Russian Mammoth Sunflowers

This is no April Fools joke! It is April 1, 2018, and I just planted one dozen Russian Mammoth Sunflower seeds. Or, should that be referred to as Mammoth Russian? I feel it is more correct to put the country name first! What do you think about that?

Julie Ann Brady - Russian Mammoth Sunflower - June 22, 2018

This pretty photo of my Russian Mammoth Sunflower is what you would normally find on the cover of a sunflower seed packet like Burpee's!

Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seeds Planted April 1, 2018
Five Chianti Hybrid Sunflower Seedlings

I'm using a starter planter which is my black, long, rectangular planter. It has been fifteen days on the planting of 6 Chianti Hybrid Sunflower seeds in that planter. You can see the 5 such sunflower seedlings which have emerged. Using rubber gloves, I drilled down with my pointer finger to create 12 holes that were more than 1 inch deep and less than 2 inches deep.

Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seeds

I recently purchased a packet of Russian Mammoth Sunflower seeds from an eBay seller located in Saint Peters, Missouri. The eBay listing said 20 seeds, but I think the packet had a quantity nearly double that. These sunflower seeds are reportedly organic, newly harvested, and should produce sunflowers that are 7-10 ft. tall.

Six Days Update - April 7, 2018

Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seedling at 6 Days April 7, 2018

After planting a dozen of the Russian Mammoth Sunflower seeds, it was the 4th day and the seedlings were emerging! On the 5th day, several more.

Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seedling at 6 Days April 7, 2018

By the 6th day, eight of the twelve seeds had sprouted little seedlings. In the rectangular planter, there are five Chianti Hybrid Sunflower seedlings with protective coverings. You can see the unprotected Russian Mammoth Sunflower seedlings that have emerged.

Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seedling at 6 Days April 7, 2018

The Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seedling is in the middle. It is 6 days on that growth, compared to the 3 weeks on the growth of the Chianti Hybrid Sunflower Seedlings in the plastic bottles.

Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seedling at 6 Days April 7, 2018

Measuring the height on the tallest Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seedling, it is a solid 3 inches, if not a bit more. That is impressive!

Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seedling at 6 Days April 7, 2018

Comparing the stems of the Russian Mammoth Sunflower Seedlings to the Chianti Hybrid, it is interesting to see the differences. The Russian Mammoth stems are all green white the Chianti Hybrid has a bit of reddish color at the base. Additionally, the Russian Mammoth stems look a bit more solid for the early growth.

GROWTH PROGRESS OF THE RUSSIAN MAMMOTH SUNFLOWERS

Russian Mammoth Sunflower at 23 Days April 24, 2018

Russian Mammoth Sunflowers at 34 Days May 5, 2018

Russian Mammoth Sunflower Split Stalks at 38 Days May 9, 2018

As I observed the growth progress of the Russian Mammoth Sunflowers through April and into May, I saw the leaves were being eaten by some bugs. It seemed the bugs favored the Russian Mammoth over the Chianti Hybrid!

Earwig Bug Trap Jar in Sunflower Garden on May 9, 2018

I installed an earwig bug trap jar for several days to see if I would snag a bug or two. I have yet to determine what type of bugs are at work. With thunderstorms forecasted for Central Florida, I removed the jar and stake.

Russian Mammoth Sunflower 35 inches tall at 41 Days on May 12, 2018

Sunflower Garden at 55 and 41 Days on May 12, 2018

The sunflower garden enclosure has stayed in place to keep the bunnies and squirrels from nibbling. I had debated removing the rug pads from the sides of the enclosure, but decided to keep it there. Thus far, the only nibbling on the plant has come from some nocturnal leaf bugs!

Sunflower Garden at 63 and 49 days on May 20, 2018

The tallest sunflower is the Chianti Hybrid at 59 inches. The Russian Mammoth are actually 14 days behind on age, but catching up nicely on the growth.

Brown Bunny checking out Sunflowers May 19, 2018

The evening of May 19th, the brown bunny was nearby for the longest time, wondering how it might get into that sunflower enclosure. I'm sure it could SMELL it!!

Sunflower Garden at 69 and 55 days on May 26, 2018

Russian Mammoth Sunflowers in Front Yard Garden June 2, 2018

To know me and my sunflowers is to know that I am always thinking about them and hoping the bunnies and squirrels don't take them out!! I planted several more in the rectangular container and then put them in the ground in the front yard ... a real leap of faith it was! Well, now, after watching them and nurturing them, you can see three of them are advancing in growth. I'm guessing the tallest one is easily 2 feet or maybe more!

Sunflower Garden at 78 and 64 days on June 4, 2018

All five of the Chianti Hybrid sunflowers are blossoming with some incredible flowers. Recently, the Russian Mammoth sunflowers kicked in and started having major growth spurts. There is one in particular that is really growing and nearly the height of the house. At 64 days, I can see buds forming on the tops of the sunflowers.

