Zinnia Seed Harvesting For Every Gardener

[@FinleyFuns]

We planted zinnias this year and saw hummingbirds for the first time in 16 years!!

[@Radi0ActivSquid]

I saw my first ever hummingbird IRL thanks to the zinnias I planted. First year I've planted flowers.

[@Rebecca-wm3jr]

Love Zinnias! We had a lot of butterflies, hummingbirds and for the first time ever, American Goldfinch. Beautiful flowers, great producers.

[@kaseylee1152]

Anybody that loves fresh cut flowers in there homes should have a Zinnia garden.

[@SpokenGarden]

We couldn't agree more!!

[@robertcollett8073]

I grew a random pack in a medium pot in the greenhouse not knowing anything about them and soon realized I needed a very large pot to keep them in a pot. 10 gal pot with my own mix and the stems got about 3 feet and started budding. We were all excited and the mix of colors and flower size made them everyone’s favorites!!! Super easy grow in Kentucky. I definitely wanted seeds from the same flowers. And the butterflies and hummingbirds were all over the place with these huge flowers!!! Highly recommend!!

[@SpokenGarden]

That's sooo fun you had such great success with growing zinnias! We love them, too! 😀😊

[@npeace312]

I live in Florida and have great zinnia flowers. They thrive in my front garden. Picking the seeds is like meditation for me. I look forward to it. Nice and relaxing.

[@SpokenGarden]

We love that! Gardening can be such an important source of therapy for us all!!

[@wk4240]

You mentioned one very important point. Seeds collected will not necessarily be true to the parent - colors will likely be varied. This is the primary reason many people will continue to purchase seeds. With that said - this is still a great way to extend your flowers from one year to the next. Thanks for sharing.

[@SpokenGarden]

You're welcome and we hope this was helpful! 🌿

[@debbiemann1265]

I’m harvesting seeds for the first time this year. Excited to see if they actually grow when I plant next year

[@databang]

I was surprised how the Zinnias bloom lasted for a long time. This video has helped me keep them perpetually.

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Databang! 👋 Thank you for saying that and for watching our video! We love Zinnias and want to talk about them more. Look for today's Plant Chat Friday video, dropping later tonight. It's all about Zinnias. 😊👍

[@itkahsramal4983]

Have you tried them in a vase? As cut flowers they last a week and their colors stay vibrant!

[@Lousettecourcg2266]

Bonjour! Je trouve que les nouveaux zinnia sont moins sensible aux maladies. J’en semé à toutes les années et ce sont mes favorites. La durée et la grosseurs des fleurs y sont pour quelque chose! Ils adorent le soleil et un terreau avec du bon compost. Mais quelle est la différence entre les semences autour et au centre de la fleurs? La semences n’est vraiment pas de la même grosseur. Je récoltais toujours les semences avec flèches…

[@CarolRennie-zr1wk]

Thank you for this video. I'm new to this gardening thing and this is my first time harvesting zinnia seeds and I didn't have a clue. Your video made everything seem so not frightening and difficult. Can't wait to plant them and see what I get! Thanks again! I will definitely get your book in February.

[@SpokenGarden]

That's wonderful to hear and we're so excited for your new gardening journey!! Zinnias are one of our most fave flowers. Here's a direct link to our book and thank you for that (it came out in 2021): a.co/d/aLIr0zn 💚

[@sannup1]

We’ve grown and sold cut zinnias for about 23 years…they never disappoint!

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Sannup1! 👋 That is soooo fun and wonderful! True, zinnias really can't disappoint. Thank you for watching! 😉

[@rebeccaralston2904]

I’m glad I came across this video. I just pulled petals off spent blooms and put in envelopes. The seeds at their tips 0:46 are light colored so I won’t know till i plant them next summer if they are viable. I will move forward collecting seeds from the dried centers. Thank you!

[@SpokenGarden]

That is awesome to hear and best of luck!! We hope the produce tons of beautiful zinnias!!

