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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Jan 12, 2013 13:20:38 GMT -5
Hello All, Does anybody / has anybody grown Sunflowers for seed? I am going to try: Arikara Mongolian Giant Russian Mammoth. The only issue I have is that my plot is exposed, and windy, but I have gotten pretty good at staking things (Think 6ft Kale plants in a row, like a pole with a sail at the top). Interested to see how it goes, always looking for fun things to try
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Post by raymondo on Jan 12, 2013 14:46:19 GMT -5
I don't grow mine specifically for seed but I always let them run to seed so that I can collect them at season's end. I grow Prado Red.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jan 12, 2013 14:47:13 GMT -5
I have tried growing sunflowers for seed. This year I grew a 500 foot row of sunflowers, but only for decoration and to feed the wild birds. It'd be a hungry year if I had to feed myself from what I'm able to harvest. I only harvest enough seed for replanting.
My two biggest problems with harvesting sunflower seeds are: Birds really get after the seeds and can quickly clean out the whole crop. The harvested heads dry down slowly, even in my very dry climate and tend to mold and attract mice while drying. It helps with drying if I cut off the peduncle along with most of the receptacle at harvest time. If I can get them dried, they thresh easily by stomping on the heads on a tarp, followed by winnowing.
Some of the large sunflowers can also have problems with pollination, so I end up with empty shells.
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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Jan 13, 2013 12:53:25 GMT -5
Thanks both!
Joseph, sounds like trouble! I guess I am lucky, I will be planting a comparatively small number of plants, and I have the time when required to molly coddle things, so I can net the heads etc. if necessary.
If I get enough seed to grow out again next year, so much the better.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jan 13, 2013 13:22:36 GMT -5
I wish that I would put bird netting over a few of the flowers: At least the ones with unusual petal colors. Same thing with the sunroots. I really aughta cover some of the seed heads with netting.
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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Jan 13, 2013 15:38:54 GMT -5
I have scaffold netting coming out of my ... so shouldn't be too much trouble. Just hope we get some sun this year! Whats a sunflower without sun!
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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 13, 2013 17:26:31 GMT -5
Check this out, the chickens planted these in the bean house, when I ran them through there. The crazy birds did not eat these at all. They refused to fly through the chicken wire. And they ate lots this year, many ravenous little birds. Still hundreds here at the farm, even this late. They're working through the junipers, and the paulownia. I harvest the big heads and toss them to the chickens. I don't eat them myself. Young, can Sunflower seeds be sent to you? Attachments:
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Post by cortona on Jan 13, 2013 17:44:02 GMT -5
i've growed mongolian giant in the past and it are a semy bad thingh, because the seeds looks enormous but the inside are of the exactly same dimension of the normal ones..maybe a bit littler, so the russian are my bet if i've to grow sunflower for seeds consumption!
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jan 13, 2013 20:33:43 GMT -5
i've growed mongolian giant in the past and it are a semy bad thingh, because the seeds looks enormous but the inside are of the exactly same dimension of the normal ones.. Does that trait make shelling easier?
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Post by steev on Jan 13, 2013 23:01:53 GMT -5
I grow small-seeded sunflowers for the birds, not because I want to, but because I haven't a dog's chance of beating them to the seeds. I don't mind. The flowers are pretty; the birds are pretty; everybody gets something good. We don't live just by what we eat.
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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Jan 14, 2013 13:31:19 GMT -5
Check this out, the chickens planted these in the bean house, when I ran them through there. The crazy birds did not eat these at all. They refused to fly through the chicken wire. And they ate lots this year, many ravenous little birds. Still hundreds here at the farm, even this late. They're working through the junipers, and the paulownia. I harvest the big heads and toss them to the chickens. I don't eat them myself. Young, can Sunflower seeds be sent to you? Hi Holly, Wow! Those sure are monsters. I've never had any trouble bringing any seed into the UK Have pm'ed. Cortona, thank you, good observations! I will be interested to see what happens when I try and grow them, I wonder if the differing climate will have an impact? Steev, agreed certainly won't hurt to have a few more b'oids around.
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Post by Walk on Jan 14, 2013 15:50:02 GMT -5
Like Joseph, we have problems with birds and mold and so have given up on growing sunny seeds for human consumption. But I was wondering if some of the native prairie types, like Maximillian's sunflower, would be good to harvest for chicken feed? They dry down well here as they are acclimated. Will they have enough food value to be worth the effort for an additional chicken feed source?
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Post by castanea on Jan 14, 2013 21:59:11 GMT -5
I've had similar problems to those Joseph experienced, but I think I think it's worth doing with those experiences in mind. Many of the large headed sunflowers fall over. Many do not have large nut meats even if the seeds appear large. New Jersey Giant and Titan have much stronger stalks and slightly better size nut meats than most of the lareg sunflowers. My favorite though is a strain of Israeli sunflower that has very large seeds with large nut meats on a slightly smaller plant. I have never found them available from any garden seed sellers but they are sold at this site for eating and they have a very high germination percentage: www.nuts.com/snacks/sunflowerseeds/raw-israeli.html
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jan 15, 2013 6:39:15 GMT -5
It might be worthwhile to cross some of the human consumable style sunflowers with the birdseed/oilseed types to pick up some of the nifty agronomic characteristics- branched plants, shorter stature, more uniform dry-down etc. It would make them maybe a bit more reliable and possibly easier to throw netting over if necessary.
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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Jan 17, 2013 6:20:15 GMT -5
Interesting points all.
Walk, if trying to be self sufficient in Chicken Food, I would grow the beautiful flowers and then see any food supplement for the chickens as a bonus!
Castanea, interesting. I think I will bear the 3 varieties you have suggested in mind for next year. If I have harvest a pound of see this year, I will be a happy man.
Oxbow good thought. Certainly multi branching and the various other traits mentioned can only help.
Essentially, I want to add various seeds and nuts to my diet to help with fat and protein (alongside meat, milk etc.), I love sunflowers as well which helps.
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