Julie Ann Brady - Russian Mammoth Sunflowers - June 17, 2018

For more information on the Russian Mammoth Sunflower, be sure to check out the Burpee website. I really needed a ladder to be able to photograph the blossoms! It was indeed a mammoth experience!

Julie Ann Brady - Russian Mammoth Sunflower - June 20, 2018

Julie Ann Brady - Russian Mammoth Sunflower - June 20, 2018

Julie Ann Brady - Russian Mammoth Sunflower - June 20, 2018

Julie Ann Brady - Russian Mammoth Sunflower - June 23, 2018

P.S. Thanks for dropping by to check out my Russian Mammoth Sunflowers. I appreciate you taking time to visit, but please do me a big favor ... DO NOT STEAL MY HARD WORK!!!

Cutting the Sunflower Heads from the Plants

On Friday, June 20, 2014, it was the 98th day of my second DIY sunflower garden. And, that was the first day that I began to cut off the sunflower heads to harvest them for seeds. I probably cut around two dozen of the larger heads. I checked the back sides to see that they were yellowing and indented and that the petals had already fallen off.

White Mommy Cat Inspecting Cut Sunflower Heads
Photo Taken June 20, 2014

Last year, it was closer to the first of June when I was harvesting the seeds from the sunflower heads. In 2013, I was able to use my Florida Room for the drying of the sunflower heads. This year, things changed significantly when I located the six baby kittens that the white mommy cat had stashed in my neighbor's bushes!

White Mommy Cat Inspecting Cut Sunflower Heads
Photo Taken June 20, 2014

Now the mommy cat and six baby kittens are enjoying the pleasures of my Florida Room. So, I am using my garage for the drying location. After cutting about two dozen sunflower heads, I put them in the lid to my 55-gallon trash can. That seemed to work quite well for supporting the heads while they dry. I placed the lid on the top of the garbage can in the garage and have left it there for the right time to harvest the seeds.

Today, June 24th, is the 102nd day of my sunflower garden. I have filled a second lid with the cut sunflower heads. I have also been cutting the smaller heads and placing them at the foot of a crepe myrtle tree at the back of my property. Yesterday, I found a squirrel had actually climbed to the top of one of my taller sunflower plants to chew off one of the heads! So, to keep those squirrels happy, I have cut several dozen sunflower heads to keep them happy.

The squirrels aren't the only critters climbing my sunflower plants! The female and male cardinal birds have been landing on the stalks and actually snapping a few plants. I've also seen the baby mockingbirds jumping around at the base of the sunflower garden. Numerous times, the hummingbird has made an appearance, but it doesn't stick around long enough for me to snap a photo!

By the way, yesterday morning I was working out at Bailey's Powerhouse Gym. Chatting with a friend for a while, she suddenly stopped and asked me, "you don't smoke pot do you?" I looked at her surprised and said, "no, but I was working in my sunflower garden this morning, cutting the heads." You see, I must have reeked of the pungent sunflower odor. When you are cutting the heads, you get a little sticky residue on your hands. And the sunflower leaves can impart a strong smell when you handle them! Don't be working in your sunflower garden the day of any job interview! They might think you smell like pot, or something!!!

P.S. Oh, mommy cat? Well at 8:45am on Friday, June 20th, I located the six baby kittens and brought them into the Florida Room. Next, I was looking for the right opportunity to bring in mommy cat. You can see she was hanging around when I was cutting the sunflower heads early in the afternoon. I didn't want to "grab" her because that might unduly frighten her. She had to be comfortable coming inside. Well, the opportunity presented itself at 3:45pm that day. Yeah, it took me six hours for her to be ready to be with her babies inside!

Critters Digging Up My Sunflower Seedlings

There is nothing worse than having some critter come into your sunflower garden and create havoc amidst your little sunflower seedlings. Bright and early the morning of March 22nd, I saw the first evidence of some digging critter in my sunflower garden. It attacked my first row of seedlings with a vengeance. Then, the very next morning of March 23rd, I found it had returned. The digging style was the same! I am guessing that this was a raccoon.

In my previous blog post, Sunflower Seedlings Emerging in Six Days, I shared more information and photos about the sunflower seedlings coming up and how this critter was doing its best to cull the crop, so to speak.

This is my second year of growing a sunflower garden from seed. In my first garden, I had plenty of experience with insects and critters in my sunflower garden. However, I had no experience with critters digging up the little seedlings.

The digging critter came back three more nights, but didn't look as "hungry" on those occasions.

DIFFERENT CRITTER DIGGING?

The morning of March 28th, a critter had been digging in each of the four rows in my sunflower garden. The digging appeared to be a little smaller in specific size, yet was more wide-ranging, affecting all the garden.

