Zinnia Plant Observation Report

On February 4, 2015 PWS 100 went to the green houses for the first time and were assigned a species of plant that we were to nurture for the following weeks. These plants ranged from I was assigned the Giant Creamy Yellow Zinnia. Throughout this process Professor Stewart taught us about soil alternatives and the benefits of growing plants in a green house versus growing plants outside. I thought it interesting when comparing the background of the plant to what I observed in actuality. The Giant Zinnia or Zinnia elegans is part of the daisy family and is common in the Southwestern United states and Mexico. The Zinnia is actually a genus that contains 20 species, the Giant being one of them. These flowers come in a wide range of colors (except …show more content…
Zinnias have been cultivated by gardeners since the 19th century. Due to Zinnias are so bright in color they attract many species of inspects and animals that help in the pollination process. Though there is little description in plant journals Zinnias look to have both a pollen center and miniature flowers that contain nectar. This could be a contributing factor to the wide range of pollinators attracted to this flower. Zinnias are most attractive and are often found with butterflies due to their bright color and strong perfume-like odor. For this reason they are a common plant species in butterfly gardens. Another advantage of having Zinnias in your garden is they have two blooming seasons, one in the fall and one in summer. These flowers should thrive in the Life science gardens during the dry Utah summer and …show more content…
The first substitute that we used was perlite and the second was peat. The perlite was a texture like rubber and aloud the plants to remain in a damp environment but the water could drain easily. The peat is more compact and almost had a woody texture. When wet this substitute was compact. Due to weekly observations I came to the conclusion that Giant Zinnias grow better and at a faster rate in a soil make of perlite or containing perlite. When we transferred our plants into larger pots I mixed perlite into a couple of the pods to see if it would effect the growing patterns compared to those only in peat. The flowers that were grown in a mixture are now taller, have larger leaves, and look healthier in color. It is possible that Zinnias respond better to perlite because it allows more oxygen flow and retains water better. Also because the Zinnias are used to humus based soils that are fast draining the perlite was a better fit for the