I couldn't quite decide where to post this.

My Zinnia is blooming which is great. Now of course I want to harvest the seeds. G-mom told me to pick them at the end of their bloom time. {I forgot what that was called}. Anyway I went out and picked two of them and have been drying them but I think I picked them way to early. How long does a typical bloom last on the plant?

Zinnia blooms last for quite a while. Wait until they die and turn brown, then cut them. You only have to keep a few of them, as they have LOTS of seeds. I try to save one of each color.
Also, did you know that when they start to look raggedy, you can cut off the flower. There are many side shoots that will bloom and you'll have flowers for a long time.

Thanks for the information mom that helps a lot. Glad to hear they will get side flowers if the tops are cut off otherwise they weren't going to be very useful plants in my little garden lol. I noticed there were bunches of seeds in the commercial package I bought so that makes sense now. Very prolific are they. that's good I need a trade stock lol. Do they maintain their color? I thought they would probably mutate. I have them all jam packed together so I'm not at all sure about the color remaining the same as on the parent flower.

Afgreyparrot is an expert on zinnias. You might want to IM her.