Tip; Sunflowers

Just a little tip when growing sunflowers and strapping and caning them,check regular as the plant ties will dig into flesh of stem[common sence i know] but have just come home to find a 7ft beauty grown from seed in half where i could not be bothered to check................................Gutted:(

You win some,you lose some

 

:eek: OUCH!......

 

What a shame:(
I've never managed to grow the very tall sunflowers because it seems to be too windy for however I stake them

 

The same applies to young trees as well. Check they have room to grow without being choked.

 

I know Dai, when I moved into the home I am in now, I spent en antire weekend releasing them. On the other hand in the churchyard at the end of the road there is an enormous tree that has managed to grow through the cast iron railings and appear on teh other side of it unscathed. I`ll get a pic next time I pass by. Trees are remarkable things

 

Yes I found half strangles trees here too. ANd some dwarf stakes still attached to huge old wanuts. One of the stakes had benn pulled out of the ground and was hanging from the tree :D

 

I grew a wisteria from a layered cutting from my next door neighbours plant. I nailed supports into the brick work to keep it supported and used plastic ties, which I used to cut off or open wider as the truck grew.

I had it growing through my Ivy which covered the front of the house and I missed a tie about 3foot from the ground. It developed a large bulbous swelling just below the tie, before it continued as normal above it....fascinating.

 

Regarding sunflowers, I only used to grow them for the kids...let them plant them etc, even the neighbours kids...I don't grow them now...although I should for the insects.

 

Tweaky....there is someting about sunflowers and the child within us.

At least, that is what I choose to think because I did not grow them for many years and have taken to growing them of late and I put it down to the fact that I'm trying to 'nurtute the child within' and the 'child within' seems to love growin sunflowers.:D:D:D

 

Where possible I favour cotton or jute twine. It last a season or so and then rots away, so even if it gets overlooked it never get to the stage of strangling anything, and it's biodegradable.

 

Ditto.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hichako/2752863069/

Anyways there are also some pretty cool sunflowers out there, in case one wants to keep an appearance of dignity. This year I discovered "Moulin Rouge" (my avatar), it is a stunning mix of bitter chocolate maroon, very deep burnt carmine, and brown flamed with yellow. "Italian White" is the palest shade of yellow, almost white, with a large dark button.

 

The wife likes to grow sunflowers (I'm glad she does because I like them - I think everybody does don't thy?).

She never stakes them, just plants the seeds in small pots, then moves them to bigger pots when they outgrow their homes. They only ever reach about 5 foot though.

Why do people stake them? Is it just to get them to grow taller or does it have some other benefit? (Forgive my ignorance, it's just that like I say, the wife's do OK without stakes).

 

Hey guys, really pleased this is a topic. Firstly, I had the greatest of sunflowers this year, around 25 of them. They are amazing, and the first ones I have grown. We did stake them as we don't have windbreaks around our plot and let me tell you, it was entirely necessary. We had a wind one day so brutal that during the howling rainstorm we had to run out just to tie them. The bamboo had already been put in place 'just in case' (very practical OH)(not that that stopped us getting drenched). The walk from the house to the top of our holding is around 150ft, by this time our 6ft trifids were laying flat, fortunately none broken though. I wonder whether they would have had the strength to make their climb back up north by themselves? Since the weather has been consistent ever since, I haven't risked losing any as they are wonderful. Next year I would like to try the Ruby strain. ANYHOW.....rant, rant rant, I keep chooks and geese and wanted to harvest the seed from my flowers, does anyone have any suggestions on how best to do this, and when exactly? I can look it up of course but would love to hear of any bodies own experience?

 

Aw that's a shame. At least you'll remember for next time