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Sunflowers

jimscott

Tropical Fish Enthusiast
A friend asked me about germinating sunflowers. Anybody have experience with them? Here's a quote of the question I received:

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Okay, but don't I have to put them in a wet paper towel first? How long?
The package doesn't say. And how big a pot? The package says it'll grow 2
ft tall, and it says "Thin to 12" to 16", whatever that means. I was only
planning to plant one or two, so if I save the rest of the seeds will they
still grow next year?

2 feet tall? I thought they were like 6-8' tall.
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they will grow WAY bigger than 2ft! what my friend di was germinate then in some paper towles and once they sprouted then he planted them.
good luck
alex
 
There are all types of sunflowers. I grow several of them in my yard and have varieties that get between two and three feet tall. There are some sunflowers "russian mammoth" that do get over 10 feet tall, but you can get varieties in almost any size and in any color. There are even pollen-free varieties that will not produce seeds. As for germination, plant in ground, water, wait, watch them grow. The 12-16" is probably the spacing between the plants for the mature size. Now if you northerners lived down here you could pretty much grow them all year.
 
I thought ya need to be in Kansas!
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Thanks, Stan. Do you want some CP seeds?
 
They come in all heights. Are you suppose to remove the seed from the shell? The directions don't mention anything about it. Anyways, I do remove it from the hard shell, germination rate is close to 100%, extremely easy.
 
no offense or anything, but they've got to be one of the easiest plants to grow. even uneaten sunflower seeds from birdseed will sprout on their own in your lawn, cracks in the sidewalk, gutters, or wherever they happen to end up. you don't have to remove the seeds from the shell, although i reckon it won't hurt.
 
I agree. I just stick them in the ground, water, and wait.
 
Whats the point of the "germinate on a paper towel thing"??

the instructions should be:
"put them in the ground, water"
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sunflowers are easy!
just put the seeds in the ground, 1" deep should be fine.
sunny area, keep watered, the end.

there are a TON of varieties..some have multiple flowers and are shorter..so that 2-foot max could be accurate, depending on the type.
the "traditional" sunflower is the massive one..with one large flower head and 6-10 feet tall.

but there are plenty of shorter varieties..usually with multiple flowers on one plant.

Scot
 
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