Sunflower Plants at 36 Inches Tall

Today's sunflower plant measurement is made on the 51st day since the Burpee Sunflower Seeds were planted in the ground. At 43 days, the tallest height reached 24 inches. That is a growth of one foot in one week's time.

Sunday, May 4th, my tallest sunflower plant is actually over 36 inches tall. It is actually nearly 38 inches tall. This plant is in the middle of the second row.

Sunflower Plant Height of Thirty-Eight Inches at 51 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 4, 2014

The sunflower plants which I have been charting with measurements are at 36 inches in height. These plants are at the end of the fourth row, nearest the house.

Sunflower Plant Height of Thirty-Six Inches at 51 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 4, 2014

If you look to the right of my hand and measuring tape, you will see the solar patio light. I repositioned three of them out of the sunflower garden as the plants were obscuring the sunlight from them.

THE WIDEST SUNFLOWER PLANTS

I have been seeing consistent growth on the sunflower plants from the organic seeds. Those are the plants which have more leafy leaves.

Sunflower Plant Width of Twenty-Five Inches at 51 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 4, 2014

How about that? Those organic sunflower plants have leaf spans which are over two feet wide! They are not the tallest plants, but are rather charting the same heights as widths! Curious.

Sunflower Plant Width of Twenty-Four Inches at 51 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 4, 2014

MEASUREMENT COMPARISON

1. 23 days - 6 inches wide by 7 inches across by 6 inches tall
2. 30 days - 9 inches wide by 10 inches across by 12 inches tall
3. 37 days - 11 inches wide by 13 inches across by 18 inches tall 
4. 43 days - 18 inches wide by 18 inches across by 24 inches tall
5. 51 days - 24 inches wide by 25 inches across by 36-38 inches tall 

I really think the extra growth can be attributed to the extra addition over the weeks of Sta-Green Potting Mix and the application of Kgro All-Purpose 24-8-16 Water Soluble Plant Food on the 42nd day. Plus, we have had several days of rain this past week and finally a sunny SUNday!

Sunflower Garden Three Rows at 51 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 4, 2014

L to R: Tall, taller, tallest! It is wild how the growth in my sunflower garden rows was rather the opposite last year in my first garden. This year, the taller plants are in the third and fourth rows nearest the house.

Sunflower Garden Four Rows at 51 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 4, 2014

TAKE A LOOK AT MY SUNFLOWER GARDEN

This is the magic shot that I love to use for my time lapse photography for the measurement comparison! The sun was in my eyes and made this shot a little out of focus, but you can still get the idea of the growth. It is most dramatic when you compare that to last week's picture! See that picture near the end of that blog post.

My Second Sunflower Garden at 51 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: May 4, 2014

WHAT A JOURNEY THIS HAS BEEN

Reflecting back on the start of the journey and where it has taken us ... I knew I wanted to do my second DIY garden of sunflowers in 2014. I waited a bit longer this year to get started, planting the seeds directly into the ground on March 14, 2014. On May 2, 2014, I wrote about my first DIY garden of sunflowers, summing up all the work that went into that 2013 inaugural flower garden.

For my second DIY garden of sunflowers, I have diligently plotted the growth in my flower garden for 51 days! I remember my excitement when I saw the first seedlings emerge at 6 days only to then see them dug up by critters! I covered the seedlings for 21 consecutive days to protect them from the digging critters. I fertilized and watered and pulled weeds and removed slime molds of pink and yellow. I fed the orange tabby cat and tried to keep it from sitting on my sunflower plants.

It has been an incredible amount of work and too many hours to count. But, you know what? I wouldn't have had it any other way. The payout is coming when I get to see the sunflower blossoms.

It is like a science project in that I am using only sunflower seeds that I harvested from last year's garden.

Refreshing my mind on what Burpee Sunflower Seeds I started with in my first DIY garden of sunflowers. In that picture, you can see the very three packets of Burpee's I used : Del Sol Hybrid (Pollenless), Summer Evening Mix, and Summer Cutting Garden Mix. In the end, I got a lot of height and the most amazing mix of colors. This year, I have great expectations!

