Hi Archesca,

" Any thing else I can do to protect them and make sure I see seedlings soon :) ? "

If they are outdoors, and I assume they are because you are worried about a cold spell, just bring them indoors until they come up, and wait until the danger of the cold spell goes away. Under reasonably warm conditions (70 - 75 F) zinnias usually germinate in 2 - 6 days.

ZM

i am surprised that zenman ... didnt correct your presumption.. that young seedlings can NOT be moved ...

they surely can ...

unless your pot freezes solid ... and presuming the seed has not sprouted... i doubt an even of low temps.. is going to have any impact.. on the seed ..

its all different.. once they sprout though ...

next post.. do note where you are.. for the best answers ...

ken

Thanks zen_man and ken ! Well, the pot is outdoors and I don't think I can move the pot indoors (its a big heavy pot)...I am located in Santa Clara, California...yes, the seeds have not sprouted yet...wondering if the cold weather will affect their germination...

it was 16 here in MI the other morning.. you dont know what cold is ... lol ...

i wouldnt worry about it... also dont forget.. no matter how cold the air temp is.. that pot and media .... isnt going to get cold due to its shear size ... unless you go polar ... for many days in a row

prior to seed emergence anyway ...

you might want to get a box from the grocer.. to cover it.. in case they do sprout.. and you need to cover them some night ...

besides.. if the seed fails.. you will have plenty of time... to buy some live plants.. in a month ..

dont worry about it ... curiosity good.. worry.. bad ...

ken

ha ha ...lol, yes, I shouldn't call mid40s as cold :)..yea, guess am a bit impatient and excited about growing zinnias ..heard that they sprout really quick , in 4-7 days ...cant wait to spot the seedlings :)..thanks again, Ken !

again ... dont confuse air temps.. and media or soil temps ... especially in a large pot ... as spring evolves ...

the key to germination ... is soil temps ... and that usually dictates how fast a seed sprouts.. presuming it is viable to begin with ...

so a few hours of cold air... isnt going to have much effect on a buried seed ..

as compared.. to my 16 degree night.. for 6 hours ... as noted above ... of course.. here in MI ... i would even be planting seed outdoors until 5/1 or so ...

ken

You can just protect the pot like you would for any plant that has leaves. In other words, provide some kind of insulation, either by snow, leaves, newspaper, bed cloth, burlap, etc