[@BrittanyS143]

Yes this is my first summer collecting my zinnias seeds!! I have zinnias that came in flats from my local green house and they are just huge.

[@cleytianedias2874]

Tem como ter essas flores dentro de casa?🌻😍

[@sheilabailey8702]

So excited! My first time harvesting seeds! Thank you

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi @sheilabailey8702!! 👋🏼👋🏼 We are excited for you! So fun to collect seeds and have them for the next year. 😀😮👍🏼👍🏼

[@rha995]

First time follower here. Thank you so much for the info! ❤

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi there and thank you for subscribing!

[@rha995]

Quick question… I planted dwarf zinnias and they have gotten tall so I cut them as you stated and placed in a vase. Now do I wait for them to dry completely for the seeds?

[@normagilbert8067]

I Absolutely Love Your Video. First One I've Seen... But Planning On Returning!!! Thanks So Much!!

[@bestill6635]

Thank you guys! I was confused because I didn’t think all of the head was comprised of seed. Happy gardening 🌸

[@dianebeckett1697]

Love Zennias! Very Hardy flower! Thank you so much!

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Diane! 👋 We agree! Zinnias are one of our faves. Thanks for watching!

[@jeannielautenschleger9984]

I love Zinnias! I live on the coast and they thrive in my area! I have lots of them this year. I will definitely be harvesting them! Thanks for the video!

[@aomministries2354]

Thanks for sharing. I will harvest a ton of Zinnia seeds from our garden.

[@debbiemann1265]

Do you leave in the garden until they are completely dried and then cut to harvest? Or can you cut and hang to dry then harvest? Thanks

[@rha995]

@@debbiemann1265 Yes, I would like to know this as well. Can we cut and leave to dry to harvest seeds.

[@LilMotivation4U]

@debbiemann1265 you can do either. I prefer leaving them in the garden until they're dead and crisp because a lot of time it is hard to dry flowers inside without them molding.

[@Ashes2ashes1111]

First thing he said in the video was to harvest off plant when they are dry.

[@barbarasconyers]

@debbiemann1265 I cut them after all the middle was bloomed out, I am drying in the greenhouse. They are dry now, should I harvest seeds now? I was putting them in a zip lock bag to harvest seeds later.

[@Trump2024-s4z]

@@barbarasconyersmake sure they are completely dried out before you ziplock bag them or they’ll go moldy

[@dianebeckett1697]

I loved your video on Dusty Miller🙂👍

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Diane! 👋 Thank you for watching and letting us know! Dusty Miller is an awesome plant!

[@Art-jl6pt]

I mark my favorite flowers using twist ties

[@tooblessedtobestressed8131]

Thanks for this info I absolutely love zinnias.

[@kimberlyadams6301]

Just harvesting my very first Zinnias! Thanks for your video

[@stanmoore96]

Great video…very helpful!

[@jennyumm89]

I'm obsessed with zinnias

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Jennifer! 👋 Ditto for us! We love zinnias, too. Thank you for watching! 😀

[@pedropereira8924]

Thanks, very nice video; Thanks for sharing!!

[@SpokenGarden]

We hope it was helpful! Zinnias are one of our most favorite plants to grow, too. 😉😄

[@tegannottelling]

Hi, While it was a very informative video, just a suggestion. Some eye candy would have been really lovely, IE some pictures of your cut flower garden, in all its glory. Or even just single pic's of the Zinnias when they weren't just a dried flower head would have been great too.

[@jamesmorgan4221]

Thanks guys- I always remove the spent flower heads in the fall and throw a few in a paper bag and leave ‘em in the garage over the winter. By the spring, they’re always dried and “toasty”. So I do my “harvesting” and seedling prep around mid-April (after threat of frost has passed). Obviously, if you plant a mixed color batch, the new flower color will be a surprise, but 3 ft. deep red/purple magentas (forget the name) always come up magenta. I’ve never seen any other color mix in. I think the video was a little unclear on that.!

