What can I do to keep my zinnias looking good?
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Deadhead: Like most annuals, zinnias grow fast during their one-season life, and are trying to set seed. The way to get them to keep flowering is to frustrate their attempts to set seed. Do this by keeping all the old flowers clipped off once they get scruffy looking. Clip about a quarter to half inch above a leaf. Look for a leaf where you see a little cluster of leaves forming between the leaf and the stem, or where there's already a side branch forming. That way you won't have little ugly stubs poking up all over.
Fertilize: Keep your zinnias and all annuals very well fed over their summer. I would feed every week with something like Peter's in your watering can, sprinkled over the leaves. You can also use a longer-acting food in the soil when you plant them, or scratch it into the soil now if you forgot. Use a good all-around fertilizer with the middle number higher; the three numbers are N-P-K amounts. P = phosphorous = what makes more flowers. So a 5-10-5 fertilizer would be great.
Watering: Zinnias originate in Mexico, where it's hot/dry. So water only when it's gotten fairly dry and do not let them get waterlogged. If it hasn't rained, watering every third day should do fine.
pinch back the dead ones. Don't over water them. Zinnias don't like "wet feet" .
They make good cut flowers in the house, they last a long time, and cutting a few will also help them bloom more. It's true they don't like to be too wet but they will also stop blooming if they get too dry.
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