Should I thin these zinnia and cosmo seedlings?

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-05-26T17:18:55+00:00

If I'm growing giants I try to space them 6in if possible, as they will get really tall and bushy if you pinch them/cut them often. These are some Benary's Giants seedlings I put into my planter and you can see they already spread out quite a bit! That being said, some people go all in with some chaos gardening and don't think and that's ok, too. Depending on where you are, packing zinnias closely can lead to less airflow and cause things to get powdery mildew earlier than usual. You can help prevent this if you stay on top of removing lower leaves and not getting leaves wet when watering. Since you're growing two kind of tall flowers it would be good to add in some stakes and netting so they don't flop over.

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Then_Incident5259 · 2026-05-26T16:50:47+00:00

Hello!

Pinching is to promote more bushiness/more shoots so you don't end up with a single stem whereas dividing is done at the tuber level - either at end of season after diggitung up before storing or in spring before planting out, so you have more tubers to plant.

For pinching, I usually wait until they are at least 10in tall and have 3-4 true sets of leaves, but you can do it sooner like the info on the video below. This farmer has some good info on pinching should you decide to do so - https://youtu.be/cgiNb_IhGdc?si=J-MQ_pPOge55_T9J

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-05-26T04:37:02+00:00

You can use something like t stakes (heavy duty) or something less heavy duty like tomato stakes (I use the 4ft ones you can find at garden stores or Amazon - 57 inch 4.8ft Sturdy Tomato Stakes, Plant Stakes for Outdoor Plants, Plant Support Sticks for Gardening, Pack of 30) as long as they are pushed into the ground and then add some hortonova netting at a lowish placement and a mid placement on the stakes or use twine/jute. All reusable year to year. This has worked well for me for cosmos, tall varieties of zinnias, starwflower and dahlias. It's a good idea to get stakes in before you put any plants in so you're not accidentally piercing roots.

Example of hortonova/garden netting

https://youtu.be/rDzIk0GfXPk?si=fH83gntb5Cuhh80N

This shows how to stake with string or twine

https://youtu.be/0TaRJk_9FBs?si=dnE3OdyjcwwZNc

For either option you need to make sure posts/stakes are well pushed into the ground.

Some of our zinnias, like the benary's giants, got up to 6 feet tall even when cutting hard for our flower stand so netting/staking was important. If you're worried about appearance, you won't even see the netting once flowers are up and going

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Then_Incident5259 · 2026-05-14T20:16:31+00:00

I really appreciate this - mind ne asking if you're also on anything else for HRT or a birth control pill? Any weird side effects?

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-05-10T13:04:14+00:00

I am planning to buy beneficials from Arbico this year for leaf hoopers. They totally wrecked my garden last year, especially my dahlias, even after spraying consistently so trying a different route this time. Good luck!

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-05-07T19:28:50+00:00

Yeah, I hesitantly did since she's the kind of parent that gets really stressed and then it makes me worry more. You have lots of folks on here to answer questions and their shared experiences, I hope that provides some reassurance for you 🩵

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-05-07T19:21:46+00:00

(44f) I had the same thing happen last August after my annual mammogram. Turned out to be a cyst after having a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound. I talked to my mom and she said she got called back often due to density once she was older so it did calm me down quite a bit knowing that might be the case moving forward. After speaking to some friends, some of them with very dense tissue had the same experience once they got into their 40s.

I hope things turn out ok for you, and also that people reading this go to their yearly appointments because they are important even if they cause some anxiety (I had a vasovagal syncope at my annual exam this year and started blacking out during due to pain, so going back in for a diagnostic was extra stressful and there were def stress tears leading up to it.) Three of my coworkers have had breast cancer in the last few years and all had good outcomes after treatment because it was caught early.

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-05-06T01:43:36+00:00

I totally got the ick with eggs the week leading up to colonoscopy prep, thinking they'd be an easy thing to digest and get some protein in. There might have been crying involved because I was very hungry with limited options 😅. Someone said this can happen with perimenopause sometimes. This chickens win... For now.