Waiting ... when will I see the first bud? It has got to be some time this week!

Yellow Slime Mold in Sunflower Garden

This morning, the mold of the day is YELLOW! It is a yellow slime mold that I found in my sunflower garden.

Yellow Slime Mold aka Dog Vomit aka Physarum polycephalum
In My Sunflower Garden ~ JaguarJulie

I previously have written about the pink slime mold that I was seeing a lot of in the sunflower garden. Before I starting seeing so much of the pink stuff, I had seen the yellow slime mold a few consecutive mornings.

Then, it was a couple weeks of the pink stuff before I saw the yellow return. Kind of strange, you know?

Yellow Slime Mold aka Dog Vomit aka Physarum polycephalum
In My Sunflower Garden ~ JaguarJulie

There's another picture of the yellow slime mold. It really does look like dog or cat vomit! Looking to the lower left of the picture, there is a lighter spot with a hint of yellow ... I think that is more of it in a another stage of development.

YELLOW IS THE MOST COMMON

"One of the most commonly encountered slime molds is the yellow Physarum polycephalum." ~ Slime molds according to Wikipedia.

THE PLASMODIUM

Did you know that the plasmodium is "the active, streaming form of slime molds." I believe that is the phase you are seeing in the two pictures. "It is during this stage that the organism searches for food. The plasmodium surrounds its food and secretes enzymes to digest it." ~ Physarum polycephalum according to Wikipedia.

I wonder if there is some correlation between the appearance and feeding patters of the pink slime mold vs. the yellow slime mold? Thus far, I've not seen both of those at the same time in my sunflower garden. It's either one or the other!

Pink Slime Mold in Sunflower Garden

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been noticing something very strange in my sunflower garden. It's a nice color -- light to medium pink -- but if you squish it, it oozes hot pink goo or slime! Googling "pink mold in garden" I happened to find out it is a slime mold that supposedly inspired some science fiction movies years ago. How about that?

MY PINK SLIME MOLD

Pink Slime Mold aka Wolf's Milk aka Lycogala Epidendrum
In My Sunflower Garden ~ JaguarJulie

Googling further, I next found it referred to as "Wolf's Milk." That seemed to be a strange reference. Finally, I hit upon the scientific name of Lycogala epidendrum.

Checking the description on Wikipedia, it says,

During the plasmodial stage, individuals are reddish in color, but these are almost never seen. When conditions change, the individuals aggregate by means of chemical signaling to form an aethalium, or fruiting body. These appear as small cushion-like blobs measuring about 3–15 millimetres in diameter.

Little "cushion-like blobs!" I couldn't have described it better myself.

Pink Slime Mold aka Wolf's Milk aka Lycogala Epidendrum
In My Sunflower Garden ~ JaguarJulie

The color of the "cushion-like blobs" can vary from pinkish-grey to yellowish-brown or greenish-black. And, when they mature, the blobs can be more of a brownish color. I actually saw some brownish ones adjacent to the pink; however, I didn't take a photo of that!

Pink Slime Mold aka Wolf's Milk aka Lycogala Epidendrum
In My Sunflower Garden ~ JaguarJulie

I've found the pink slime mold several mornings -- perhaps 7 times? Each time, I've put on my yellow rubber gloves. Using my garden steak knife, I gently scoop under the blobs and put them in a plastic bag. I seal up the bag and throw it in the trash. When I am not careful, I have squished some of it to see that darker pink gooey paste.

Pink Slime Mold aka Wolf's Milk aka Lycogala Epidendrum
In My Sunflower Garden ~ JaguarJulie

Ack!! I was wondering, "what should I be doing with that stuff?"

WHAT TO DO WITH PINK SLIME MOLD

The Garden Detective, Jessica Damiano says,

It's harmless and will go away on its own, but if you want to eliminate it, just turn over the mulch or scoop up the blobs, bag them and toss them in the trash.

