The Floret Farm Journal: July 2025

After months of preparation and planting, all of the breeding varieties are finally in full bloom, and the selection process is underway. In this episode of The Floret Farm Journal, we focus on: The Floret breeding program and the work of growing out, selecting, and documenting all of the new varieties of zinnias, celosia, dahlias, and now cosmos. The color matrix, an experiment started last season in which we made more than 600 individual hand crosses to better understand how different traits like color, form, and size are inherited in zinnias. The practical side of breeding work, including the gross reality of working with blue bottle flies, which we use as pollinators in our small hoop houses and “flysolations.” TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Opening 03:47 July Farm Tasks 04:56 Irrigation System & Challenges 06:29 How the Breeding Program Started 09:44 Breeding Routine & Selection Process 18:40 Chris’s Zinnias 22:16 Color Matrix Experiment 26:03 Using Flies as Pollinators 30:02 Pollinators at Work 33:46 Closing You can find helpful resources and additional details about what’s featured in this month’s episode in the blog post linked below. THE FLORET FARM JOURNAL: JULY 2025: https://www.floretflowers.com/the-flo... After watching, I’d love to hear what you enjoyed most and what you’d like to see more of in the future. Please take a moment to leave a comment (we read every single one!). Your feedback is so important to us as we film this new series. © Copyright Floret LLC Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.floretflowers.com/newslet... Website: https://www.floretflowers.com/ Instagram:   / floretflower   Facebook:   / floretflowers   Pinterest:   / floretflwrfarm   Subscribe to our channel:    / @floretflowerfarm   #floret #floretfarmjournal #flowerfarm #cutflowers #erinbenzakein #floretworkshop #farmerflorist