Giant Sunflowers

[magz.mccarthy]

Morning All,

In my impatience over Christmas I planted some Russian Giant sunflowers. I read somewhere that for especially giant flower heads that they could be started in January. I put them in little paper pots around 2" wide and 4" high inside a sunny window.

I'm hoping that they will grow away happily there for a month or two and then I'll plant them out after hardening them off in early March. Has anyone else tried this?

Margaret

[magz.mccarthy]

p.s. if anyone would like to try out a few I have around 20 seeds left (holding onto some to plant later if these ones don't work). PM me your address to send on.

[Two_Sheds]

* whispers .... 'too early'

You'll get them to germinate okay, and they'll start to grow okay. But they won't want to go outside until it's warmer ... about April. That is a long time to be hanging around on a windowsill getting leggy.

Have a go, by all means. Everyone likes to have something growing!

[magz.mccarthy]

darn, i was suspecting so. I'm away the whole of April and trying to get stuff done early, unfortunately, waaaay too early

[Snadger]

I would sow some now and some a bit later as a back up.

Sunflowers are a 'hardy annual' and quite a few hardy annuals CAN be sown in the autumn for an early crop the following year. Make sure you harden them off before you put them out though!

[fwuffydragon]

Once they've sprouted, I'd move them to a colder, light place, for instance near your back door? This will help them to harden up a bit and not get completely leggy. They'll also dry out slower - especially good if you've got friends scheduled for watering duty!

I'd plant a few more every month as that way if those don't survive, you have some more on the way!

[fwuffydragon]

Once they've sprouted, I'd move them to a colder, light place, for instance near your back door? This will help them to harden up a bit and not get completely leggy. They'll also dry out slower - especially good if you've got friends scheduled for watering duty!

I'd plant a few more every month as that way if those don't survive, you have some more on the way!

[magz.mccarthy]

Thanks Fwuffydragon, I have a perfect place to start hardening them off - my kitchen. I possibly have the world's tiniest kitchen and there's no wall space for a heater in there so it's absolutely freezing. I'll start putting them in there in a few more weeks - although they are pretty big already! They were 6 inches yesterday when I put them into bigger pots.

[SarzWix]

If they get too leggy, you can pot them on into a bigger pot, but put them into the bottom of the pot, then pile the new earth up round the stem - you'll end up with a sturdier stem.

[fwuffydragon]

If they get too leggy, you can pot them on into a bigger pot, but put them into the bottom of the pot, then pile the new earth up round the stem - you'll end up with a sturdier stem.

That's good to know. I might have to do that anyway this time - trying to prop up a 12ft sunflower that blew over is not fun!!!