I was feeling brave and decided to try sunflowers. I started the seeds indoors a week ago. Five of the six seeds spouted five of the six grew very to 4 inches tall about 5 days after planting. Four of those five developed a brown spot in the middle of the stem and fell over by day 7, today. Only one of them is still hanging on. Should I move it outside? My soil is salty and sandy but I do have a compost. Would it help to fill in with a little compost when planting in the ground? I also have one late "bloomer", the last of the six seeds, that is currently less than an inch tall. Any and all advice is appreciated.
Best,
Watchrebel
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Watchrebel
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rainbowgardener
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applestar
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When I researched sunflowers, it seemed they are slightly hardier than corn and could be sown a week earlier. So if the farmers are sowing corn, it's definitely warm enough to sow sunflowers.
Here, it IS still early-ish. It's a week before last average frost, and Its supposed to be possible but last time I sowed sunflowers this early, I put cut off top half of 2L soda bottles over each to warm the soil and they still took nearly 2 weeks to sprout. (there WAS frost but the bottle cloches protected them)
This year, I'm trying a different method -- I'm pre-germinating them in my seed sprouter, then sowing them in 2" mini soil blocks to keep in the garage. Once they sprout, I'll either plant them right away or hold them a little longer under the lights if there is space available, or put them out in the sun until I can plant them.
I'm using web trays so the root pruning should take effect, but I'm not sure if sunflower taproots SHOULD be root pruned -- they may not be able to send down deep roots to keep from falling over. So I "intend" to plant them right away as soon as they sprout in the soilblock.
Here, it IS still early-ish. It's a week before last average frost, and Its supposed to be possible but last time I sowed sunflowers this early, I put cut off top half of 2L soda bottles over each to warm the soil and they still took nearly 2 weeks to sprout. (there WAS frost but the bottle cloches protected them)
This year, I'm trying a different method -- I'm pre-germinating them in my seed sprouter, then sowing them in 2" mini soil blocks to keep in the garage. Once they sprout, I'll either plant them right away or hold them a little longer under the lights if there is space available, or put them out in the sun until I can plant them.
I'm using web trays so the root pruning should take effect, but I'm not sure if sunflower taproots SHOULD be root pruned -- they may not be able to send down deep roots to keep from falling over. So I "intend" to plant them right away as soon as they sprout in the soilblock.
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applestar
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Sunflowers are germinating 
I mentioned in the corn thread that I'm starting them indoors because of the chipmunks eating the corn as soon as they are sown. (they sniff them out and dig them up individually, leaving tiny tell-tale paw prints in the soft dirt
)
For sunflowers, they can get all they want from the bird feeder, so my main problem is with slugs and tiny garden snails eating the tender sprouted seedlings. If they can get their true leaves out and get going, they can outgrow the munchers, so I'm hoping giving them a bit of a headstart will help.
Also, last year, I tried to grow some sunflowers along the fence. I'm pretty sure my neighbor on that side is rather heavy-handed with his pre-emergent herbicides because they had terrible time sprouting. Only plants that grow well there are perennials. I avoid that side of the property for growing anything edible.
It looks like I'll have plenty, so I'll try planting some of the started sunflower seedlings along the fence again to see if they can grow despite the weed-n-feed regimen on the other side of the fence.
I mentioned in the corn thread that I'm starting them indoors because of the chipmunks eating the corn as soon as they are sown. (they sniff them out and dig them up individually, leaving tiny tell-tale paw prints in the soft dirt
)For sunflowers, they can get all they want from the bird feeder, so my main problem is with slugs and tiny garden snails eating the tender sprouted seedlings. If they can get their true leaves out and get going, they can outgrow the munchers, so I'm hoping giving them a bit of a headstart will help.
Also, last year, I tried to grow some sunflowers along the fence. I'm pretty sure my neighbor on that side is rather heavy-handed with his pre-emergent herbicides because they had terrible time sprouting. Only plants that grow well there are perennials. I avoid that side of the property for growing anything edible.
It looks like I'll have plenty, so I'll try planting some of the started sunflower seedlings along the fence again to see if they can grow despite the weed-n-feed regimen on the other side of the fence.
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applestar
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Watchrebel, how is the last sunflower standing?
Did you fill in with compost? I'm sorry I should have said that think it would help -- actually I would use 1/2 and 1/2 compost and sand.
I sowed 36 sprouted sunflower seeds in 2" mini soil blocks:
I sowed the rest of the sprouted seeds in a flat for sunflower sprout greens called "sunnys"
https://sproutpeople.org/sunflowergreens.html
(trying very hard not to high jack this thread
)
Did you fill in with compost? I'm sorry I should have said that think it would help -- actually I would use 1/2 and 1/2 compost and sand.
I sowed 36 sprouted sunflower seeds in 2" mini soil blocks:
I sowed the rest of the sprouted seeds in a flat for sunflower sprout greens called "sunnys"
https://sproutpeople.org/sunflowergreens.html(trying very hard not to high jack this thread
)I suggest you can start the sunflowers inside, and get them out as soon as you see a bit of green. I start inside so they can be watched, and if seeds put directly in the ground the birds just 'know'. Once they show some green get the starts out in a sheltered spot. I prefer out of rain, say on porch, under eaves etc, and not in direct sun. Once up a bit increase sun time. They can go in the ground once up to true leaves.
I have 2 rounds started in peat pellets. These are the Cucumber Leaf Sunflower, native to your Gulf Coast area.
I have 2 rounds started in peat pellets. These are the Cucumber Leaf Sunflower, native to your Gulf Coast area.