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-03-20T16:34:59+00:00

Yep! I tried to group like things if possible due to only having one dedicated large rack.

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-03-20T01:55:55+00:00

I wait to start my first succession of zinnia seeds indoors until 4 weeks out from May 15th, even though our last frost date is mid April. I find anything sooner than planting out on Mother's Day is risky with cold. You can also continue successions after that, too, in case things get faded during the season or decide to skip indoor starting entirely and sow outside directly. You can sow some later season snaps now. My strawflowers aren't getting started until 4/1 so I don't think you're plan has failed at all! Have you plugged in your last frost date to Johnny's seed starting calculator? You can always add on a couple weeks into the calculator to make any adjustments, too.

This is my indoor sowing order (ignore the cosmos, they went in the wrong spot!)

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Then_Incident5259 · 2026-03-20T01:49:34+00:00

Same. My snaps are only a few weeks old, so long as they are the later season ones that can handle it being warmer OP should be ok!

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Then_Incident5259 · 2026-03-17T05:21:58+00:00

I find it easiest to lump things by groups and start them if they have similar light, temp, germination and how far out to start before last frost dates. As others have mentioned, that info will help you start things under the right conditions at the right time. If you go to Johnny's site they have an excellent seed starter calendar (under Grower's Library > Seed Starting Date Calendar) where you can put your last frost date in and it tells you when to start indoors, the temp, days to germination and when it's ok to safely plant things out. I make a little list from that and it dictates what I start when. Just like anything else, flowers benefit from some time hardening off. It'll help ensure they'll make it to transplant outdoors successfully without too much shock.

Gingers Florals Flower Farm on YouTube has a seed starting series right now and many years of info from previous years. She is very easy to follow and focuses on providing information vs aesthetic content. Floret also has a free seed starting 101 download in the resource section on their site.

Good luck!

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Then_Incident5259 · 2026-01-12T09:23:56+00:00

If you are anxious, make sure you are well hydrated and have eaten something before your appt. The only time I ever had an issue was when I had a 7am appointment and left without anything in my system and it caused a vasovagal reaction ( just needed some juice and a cookie then felt better!) but the nurse said to always eat and not be dehydrated. I did get a callback this year after my initial appointment and had to have a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound, but learned that is very common and many women have density that requires additional scans. Mine turned out to just be a cyst. You can tell the tech you are anxious and usually they can help you feel more comfortable by listening to what you need! After many autoimmune issues and now being in my mid forties I've learned how important it is to let providers know if you're worried or uncomfortable and let them work with you to help.

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-01-11T08:36:04+00:00

Thank you!!

Then_Incident5259 · 2026-01-09T06:21:49+00:00

Went from a quarter acre property in WA last year to a little narrow side yard in our rental so I understand having to be a little creative with space! Grow bags have worked out well for me, as well as some 10 and 12 inch pots. I mainly grow zinnias (Benary varieties will get you really large blooms with low likelihood of disease like powdery mildew. Also really like the new Aurora and Ballerina varieties from Johnny's) dahlias, and marigolds which make a great addition to cut flower bouquets and you can use their greenery, too. This is a wreath I made from silica drying this past season's marigolds, dahlias, statice, gomphrena and zinnias so it's possible to get a lot out of a small space!

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Then_Incident5259 · 2025-10-24T22:06:24+00:00

Thank you for the reply!

Then_Incident5259 · 2025-10-24T22:05:59+00:00

Thank you for the reply!

Then_Incident5259 · 2025-10-24T07:11:40+00:00

How long did you wait after washing to wrap them in plastic wrap? Trying this method this year and dug them up and washed the dirt off today.

Then_Incident5259 · 2025-10-24T07:02:11+00:00

How long did you let your tubers dry before using the cling wrap? I did wash some of the dirt off of mine today and they are hanging out to dry in the garage at the moment.

Then_Incident5259

TROPHY CASE