numerous;

Orange kenig- 70-centimeter plant, the owner of terry-type inflorescences, painted in scarlet with an orange tint and with a 14-centimeter diameter;

polar bear- 65 centimeters high, the owner of densely double snow-white or with a shade of green inflorescences.

Zinnia midget Is a branchy plant, the forms of which are compact and reaching half a meter in height. Shoots growing on it belong to the ll, lll and lV order, they are covered with small leaves. The diameter of the pom-shaped inflorescences does not exceed 5 centimeters. The varieties in this category include:

Red riding Hood- half a meter in height, with densely double-type inflorescences, with shapes resembling a cone or slightly rounded. They are painted scarlet;

Tom thumb - 45 cm in height, when it blooms, it is covered with reddish inflorescences related to the terry type, in a shape like a flattened ball;

Tambelina - height 45 centimeters, when flowering begins, is covered with inflorescences with a diameter of 4 to 6 centimeters and can have many different colors.

Fantasy - maximum height 65 centimeters. The shape of the compact bushes is similar to a ball.The branches are covered with large leaf plates, and during flowering they are covered with inflorescences, which are loose and curly, collect their narrow, reed flowers, curling into tubes and slightly curving on different sides. Some flowers have bifurcations at their tips. The varieties in this category include:

Fantasy- the height of the plant is a little more than half a meter, it is covered with loose inflorescences 10 centimeters in diameter belonging to the terry type. The palette of shades is quite wide, among them there can be violet, salmon, pinkish, scarlet, snow-white, purple, bright yellow, and this is not all possible colors;

Present- these flowers are painted in deep red color.

Foreign gardeners are especially actively involved in the cultivation of such varieties of zinnia as:

Californian giant- the length of the branches of this variety is a little more than a meter. When it blooms, it is covered with double-flowered inflorescences 16 cm in diameter. They are composed of ligulate flowers with a tiled arrangement. This variety starts flowering late.

Giant cactus - the height of this variety is slightly less than one meter. When it blooms, it is covered with complex-flowered double inflorescences, 11 cm across. They are made up of reed-like, coiled or wavy flowers.

Super cactus - this flower grows in height a little more than half a meter. The shape of the inflorescences is no different from that described above.

Scabiosa - the diameter of the inflorescences is 8 centimeters, they are collected from ligulate flowers, which are located around the tubular flowers that have grown together with the corolla and thus form a hemisphere. The center is painted in the same color as the reed flowers.

Haage (Z. haageana)- This species first appeared in the United Mexican States. This is a branched shrubby annual plant. Its branches are covered with petiolate leaves of an elongated or lanceolate shape with sharp tops. On the branches, the formation of complex-colored double or simple inflorescences of miniature sizes, painted in the color of a juicy orange, takes place. The species consists of varieties:

Glorinshine-this the branches of this 25 cm bush are strongly branched. When zinnia blooms, it becomes covered with Compositae terry inflorescences, they are collected from flowers that belong to the reed type. The petals from the base are painted in a dark orange color and gradually turn into red with a slight tint of brown.

Persian Carpet Mixed- this series of varieties is the owner of semi-double inflorescences with double color of scarlet and white, yellow, lemon or juicy orange. The massiveness of the bushes creates the impression that the site is covered with an oriental carpet.

English variety mixture Classic and starbright - the plant reaches 30 centimeters in height. It has the finest, fragile creeping stems with strong branching. When flowering begins, the bush is covered with yellow, snow-white or orange flowers. An excellent option as a ground cover plant.

Sombrero- flower beds are often decorated with these flowers. They are painted in garnet color with a brownish tint, and the border is painted in bright orange.

Fine-flowered (Z. tenuiflora) is an excellent option for creating mixborders. Its thinnest, cranked, reddish 60-centimeter stems are covered with 3-centimeter in diameter inflorescences in which purple flowers belonging to the reed type with curled ends are collected. Red Spider belongs to the varieties of this species.

Liniaris (Z. linearis) - outwardly, it bears great resemblance to the narrow-leaved species, which is why it is often called that. Its branches, 35 in length, are covered with thin, sharp leaves. The shape of the bush is similar in shape to a ball. When the bush blooms, it is covered with small inflorescences collected from flowers belonging to the reed type. They are yellow in color, but they are colored orange along the edge. They can decorate balconies, flower beds, flowerpots, it will be great decoration for alpine slides.The varieties of this type include:

Golden I- this variety, when in bloom, is covered with snow-white flowers of the reed type with a white center and around with flowers of a tubular type. Outwardly, they are very similar to chamomile flowers.

Caramel - covered with flowers of the reed type, yellow, color and with a black center.

Yellow Star - flowers belonging to this variety, rich yellow.

By crossing the graceful zinnia with the haage zinnia, it was possible to obtain hybrid plants in large numbers, among which the best-selling and most cultivated are those belonging to the Profusion series. In height, these bushes do not grow more than 35 centimeters. When they bloom, they are covered with numerous, similar to daisies, flowers with the widest palette of shades.

Maggelan - this zinnia is actively gaining momentum in terms of sales. Their height is about 35 centimeters. They are the owners of large, densely doubled, dahlia-like inflorescences with a diameter of 10 cm. They can be coral, cherry or salmon, red, pink, cream, or juicy orange.

Series swizzle began to be grown quite recently, it consists of two varieties:

Cherry ivory- inflorescences are collected from cherry-colored flowers, which are painted cream-colored at the tips;

Scarlett yellow - inflorescences of bright red color, the tips of which are painted in a rich yellow color.