How about that? I guess I had a good intuitive instinct in that I was scooping up the blobs, bagging them, and then tossing the knotted bag in my trash! Now I am wondering about all those little white plastic bags of bagged blobs!!

There's another gal with a good sense of humor in that she describes this stuff as looking like "dog vomit." I was actually thinking that the orange tabby left me some "cat vomit!" Nana Mejia, Horticulture Agent, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension says,

The best approach to controlling these unique organisms is to try changing the environment in which they grow. Slime molds and other such organisms will not grow well in dry situations.

Learn more about these unique blobs in Myxomycetes: A Handbook of Slime Molds.

I think you're probably in the mood for Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack [Online Game Code].

Have you ever experienced pink slime mold aka Lycogala epidendrum? Oh, please share! Show me your pictures!

DIFFERENT LOOKING SLIME MOLD

Another Pink Slime Mold Found in My Front Yard Garden ~ JaguarJulie

I found another type of pink slime mold in my front yard garden, in the black mulch. I've seen it there a couple of times. It has never looked like the pink slime mold little blobs that have appeared in my sunflower garden. Now, I really think this looks like "dog vomit" or "cat vomit." I found a page of slime mold photos at Wayne's Word that identifies something similar looking as of the Kingdom Protista, Division Myxomycota.

ANOTHER COLOR OF SLIME MOLD

I knew if I was patient that I would see that other color of slime mold in my sunflower garden. On Sunday, April 27th, I was up earlier than usual - and that would explain why the flash went off on my camera as I tried to capture proof of yet another color!

Brown / Gray Slime Mold aka Wolf's Milk aka Lycogala Epidendrum
In My Sunflower Garden ~ JaguarJulie

Take a look towards the top of that picture. The cushion-like blobs are tinier than the pink at the bottom of the photo. The colors are grays and browns; I've seen the color of hombre used for this - I think this might be that!

Sunflower Plants at 24 Inches Tall

Today I did my measurements of the sunflower plants rather than waiting for Sunday. Good thing I did that as the tallest height of the sunflower plants is now 24 inches tall. How about that? Two feet of growth in 43 days.

Sunflower Plant Height of Twenty-Four Inches at 43 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 26, 2014

I did my height measurement at the same spot I've been measuring the plants for the past 4 weeks. Then, I went to the second row in to check the height there.

Sunflower Plant Height of Twenty-Four Inches at 43 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 26, 2014

How about that? I found there had been a little extra growth over the past week in that second row. I found the tallest height also at 24 inches - although it looks like 25 inches.

SUNFLOWER WIDTH MEASUREMENTS

I didn't do a width measurement of those first two tallest sunflower plants as I noticed in the fourth row that there was a really leafy plant.

Sunflower Plant Width of Eighteen Inches at 43 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 26, 2014

There was a uniform measurement on that plant of eighteen inches across and eighteen inches wide.

Sunflower Plant Width of Eighteen Inches at 43 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 26, 2014

I will need to check out the widest measurement on some of the individual leaves as they are looking pretty substantial in size. Take a look at the overall plant that is the widest.

THE WIDEST SUNFLOWER PLANT

Sunflower Plant Width of Eighteen by Eighteen Inches at 43 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 26, 2014

Sunflower Plant Width of Eighteen by Eighteen Inches at 43 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 26, 2014

You might think that the widest sunflower plant is the wildest! In some regards, maybe, as this plant is a bit different from the others. I would say it is from one of the organic sunflower seeds! In last year's garden the third row planted were 2 packets of Burpee Organic Sunflower Seeds. Those plants were not like the others.

On the organic sunflower plants, I found the leaves were larger and much more defined. They also seemed a little "furry" with choppy or zig-zaggy edges. Thankfully, the stalks on the organic plants were much thicker and sturdier, to support those extra leaves!

MY SECOND SUNFLOWER GARDEN

Sunflower Plant Height of Twenty-Four Inches at 43 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 26, 2014

There is that shot of the sunflower plants next to the decorative edging. If you compare this picture with the previous week's sunflower garden picture against the decorative edging, you can appreciate all the extra growth.

