Sunflowers?
- Thread starter JLLM
- Start date
- Location
- Limousin/Charentes toad land
where is tyddewi?
- Location
- Lorette Manitoba
never grown them myself but have a neighbour thats hooked on them. Biggest fire hazard around. It’s either his combine or dryer that burns. He took delivery of a shiny new Deere 680 a few years ago in March. Started cutting them one afternoon once the frost was off and while unloading the first truck load back at the farm his combine was burning quietly in the field. Apparently there was less than 5 hours on the clock.
St Davids - Wikipedia
Seem to recall that Cotswold Seeds website had a good section on sunflowers.
- Location
- Limousin/Charentes toad land
St Davids - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
some years the season only just seems long enough… in the southern half of France. Certainly, the year I grew them, if I hadn’t harvested them the week I did, I never would have. Financially, they were nothing like exciting enough for me for that risk. Oh yea, and I hate fires
They are called sunflowers for a reason , they don't call them pi55ingdown flowers
- Location
- Haute Vienne, France
Got 32 hectares still to harvest this year. They are either our last hope when everything else has failed or a calculated gamble after a first crop (like barley) has been harvested when they can be a nice little earner or a total failure I wouldn't be planning to grow them in February as a main crop and I am at least 500 miles south of you. Are you looking for flowers, a maze or actual grain?
ADAS did a lot of work on them before throwing in the towel a few years back. Have a look at this (it seems to have vanished off the more mainstream sites).
Despite what Dr Cook says I would argue you need a precision drill having spent several years trying to drill them with various cereal drills.
ADAS did a lot of work on them before throwing in the towel a few years back. Have a look at this (it seems to have vanished off the more mainstream sites).
Sunflowers - a growers guide - Dr Sarah Cook, ADAS UK Ltd, ADAS Boxworth, Boxworth, Cambs CB23 4NN - Defra, UK
Page topic: "Sunflowers - a growers guide - Dr Sarah Cook, ADAS UK Ltd, ADAS Boxworth, Boxworth, Cambs CB23 4NN - Defra, UK". Created by: Francisco Henry. Language: english.
www.readkong.com
Despite what Dr Cook says I would argue you need a precision drill having spent several years trying to drill them with various cereal drills.
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
the last crop I grew
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
% 
Won't argue with that summation... at all.
Although, I reckon the weather is the critical factor, a good fast germination, with no checks seems critical. I grow them for the birdies too, AND because they makes the nice Lady doing my Inspection, smile happily
- Location
- Near Beeston Castle
Ollyblogs managed to grow and harvest some last year. I'd say if you can grow them in a year like that there is potential there. I doubt he made a ha'penny at it but he did combine them and got some sort of crop.
- Location
- Limousin/Charentes toad land
- Location
- Near Beeston Castle
I know a few places that grow them for that very reason and it is successful.
I "think" they use a proper sunflower drill but that may well be a maize drill with different wheels/belts in.
Search on here because there are a few quite good threads on it. Use the Google option in advanced search as the standard search is pretty rubbish.
spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
full swing
View attachment 1133317
View attachment 1133319
even a few in overflow car park
View attachment 1133321
not the best photo's....but my daughter had same idea
tough growing season....twas cloudy and wind in the east for 6 weeks after drilling ....I drilled them with old farmhand drill but I think they went in to deep....establishment/growth was patchy and I didn't think them good enough....but we had a go...opened for 4 days and did quite well
later learnt that another field 10 miles west had actually grubbed theirs up on July aftet poor establishment and re drilled...they came to late and only opened for one day...lesson it's risky
you need warmth....you also need bodies to run it
- Location
- Haute Vienne, France
If you not aiming to combine them then you can do an OK job with a cereal drill just don't expect it to perform miracles. They hate being too deep in cold springs, the heat is near the surface so drill shallow if going early even if dry. In fact getting them up and away is about 90% of the job so the date you drill and the way you drill as in spacing and depth is critical. They like to emerge fast and go like a train rather than sit and wait for a bit of warmth.
To look pretty non hybrids will be fine so get hold of "cover crop" sunflowers seeds. One of the most popular varieties for that purpose here is Peredovick which I have grown alongside hybrids and been quite impressed with. We have even combined some and they yield about 2/3 what the latest and very expensive hybrids do. Price is about 3 euros a Kg here.
If you really want to spend next to nothing the pet shop stuff will grow but tends to be mixed varieties and flowers all over the place plus germination is a bit hit and miss so I wouldn't do it for your job.
I put a wee 1/4 acre garden in every year, just for the fun and it’s good for little else. I plough and combie them in, some years they do better than others, but they always look nice, blocking every other coulter might be a better job but never bothered