Hybridizers: 'Cherry Profusion' Zinnia from Seed?, 1 by

wrote:
Hi Terri, I'll try to explain. Your Zinnia is a hybrid, meaning that it is a variety that has been purposely created by hybridization. Hybridizing is playing like a bee to take pollen from one selected plant, and place it on another of the same genus to produce something different, or better. Irises are hybrids as most plants today are. Hybridization have to be done between 2 plants in the same family that have the same genes/chromosomes..

Considering all the zinnia varieties that are available today from hybridization, you can imagine all the different genes contained in each seed of whatever zinnia variety you are saving seeds from, in this case your 'Cherry Profusion'. This is the reason why the plant does not come true from seeds.

No, you are not wasting your time collecting and sowing those seeds. If I remember correctly, Zinnia seeds germinate easily. You may create something unique in the plant world. Each seed that sprout will produce a plant that is a bit different from another even if the seed was collected from the same flower. Seed sowing method is the same for zinnia seeds taken from purchased plants and seeds you collected.

The N/A in Plant Files means that the information is Not Available. It doesn't matter if the seeds you want to save are from a purchased plant, or seeds you collected. When you collect seeds from your plants (purchased or not) the seeds are referred to as "open or bee pollinated seeds". The plants resulting from those seeds are also hybrids, but you won't know what the flower or plant will look like until it blooms. It may even revert back to a tall zinnia.

The above information works for perennials also. The only difference is that there are perennials that are not hybrids and those will come true from seeds. To propagate a hybrid perennials, only division or cuttings will produce an exact duplicate.

I stopped growing annuals years ago. I grow only perennials. Most are from purchased seeds, unless seeds are unavailable. This past spring, I started many open pollinated seeds from those plant just for fun. Most are hybrids and it will be interesting to see what my creation will look like. I don't want a duplicate of what I already have.

Good luck and have fun with it.

Lilly

Below is a photo of different perennials I started from bee pollinated seeds last spring.