John_fender said:Have you tried to breed zinnias for traits such as the largest bloom or pest resistance etc ?
Hi John,
One of my ongoing projects is to breed for larger zinnia blooms. Here are a couple of my past specimens that had unusually large blooms, a little over 7 inches in diameter in some directions. They weren't perfectly round, so their diameter depended on where you placed the ruler. I referred to them as "Dyno Saurs"
John_fender said:...one of those plants that sprouted remained intact from top to bottom, no slug attack and no earwigs touched it. Just wondering if it naturally repells them. Once it flowers I'll save its seeds and see if that trait remains.
It never occurred to me to breed for pest resistance. By all means do save seeds from it. Your in-ground garden seems like a good place to test for pest resistance. I suppose it is possible for that one undamaged plant to have just been lucky. But if it continues to remain undamaged, the probability that it is resistant increases. Breeding for pest resistance is a worthy project.
ZM
