Zinnias

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jtnjenn Anoka, MN Jun 04, 2010

Hi, I planted two types of zinnias this year from seed - White Wedding and Giant Violet Queen. They have just one stem. In all of the pictures I've ever seen of zinnias, they look like a bush - one plant with many flowers on it. Last year mine turned out to be a tall stem with one or two flowers on it as well. Do I need to pinch them back? If so, when do I do that - right before the flower starts to bloom, or should I have done that once the plant got its first true leaves?

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cyclops101 Wakefield, RI Jun 05, 2010

What I do is wait for at least 6-8 or more sets of true leaves to develop and then give it a soft pinch which means taking off the top most leaves and a piece of the stem. This will initiate branching at each leaf node. Theoretically if you leave 6 sets of leaves you should get a plant with 12 flowering stems instead of on with a terminal bud and flower. Many people hesitate to pinch out the initial flower but by doing so you will get a much fuller plant with more flowers. On shorter varieties you can wait for the first flower bud to show then make the same type of pinch. Pinching will delay flowering by about 2 weeks.

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XMelissaX Indianapolis, IN(Zone 5b) Jun 07, 2010

I don't know what type white wedding and giant violet queen are but from my experience the taller varieties like giant cactus and california grow one tall stem. Guessing the "giant" in the violet queen means a taller variety it's probably the same growth habit. The shorter varieties like dwarf and lilliput have the bushier growth you are talking about. What is the size stated on the seed pack?

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