My second sunflower garden has been shaping up to be much better than my first sunflower garden of one year ago! That first flower garden had only three rows of plants. This second flower garden has four rows and more than double the plants!

TAKE A LOOK AT MY SUNFLOWER GARDEN

My Second Sunflower Garden at 43 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 26, 2014

In my May 17, 2013 blog post, I did a bit of time-lapse photography with that above picture, charting the growth of my first sunflower garden.

ADDING PLANT FOOD

Over the course of the past 43 days, after planting the sunflower seeds with Sta-Green Potting Mix, I added more of that potting mix to the four rows on three different occasions. Then, on the 42nd day, I picked up a bag of Kgro All-Purpose 24-8-16 Water Soluble Plant Food. I mixed up the blue crystals in my large green 5 liter watering can for four different applications, one per row.

This year's garden is a comparison of sorts to my first garden. Last year, it was all Miracle-Gro -- potting mix and Miracle-Gro 1001233 All Purpose 24-8-16 Plant Food. We will be comparing Miracle-Gro to the "other" products; i.e. Sta-Green and Kgro!

CONSIDER ORGANIC SUNFLOWER SEEDS

I was just shopping on Amazon for Burpee Organic Sunflower Seeds and found two products which I would want to try:

1. Burpee Sunflower Mammoth 60740 (Yellow) 20 Organic Seeds
2. Sunflower Seeds, Autumn Beauty Mix Organic 1 Pkt. (30 seeds)

Sunflower Plants at Thirty Seven Days

Happy Easter Everyone! I awakened to an overcast and misty Easter Sunday. Time to do the measurements! As of April 20th, it is over a month of history on my second sunflower garden. Today is the thirty seventh day.

Last night was the first night in several weeks that I didn't put down the protective covering of the weed barrier cloth. For 21 consecutive nights and days, I put down and picked up the protective covering. Without the use of the landscape cloth, I wasn't sure if there would be evidence of critters digging in the sunflower garden. Luckily, those digging critters stayed away on Easter Sunday, although I detected some evidence of a mole moving around under the garden.

Sunflower Garden Four Rows of Plants at 37 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 20, 2014

Check out those four rows of sunflower plants in my garden! Compare those to the sunflower seedlings and plants at thirty days. I think you can see a lot of growth in the past seven days.

SUNFLOWER PLANT MEASUREMENTS

My first measurement was to check the height. One week ago, at 30 days, the height was twelve inches. And, two weeks ago, at 23 days, the height was just six inches. How tall would the sunflower plant be at 37 days? Well, give a look ...

Sunflower Plant Height of Eighteen Inches at 37 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 20, 2014

That's pretty consistent growth in the height which has been averaging six inches per every 7 days. I think we will start to see a bit more growth from this point forward.

Sunflower Plant Width of Eleven Inches at 37 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 20, 2014

The sunflower leaf width measured eleven inches, an increase of only two inches from one week ago. However, we are seeing a lot more fullness with the leaf spread and more leaves being added to the sunflower stems.

Sunflower Plant Width of Thirteen Inches at 37 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 20, 2014

Our measurement on the width across came in at thirteen inches, an increase of three inches from one week ago. The leaves are really filling out and starting to look like traditional sunflower leaves.

Comparing our three measurements:

1. 23 days - 6 inches wide by 7 inches across by 6 inches tall
2. 30 days - 9 inches wide by 10 inches across by 12 inches tall
3. 37 days - 11 inches wide by 13 inches across by 18 inches tall

SUNFLOWER PLANTS TALLER THAN DECORATIVE EDGING!

You get a more impressive idea of how the sunflower plants are growing when you take a shot next to the metal decorative edging.

Sunflower Plant Height of Eighteen Inches at 37 Days ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: April 20, 2014

It sure is rewarding growing your own flower garden from seed. When I contemplated my second sunflower garden, I didn't know what to expect. I have to say that I am extremely THRILLED at the "performance" of the Burpee Sunflower Seeds. I don't know that I would try any other brand.