[@yukiiori5157]

I'm from Brazil, and thanks for the video, it helped a lot.

[@barbaraayres2617]

Queen lime is my favourite ❤️❤️❤️

[@sandibryar6924]

Thanks your tutorial very helpful Next year can I plant directly in the ground or in pots?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi there! Thank you for saying that. It means a lot to us to be able to help. And, yes! You can definitely direct sow your zinnia seeds next year. Ne sure to sow at least 1 to 2 weeks after your last spring frost. Thanks for watching!

[@charlesbale8376]

Great information.

[@epnz09]

WOW 🤯🤩😍

[@susanwalkergirl]

Thanks for the video...very helpful. Question regarding the seeds harvested. Some are dark and some are lighter in the seeds I'm harvesting. Is there a difference in viability of the seeds? Are the darker seeds mature and the lighter seed not mature? Or does it not make any difference? Thank you!

[@sherryglisson4885]

OMG thank you for this video....we have a lot of rain in my area and that can lead to mildew so what I've been doing is waiting til my flowers get faded and then snip them off then dry them on paper plates in my small gas oven for several days with nothing but the pilot light on in there.....if I wait til fall they plants will be sodden and just won't reach that crispy brown stage you guys get. I know everything has to be super dry or your seeds will mildew over winter so I wait til my seed heard?are super dry before I crumble them and store them in a small bag.....otherwise I lose my seeds to heat and humidity.....

[@alicesmith7913]

I can relate, I live in central N.C and humidity and warmer days continue to expand over into what used to be a dry Fall season here during this time of year. So, I have to pull my flower heads when they start to turn brown and crisp on the edge of the flower head, so I dry them myself on my sun porch and collect the seeds when ready for harvesting.

[@anupamchaubey2763]

what is best time to seed the zinnias , I am in Atlanta and can I seed them in ground directly?

[@Doodlepupkirby]

Are green plump seeds still viable?

[@CatherinesLifeOver50]

We are getting snow tomorrow and I wanted to collect my zinnia seed heads. We have a relatively short growing season here. Unfortunately, most of my zinnia heads haven't gone completely brown. They are somewhere between alive (with some color) and dying (some browning). The stems still have some green to them. I did cut a couple of the ones I love the most and have left the rest outside. #1. Will the ones that I cut as described above be able to dry out and produce seed once completely brown and dry? #2 Can I still harvest them after they have been snowed on and have at some point gone brown? Thanks so much! Catherine

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Catherine! Great questions. 👍😉😊 #1. Yes, and you need to just place them in a cool, dry location (in a shed or garage will work fine) to continue to wither all the way and then harvest your seeds. #2. We wouldn't recommend harvesting any seeds after snow or rain or any kind of accumulated moisture because any of those seed can then have mold develop and if you collect and store them, you are also storing that mold. We have found that if the seeds get really wet or are discolored to just dispose of them so we don't spread any diseases. Hope that helps and thank you for watching!

[@patbowman6723]

I'm hoping you can answer a question for me, I have been going crazy. When you start Zinnias from a package bought at a high end mail order. The flowers are so beautiful and I harvested the seeds and planted them again. My question is, why are the 2nd set of flowers from the Zinnias so much smaller that their parents?? I have learned so much by listen and watching your channel and my flowers have gotten much better and more beautiful. thanks. I hope to hear from you.

[@martykerns3802]

A couple reasons why the second set would be smaller. I’ll give you two thoughts but I suspect there are additional reasons. First, were your growing conditions every bit as good the second year as it was the first? Same amount of nutrients, heat, water, etc. Second, you’ll have more consistent results if you look for heirloom seeds, which have withstood the test of time in terms of genetic vigor. Many seeds today are grown for appearances, smells, etc. rather than vigor.

