Hello again ScarletTricycle,
I explored the Kokoro Garden website that you provided a link to. Interesting information about their zinnia growing. Another site that grows zinnias for the florist market is Floret Flower Farm:
https://www.floretflowers.com/...
You might want to check Floret out for a "second opinion" on growing zinnias commercially, much of which can be applied to growing zinnias in the home garden.
" My soil is sandy as this area of the state provides the sand to frac, so it's dry and the only thing going for it has been easier weeding. "
Well, if your soil is dry, water it (unless you just had a rain.) Sandy loam is my favorite soil type, and I purchase washed river sand to add to our Kansas sedimentery soil to produce a good approximation to sandy loam. I purchase sand by the truckload to have it handy for sand mulching my garden plants.
I don't know if they have County Agents where you are, but many places do have them, and they can be a big help providing useful information for your garden. And your County Agent could advise you on what soil amendments would be suitable for your soil. I have added pelleted gypsum to our local soil, and that has worked well. Zinnias are heavy feeders, so I foliar feed my outdoor zinnias, primarily with Miracle-Gro soluble Tomato food, diluted about 1 Tablespoon per gallon. Most plants, including zinnias, can absorb nutrients through their leaves, and that is the quickest way to make certain that they get the elements that they need.
I breed zinnias as a hobby, and one thing I have been going for is variations in the zinnia flower form. These are just some of the new flower forms I have developed that aren't commercially available. Click on the photos to see larger versions of them.
There is a variety of Gaillardias called "Razzle Dazzle" that have an interesting flower form.
https://www.dallasplanttrials....
I am working on zinnias that have a very similar flower form, and I call my zinnias Razzle Dazzles as well.
I have been making crosses between my different zinnia flower-forms to get still more new ones. I will be continuing that with my indoor zinnia project this Winter. Many of my zinnias now have petals that have some tubular structure, but the diameter of those tubes can vary a lot, and some zinnias that have almost needle-like petals can have blooms that remind me of an under-sea creature.
They say you should not save seeds from an F1 hybrid zinnia, but I deliberately violate that big time, and make hybrids between hybrids.
ZM (not associated with Miracle-Gro company)
