Sunflowers

[Neddy flanders]

anyone know any buyers of sunflowers for oil or birdfood?
anyone grown any?
is sclerotinia a problem if OSR in rotation?

 

[Brisel]

I have them in stewardship covers for winter bird seed, that's all. Yes, they are meant to be a host for sclerotinia. No idea who trades sunflowers beyond bird seed growers & shops like Nick Watts at Vine Farm

Vine House Farm | Wild Bird Food and Bird Feeders Direct

Vine House Farm provides bird food, bird feeders & bird care accessories. Every sale of our quality bird food & bird feeders supports The Wildlife Trust.

www.vinehousefarm.co.uk

 

[David.]

I have had strips for birds, a few years, and it seems to me that half the years, the heads go rotten before maturity.
Perhaps field scale crops would be different types and easier to spray.
I think it is botrytis that is the bigger problem.

 

[Barry]

GB Seeds would probably buy sunflower seed if a decent quantity.

http://www.gbseeds.co.uk/contact-us/

 

[Mr Charisma]

We have grown a couple of acres of sunflowers the odd year ,,,,, mainly as a charity thing , come and walk through the sunflowers and pick some sort of thing , we put the combine through them a few years back when we had a MF 40 with a power flow header and that handled them quite well , this last year I had a fowl up drilling winter beans , left a 6 m 1/2 acre strip so planted a strip of sunflowers in the spring , grew well , possibly to thick but smothered any weeds , never made harvest as they went rotten mainly in the wet spell we had in August

 

[Hindsight]

anyone know any buyers of sunflowers for oil or birdfood?
anyone grown any?
is sclerotinia a problem if OSR in rotation?

Some at Deeping for a few years. Think they were harvested this autumn. Not sure about them without Diquat. Look pretty.

https://www.vinehousefarm.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjPP_tK-o5gIVDuR3Ch0EWQdoEAAYASAAEgKcKPD_BwE

Plenty grown around Spalding for flowers.

 

[davidroberts30]

anyone know any buyers of sunflowers for oil or birdfood?
anyone grown any?
is sclerotinia a problem if OSR in rotation?

depending on the amount you have, Facebook is a powerful selling tool

 

[Farmer Roy]

Sclerotinia is an issue, yes

 

[Farmer Roy]

 

[690 multi-power]

why do the french grow so many sun flowers?

 

[Farmer Roy]

Presumably because they have a more suitable climate for them ( southern France ? )
Pretty good oilseed option, different timing to canola ( OSR ) & easier / cheaper to grow

 

[David.]

I find that slugs and pigeons will come for miles to enjoy sunflower seedlings..

 

[PSQ]

Slugs love them, and I've never had any heads with filled seed before they die and start to rot.

 

[czechmate]

If you plant them to look nice, don’t forget they only look nice from 1 direction

 

[bobk]

If you plant them to look nice, don’t forget they only look nice from 1 direction

Yes , the direction of the sun .

 

[DRC]

Yes , the direction of the sun .

They turn themselves towards the sun

 

[bobk]

They turn themselves towards the sun

Smart arse .

 

[DRC]

Early years of HLS, we grew some on a wild bird seed plot in front of the house . Never managed to replicate it. Had people wanting to photograph and paint them.

 

[czechmate]

They turn themselves towards the sun

No they don’t. They point one way, sort of the average direction of the sun.

 

[DRC]

No they don’t. They point one way, sort of the average direction of the sun.

Heliotropism