Propagation: Fire in the Hole! Don't try this at home :-), 2 by Zen_Man

Zen_Man wrote:
Carrie,

"Did I read right? You can get a mature, flowering zinnia indoors?"

Yes, you can get mature flowering zinnias indoors. In fact, I have on many occasions grown them through the seed saving stage, to complete the indoor generation and get seed to start the next generation. However, I don't recommend zinnias as house plants, and I don't think you will see them listed in any book about house plants. I am a zinnia hobbyist, and I have motivation to grow zinnias indoors, to extend my hobby through the Winter. It is encouraging to me that I never have to stop growing zinnias.

But as house plants, they are high maintenance and, for most people, would be more trouble than they would be worth. They grow very fast, quickly outgrow almost any pot you put them into, have a high intake of nutrients and water, and are susceptible to indoor pests that aren't normally a problem outdoors. Aphids and thrips are potentially devastating insect problems, and spider mites are another potential disaster that are immune to most insecticides (because they aren't insects). I have developed methods of dealing with those problems, but they go far beyond what most people would put up with. In my opinion, only a devout zinnia hobbyist should consider growing zinnias indoors, except for a few weeks to get an early start on a Spring planting.

ZM