Cut and Come Again Zinnia Indoor Seed Germination - April 2020

Just a few days ago, I posted some details that I've found in terms of the timing of when to sow flower seeds indoors in Northern Illinois (the answer....4-5 weeks before the last frost which usually takes place at the latest on April 30th. So...Right around April 1st). Today, we already have some Zinnias that have germinated.  Be still, my socially-distant heart.

The kids took wooden plant markers and decorated their own little sections.  Here's one of them showing seven of eight cells have germinated:
 

Each of the kids planted at least eight (and up to 16) cells of two zinnia seeds each.  You can see that in many of the cells, both seedlings have emerged.  I'll thin them after the first true leaves appear.

Here's another container showing six of eight cells germinated and a couple of cells to the left - still under the 'propped up' dome that have germinated, too.

These are Zinnia "Cut and Come Again" mixed color flowers.    With 32 or so cells planted, I'm hoping that we'll get a 50% survival rate. That would give us 16 Zinnia flowers for our front yard.

I also am thinking of getting a grow light for these seedlings to keep them from getting to terribly leggy - which is what I understand might happen if the light is 'too far' from the tips of the seedlings.  Once that arrives, I can move these down to the basement and keep them from cluttering up our dining room - amongst the half-built Lego projects and jigsaw puzzles.