Hi guys hope someone can help me out. About 10 years ago my wife and I planted what I call hybrid sunflowers. They grow 6 to 8 feet high and produce multiple 4 to 5 inch flowers per tree. We planted pale yellow, bright yellow and yellow with maroon.
Every year I would let nature do her thing the seeds would naturally dry and drop in fall and regerminate in spring. That's when I would transplant back to a uniformed look for my garden and give many plants away to friends. Any way here on Long Island we had a warm fall and early winter till it got really cold and snowy in January. Prior to that bitter cold I had seen many of my seeds germinating and starting to grow.
Now fast forward 5 months later here lies my problem and question. It has always been that these flowers produce strong stalks while creating their leaves and growing. For some reason with these early germinated plants that got caught by winter! Thierry leaves are stronger and bigger than the main stalk. Is it worth letting them grow or should I just go with my normal germinator that are about 2 inches high now.
I'm surprised you haven't seen problems before this time with hybrids. Usually one will see differences in their hybrid plants in three years of re-sowing the same seeds. Their performance will alter from the original mother plant.
Here is some information that may help you with your decision.
https://extension.illinois.edu/hortihints/0102a.html
Here is some information that may help you with your decision.
https://extension.illinois.edu/hortihints/0102a.html