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Any expert sunflower growers to help with this question please?!

Muddy wellysMuddy wellys Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Are there any pro sunflower growers to answer this question?!(I'm into growing veg not flowers!) I'm getting married this summer and sunflowers are going to be the main flower, used everywhere!..so I'm going to grow as many as I can myself! ..the question is if the big day is the 15th of august when do I sow the seeds to make sure they are in full bloom and at there best for that date!! ..and I have a greenhouse if that can help?!

Posts

  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    August is prime weather for sunflowers. I grow them each year from a March sowing and later even into May sowings. I find the key is good position and plenty of food. Tall varieties need staking and  larger blooms can be obtained by stopping emerging side shoots, you can get them to the size of a very large plate with a good regime. They are easy to grow, sow decide where, somewhere that gets full sun for as long as possible, and feed the soil before planting, plenty of well rotted manure or compost. Guard them against slugs, and feed weekly with liquid seaweed. Water very well.

    You'll be growing in numbers so get prepared early and make successive sowings with several varieties, the smaller varieties produce many heads. Stop sideshoots early, just like you do with tomatoes and get some 8ft canes, taller of you can and tie in every few days depending on how fast they grow. Wind will be your enemy so a sheltered position is advisable. 

  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    Just wanted to say congratulations! and what a lovely idea to grow your own sunflowers for the wedding, they are everso easy, if you do veg, you wont have any trouble with sunflowers, cant really add anyting to Daves advice, just watch out for slugs, they like sunflowers even more than any veg plants! image
  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    Grow multi-headed sunflowers. If you grow tall single blooms the timing is crucial. Take a look in bouquets and florist's bunches; they are all of the smaller sunflowers, not the plate-sized ones.
  • LunariaLunaria Posts: 144

    I'm growing "big smile" just now it should grow to about 30cm. I will have them in little individual terracotta pots. The packet says it will only take 60 days from sowing to flowering. My husband would prefer the larger ones so I have a pack of them to sow too.

  • Muddy wellysMuddy wellys Posts: 2
    Thank you every one!! I wonder if different types have longer days I read that it takes 110 days from sowing?..does anyone know of a good variety that have multi heads?..are they dwarf ones too..have a feeling I read that too? ..so I worked out if I sow in end of April, they should be ready by mid august, do you agree?!...and how long do the flower stay nice on stork before it goes bad?..if it lasts along time I could sow early to make sure they are at least out?...it's just you have to wait for middle to go dark right? ...but how long does that take?
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