[@Nadine3984]

Do i need to leave the flower dry out on the plant ? can i cut the flowers and put them in water jar and wait for them to dry out inside ? so many dried out flowers look gray in the garden

[@kathrynlu7272]

hi! thanks for this very informative video. my zinnia flowers have started to dry but the stalks are healthy. do i let the plant be & it will die or it will propagate? what happens next?

[@Chellann9591]

I cut the flowers off after the bloom is spent. This has allowed for the stem to continue to produce more blooms all summer long. I set the spent flowers in the sun to dry then put into a paper bag. We will see if I was successful next summer. 🤞

[@alessandraw.]

We collected zinnia seeds for the first time this year. However I heard that the white 'seeds' among those in the seed head, are just chaff. If so do you have a method of separating the chaff from the real seeds, or can we just plant everything all together in the Spring ? Great video, thank you !

[@garfield8900]

Y’all live in Spokane, WA?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi there! We are on the west-side, in Tacoma, WA. Spokane is soooo beautiful this time of year. Sean lived many years in Pullman, WA (Go COUGS!) and visited Spokane in the fall. Are you in Southern or Northern Spokane? Valley area?

[@garfield8900]

@@SpokenGarden kettle falls…

[@lisaking7896]

That is NOT Tupperware, but I am VERY excited to pull my seeds out now. :)

[@checkma8s]

Hello pls show it previous flowers from that seeds great video

[@TiredOldMann]

So I'm guessing Zinnias go to seed in the Fall ? Or is anytime you let a flower dry ? New to this. Thanks.

[@theelpydimension]

Cool, thanks for sharing! So if you were to harvest a bit early, can you just let that head dry out in a dry place then collect seeds? Thank you!

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi LP! 👋 Thank you for watching and commenting! You can totally harvest the whole flower head early when the petals have fully withered. Then, like you said 👍💪, lay the whole flower head somewhere to dry out and then you can harvest them. We are excited for you and hope you harvest lots of zinnia seeds. Yay! 😃👍

[@dalestanley6618]

That's a really good question I would like to know that also if you hear back let me know.

[@harrisond8132]

Thank you thank you! I live in zone 5. Do zinnia seeds need stratification?

[@johannacassidy5364]

I have taken Zinias off the plant fully bloomed and dried them out and then take the seeds out . Is that ok to do ?

[@debbiebradford2430]

do you collect the seeds attached to the petals when they fall off?

[@wolfconsultinggroup3000]

do you leave on the stem until they completely dry out??

[@cleytianedias2874]

Oi amo o canal de voces apesar de nao entender totamente o ingles. As sementes tem data de validade? Ate aquelas compradas em farmas? Abraco parabens🤝✌️😉

[@jacquelinedixon6438]

Do you grow Dahlias?I'd like to save my seeds from this Dahlia too.this was my first year with Zinnias ,love them so beautiful.

[@dalestanley6618]

Is it too early to collect the flower heads when the little tiny yellow flowers are on the center (main pedals have fallen off) of the blossom still? I have noticed if I don't go ahead and cut them off the birds are harvesting them.

[@JleeA314]

I find that the best seeds harvested are the seeds at the end of the petals. The cone center usually has garbage seeds.

[@mariebinder5186]

Some of mine look like arrowheads but some just look like dried petals. Will each be ok?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Marie! 👋 Great question and thank you for asking! The dried-arrowheads are the ones you want to mainly save. Now, some of those arrowheads might still be attached to the flower petals and if so, that's perfectly ok. You can save all of it, as long as those petals are dry and don't bring any moisture into the seed packet or storage container. Hope that helps and thanks again!

[@bhagyalaxmisirupuram9046]

The seeds have to be stored in the refrigerator?

[@rissalionelhosteen7530]

First time I planted zinnias, they bloomed faster and longer than my teddy bear sunflowers, would you know of any other flowers that bloom faster (2 months) and blooms longer just like the zinnias? Thank you.

