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Has anyone done this successfully?
I've looked on YouTube and the few videos I've found don't go into much detail.
TIA
I've looked on YouTube and the few videos I've found don't go into much detail.
TIA
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I'm sure its be done in places, the problem in the UK is having good enough weather to get the seeds ripe. I've collected seeds from sunflowers, but they didn't store because they weren't ripened enough by the time I picked them. -
Haven't had any problems with seeds not ripening up.
I've isolated a couple with butterfly netting and am have been pollinating them by hand every day.
Will have to wait until next year to see if I've been successful.
This one is a cross between a giant yellow and a dark chocolate one.
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I imagine its not a problem to ripen them where you are :-) - probably get less than half the rain we do in the West.Comment
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That's a lovely cross . I'm looking forward to lots of my sunflower flowering this year because I got seeds from Chris and some self saved un-isolated. So hoping for some weird and wonderful.Originally posted by Jonny.D View Post
I also don't have a problem drying seeds.Comment
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Get an image in my mind of a Green & Black's mint chocolate bar of when I look at this one
Unfortunately the Camera hasn't picked up the velvety green in the leaves.
I've been hand pollinating the main head and it appears to have worked.Comment
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Two more from the same seed batch as the Red & Yellow one above
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Great thread and pics Jonny
I've also been growing and saving seeds from sunflowers for many years and enjoy the surprises and new variations.
Most of my sunflowers are descended from Russian Giants, Mongolian Giants and other varieties planted years ago, then saved from the best flowers each year. I've got Giant and Medium lines of saved seeds for different parts of the garden.
I occasionally add new varieties and give them chance to cross pollinate with flowers grown from saved seeds to add to the genetic mix. Had some excellent flowers in 2017 which were descended from seeds saved from a Mongolian Giant. I've always got spare seeds if anyone wants any.
They're great for attracting and feeding bees and pollinating insects, and I also love to see the birds and squirrels eating the seeds later in the year.Comment
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All my sunflowers are getting close to flowering. It's going to be some exciting to see what they are like.
I have the camera on standby
I'd be very happy if they are anything like yours Jonny & Chris ( some should be quite like Chris's, they're his seeds
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Last edited by Small pumpkin; 25-06-2018, 09:53 AM.Comment
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Interesting experiment with your isolating/pollinating sunflowers, Jonny.D.
I assume you're trying to stabilise a type of sunflower with particular colours and other characteristics, is that right?Comment
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Yes Chris, I'm hoping to get back the same'ish of each plant that I isolated for next year and I cross pollinated the red & yellow with the "Green & Blacks"Originally posted by Chris11 View PostComment
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Here's the most unusual one I've produced this year. Colours a little different to anything else I've got growing. I think one of the parents is velvet queen the only dark one I've got. The biggest surprise is its only 18" high.
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Amazing, I’d not thought of isolating sunflowers. They are all lovely in my opinionComment
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