carolem said:...starting pulling apart dried flowers for seed collection. Now I'm confused if all is viable seed or not? Snapshots using 1/2"grid paper.
carolem said:Are these also potential successful seeds? So much tinier than those seeming more matured seeds on the ends of the petals.
carolem said:Yes I've plenty of zinnia blooms --- I was just cutting off the spent flower-heads and popping them into a paper-bag to dry out. Perhaps I should try for some green-seed. You are hand-pollinating your zinnias that are indoors for this viable seed then?
ZenMan said:
Hello Carole,
I don't see any things that are good seeds for certain in that first photo. You can actually save zinnia seeds as green seeds, while the bloom is still developing. That lets you minimize the chance that seed eating birds will eat the seeds and avoid your seeds sprouting in the zinnia heads during an extended rainy season.
These are some green seeds that I saved a few days ago from my ongoing indoor zinnia project, and an earlier photo showing some zinnia petals with good green seeds and empty green seeds. Notice that the petals still have color and are still alive.
When saving green seeds, make sure that the seed contains an embryo. Seeds that contain an embryo will be kind of fat. If the seed does not contain an embryo, it will be empty and it will not be a viable seed.
This was a really nice tutorial on saving zinnia seeds. Thank you so much for sharing.
Dried good zinnia seeds are also visibly fat, and if you gently pinch them between your thumb and forefinger you can feel that the seed is thick enough to contain a dried embryo.
Incidentally, my graph paper is ruled at 10 per inch.
No, that second photo shows just some "Chaffy Scales", which are not seeds. Do you have any other zinnia blooms that might have seeds?
ZM
Onewish1 said:Fabby lesson.. thank you
carolem said:
I've still plenty of zinnias growing so I keep hoping - it's no bother of course to just go buy a new packet of seed whenever, but this is intriguing and challenging enough to keep me checking for some home-grown seeds. Have also sown some new (packet) seeds of the same variety - it could be too late in the season to get much flowering; can only try and see what happens.
tx_flower_child said:I recently got some 'mixed zinnias' at a seed swap. I'm beginning to think that none of them are viable. Will take a picture later and see if you agree.
carolem said:Do you have photos to place here, about the male/female flowers - pollen placing? I did actually take a fine brush out yesterday morning, and again this morning, but can't say I see pollen-laden parts to work with.
carolem said:How long is the process approximately, between pollination and harvesting hopefully viable, green seed?