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Marisa! 👋 That is sooo cool that you grew zinnias for the first time this past year and they grew so well. Nice! That's a great question and it does depend on many different factors and needs being met, like your local climate and zone hardiness, rainfall or irrigation, sun exposure, and daylength, to provide the optimum growing conditions. Just to put it out there, most fast growing and flowering plants you are asking for are going to be annuals, as they will fully mature in one growing cycle. In general, though, here is a quick list of fast and easy to grow flowering plants: Cosmos, Cornflower, Celosia, Gomphrena, some Dianthus, Salvia, Stock (Matthiola icana). Hope this list helps and thanks for watching our videos!

[@dorothyparsons1515]

I live in the southeast. Ehen csn I planty seeds? Anytime?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi there! Great question. Depending on your hardiness zone and when your last spring frost is forecasted, you can sow either indoors or outdoors. If indoors, you can sow zinnia seeds 4-6 weeks before your last spring frost. If outdoors, sow your zinnia seeds at least 1-2 weeks after your last spring frost. These are general guidelines so if you want more specific planting info, you can always ask staff at a trusted local nursery or your county extension agent/master gardeners association. Hope that helps and thank you for watching! 😊😉👍

[@Rebbecca1983]

So I bought 30 different packages of zinnias I planted them in my garden and I collected hundreds the dry flower heads. I noticed that the bees were going back-and-forth with all the different varieties do the seeds breed true the following year or will I have a mixed breed zinnias?

[@milliejohnson8932]

So funny the mini different opinions about the Zenia‘s. I have heard from an experienced person that if the shape of the sees is flat it has no embryo in it. So that the ones that are really flat are dead. Are they not viable to produce the flower? I have been saving all of my seeds? Also I have been taught that cut the flowers they produce more flowers and you say keep them on the stalk till dry . I cut them off and dry . All those seeds may not be viable right ?

[@jeffbradford1999]

Seeds I harvested some still have petals attached, is that ok?

[@npeace312]

Yes they are fine

[@cbodine100]

Helo! What am I doing wrong? 99.9% of my harvested seeds look translucent. Only a few look like the zinnia seeds you showed in your video and what comes in a seed packet.

[@darlenewheeler2942]

Do you sell your seeds? Last Spring was the first year I put Zinnias in my yard and I only had pink ones. I would love some other colors 🙂

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Darlene! 👋 That's so great you planted zinnias this past Spring. 😄 Nice! The pink flowers are soo beautiful. 😉 We have talked about selling our seeds, but no plans yet. Thanks for watching and commenting! 😊

[@joywhite9144]

I ordered zinnia seeds and the seeds i bought were microscopic not like this. What does it mean? Thank you

[@npeace312]

Maybe they are dwarf zinnia that have shorter stalks and smaller blooms

[@shammishafi09]

Hi, My plants flowers are not drying due to lack of sunlight. Its been more than a month. How can I speed up drying process?

[@robinmoser7343]

Would it be feasible for me to do some kind of plastic tie label gently around a stem to identify the color of a certain kind of zinnia within a garden mixed bunch before it seeds?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Robin! 👋 Thank you for watching and asking your question. That's a great idea to keep track of different plants and their colors to collect seed from later. 👍 Yes, you could place a loosely tied label (or ribbon) around any plant stem so you can identify them later. Just make sure that any label you place on any plant stem isn't so tight that it cuts into that stem and girdles (cuts off water and nutrient flow) that plant. Hope that helps and let us know if we can help with anything else! 😃👍

[@GloryToGodAlmighty]

How do you dry them first do you hang them upside down or leave them outside on the plant? Thanks in advance love the video!

[@SpokenGarden]

Hey Nicole! 👋 Great question. 👍 And, we loooooovvvve zinnia's! 😲 Once you harvested them, you can keep them in a dry warm location. You can hang them upside down, place them upside down in a paper bag, or lay them on a counter if you can't hang them or don't have any bags to put them into. The harvesting time is key (timing, right? 😉). Watch to see when the flowers start to brown and lose their color. Let them dry out and crispy on the stem, THEN you can harvest them. Hang them or place in a paper bag to futher let them dry out, and then once the flower centers are hard and "pokey" or "needle-y" to the touch, they should be ready for breaking apart the seeds and placing in paper envelopes. Hope that helps and have fun with your zinnias! 😎🌞

[@ombreyarenee3826]

How many seeds can I put in a 6 inch pot?

