That big green smiley face for the topic icon indicates that I'm a happy green noobie to growing anything from a seed.
I followed some instructions from another website on sprouting these Mammoth variety Sunflower seeds I have.
They said to put 4 seeds about an inch below the soil of prepared ground.
The ground in my backyard is hard and clumpy and is going to need to be tilled and have good soil added to it in order to be suitable as a host for these, so I've got them in four inch pots right now.
After two days of light watering in about the fullest day long direct sunlight you can get, I dug up the seeds and found that every one of them has at least the beginnings of a sprout breaking out of the seed shell.
These are big flowers, as far as I'm aware, these are the biggest flowers there are, or at least I believe I've ever seen.
So my question after this long story here is, are these four sprouts in each pot going to need to be separated to keep from too much competition for soil and sunlight? Do I want to separate them?
I know that they need to be a good 1-2 feet apart in order for their roots to have room, but I'm wondering why would a gardening instructional website want you to sprout 4 seeds in the same location if they couldn't handle growing together that close?
If anyone happens to know, how deep do their roots grow, so I know how deep to till the soil in which they will finally planted?
Ah yes another question ... these are annual flowers, which I've learned means they are going to die before next spring (right?). They take 75 days to bloom, I'm wondering, do they die because of the winter cold or lack of sunlight between seasons, or do they have an actual lifespan limitation? I'm starting them late in the season but I'm in sunny California and 75 days will put them in the middle of October and we usually have decent sunny weather that isn't very cold still at about that time of year.
Thanks
![Mr. Green :mrgreen:](./images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif)
P.S. - I'm a sponge for extra information like dry soil here, so if you've got tips or anything else you think I should know about caring for these gigantic blooms, I'd appreciate it all.
Post POST script - This will probably sound crazy to do or at least not recommended ... but if you were going to grow one of these 12 foot Mammoth Sunflowers in a pot, how big of a pot would it need to be? I'm suspecting 18 inches wide, easy