[@jonbfrom254]

I do same thing I get any where from 100 to 500 seeds off one flower

[@loriwilliams5282]

Can I get seeds from a flower that isn’t dried up?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi there! Yes, you can try. The general rule is to let that flower whither and dry out so the seeds are more developed/mature and that the seeds don't have too much moisture around them so they store better and have a lower chance of disease. A good middle-ground could be to try harvesting seeds before the flower completely dries up and then lay the seeds out somewhere to fully dry. You still run the risk of not letting the seeds fully mature on the flower before harvesting. We hope that context helps and thank you for watching! 😀😊

[@melissaGomez3657]

What month of the year did you harvest?

[@SpokenGarden]

Good question! We harvested in this video at the end of September and then published on October 1st (2020). Hope that helps and thank you for watching! 😀😊👍

[@rachelwelk2893]

Does it matter when in the blooming season you harvest the seeds?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Rachel! 👋 Thank you for watching and for your great question. 😉 The first flowers that wither and are ready to harvest you can totally harvest and save their seeds early in the growing season. It really matters where each flower you want to harvest from needs to be fully withered and then also dried. We would recommend that you treat each flower individually and measure when to harvest each one so you can maximize your seed collecting. So, make sure t let each flower fully develop, wither, and dry out before collecting seeds. Hope that helps and have fun collecting all your beautiful zinnia seeds! 😉👍

[@kaseylee1152]

There is alot of seeds that come off one flower cool

[@katherinekruszynski9679]

Can't see anything when you're picking the seeds, need to zoom in

[@texas7135]

When is the best time to re plant the seeds?

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi Cordero! 👋 Thank you for watching and great question! You can direct sow or plant your seeds right now (depending on how long your summer and fall lasts where you live) to have a late summer/early fall flower crop or wait until this next late winter to plant seeds early inside for the coming spring. Hope that helps and thanks again for being here! 😉

[@Mariah-ms5eo]

How do you know when they are ready to harvest?

[@ArthurTheLibraryDetective]

😎..Awesome..😍🤓🤗.. 😎..i lu Yall...Thanks for Knowing.And Sharing..🙏💖💞👍👍

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi June! 👋 Thank you for your positivity and for watching! 😃

[@Frank-j2v7u]

The guy comments that there are some light and dark seeds. The other sources I've read say the seeds should be dark, but the guy seems to know his stuff. Thoughts?

[@maryhayes3252]

Why not label color when there is some color left on drying flower head. I pick spent flower head dry in garage so no rain cant wet them. Green yellow triple especial label and let dry fully. I plant seeds near my Hyssop plant where many bees are attracted to

[@mauxanhngocbich5848]

let the zinnia flowers dry on the plant or dry it from cutting

[@clscurlock]

I'm afraid the birds have already gotten much of our zinnia seeds. Do you guys have an issue with that?

[@pandabandit77]

I like zinnias cuz the dang animals leave them alone

[@SpokenGarden]

Hi SugarBeeFire! 👋 Thank you for watching and for your comment! Right? We totally love zinnias, too! More zinnias, please. 😉👍

[@lornalewis8617]

Wait???? Are you kidding me the head is also seeds??? I only have been saving the ones on the end of a petal.

[@SpokenGarden]

Hey Lorna! You are good on saving the seeds at the end of the petals, they should be just a viable. We say the "head" seeds because usually those are the ones that mature first, but the "petal" seeds are good too. You are doing GREAT! 😉💪 Thanks for watching!

[@barbaraayres2617]

How dead do they have to be? I don’t want the birds to get the seeds.

[@kathleencockburn2607]

U two talk too much before u get going