Critter Digging in my Sunflower Seedlings ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: March 28, 2014

Critter Digging in my Sunflower Seedlings ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: March 28, 2014

Critter Digging in my Sunflower Seedlings ~ JaguarJulie
Photo Taken: March 28, 2014

I am pretty sure that there were two different types of critters digging in my sunflower garden over the five days. On the last morning that I found digging, the critter had skipped the garden and found my two rectangular flower pots on the side of the house.

What do you think was digging up my sunflower seedlings? Do you agree that it was a raccoon and an opossum? Have you dealt with these pesky critters in your garden? What would you do?

By the fifth day, I knew I had to take some action to protect my garden. Next up, Protecting Sunflower Seedlings From Digging Critters.

The Sunflower Project : Free Seeds and Paying it Forward

I am using this blog post to officially launch The Sunflower Project, a "Paying it Forward" kind of effort. The project is originating in Jacksonville, Florida and looking to connect with my readership base throughout the United States of America. In the beginning, I started with a few packets of Burpee's Sunflower Seeds. I mapped out an area in my backyard for a sunflower garden. That was the germination for The Sunflower Project.

Pretty Warm Sunflowers in a Vase - Sunflowers from My Garden
Photo taken by JaguarJulie Ann Brady

Now, the emphasis is on continuing the germination. In a nutshell, The Sunflower Project begins with packets of free sunflower seeds which are sent out to those who will be participating in the project. Once the sunflower seeds are received, they are planted and their growth is charted.

When the sunflowers are fully grown, the participants will harvest their own sunflower seeds. And, those sunflower seeds will then be passed on to new participants in The Sunflower Project.

The "paying it forward" will continue on from participant to participant sending on their harvested sunflower seeds.

Harvesting Sunflower Seeds from the First Sunflower Head
Photo taken by JaguarJulie Ann Brady

Recently, I have been harvesting sunflower seeds from several of my dried sunflower heads. I will be preparing the seed packets for shipping out to participants by the end of June 2013.

We would hope to see the participants being inspired to write about their experiences and share their own sunflower photos along the way.

Are you interested in participating? The first step is to indicate your interest by leaving a comment on this blog post. We will then be working to get your contact information, along with mailing address.

Do you have a green or yellow thumb? Have you ever grown sunflowers before? Want to get involved in this project?

P.S. After you have added your comment here on this blog post that you want to participate, please send me your full shipping information.

Working on The Sunflower Project

The first full day of The Sunflower Project, we had 4 early adopters who signed up right out of the gate: Kyra, Rachelle, Casey, and Carolan. Day two, four more participants signed up; Cris, Lynda, Tony and Charity. Eight packets of seeds have been dispatched to the participants.

Day three brought in two more expert flower gardeners, Debbie and Lillian. Don't be left behind. I have got a gazillion sunflower seeds already harvested. Not ready to put them in a bird feeder. Get your free seeds now.

Three Sunflower Seed Packets from The Sunflower Project
Photo taken June 12, 2013 by JaguarJulie Ann Brady

Last night, I was up until just short of Midnight harvesting the seeds from all the sunflower heads that I have been drying. Take a look at all those seeds! I have already filled 9 seed packets from the first couple of dried heads; now I have a lot more seed packets to prepare.

An assortment of sunflower seeds harvested from the blossom heads
Photo taken on June 13, 2013 by JaguarJulie Ann Brady

Isn't it remarkable how much difference there are in those seeds? In the little piles on the two trays above, each of those piles represent one sunflower head's seeds! I worked on 18 sunflower heads to gather their seeds! My next step is to create the little seed packets and fill them with these seeds.

I've written about the largest sunflower head from my garden in a previous blog post. It weighed over 8 ounces. You can see the seeds I extracted from that head in the above picture, top tray, far upper left pile. That's a lot of seeds! I've also got a variety of colors in those seeds, not just the typical black. There are white seeds, tan seeds, brown seeds, and black seeds.

I wonder just how many sunflower seeds there are on those two trays?

The Sunflower Project
Plant these seeds and then Pay it Forward.
http://jaguarjulie.blogspot.com

Have you signed up to participate in The Sunflower Project yet? Hey! What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation. This is it. Your time is here. Time to plant the seeds. Looking forward to the growing season 2014! I have a plethora of sunflower seeds prepared to distribute before the next season. All you have to do is sign up and let me know you'd like to participate.

The Sunflower Project Blooms!

Labor Day, September 2, 2013: I have heard from one of The Sunflower Project participants, Lynda Makara! Oh my, but she did a fabulous "job" with her free packet of sunflower seeds. She has written a Zujava leaf, The Sunflower Project: Sunflower Seed Giveaway, which is quite remarkable! Honestly, I am so inspired by the beautiful backdrop she had for her sunflower garden. She is obviously a talented painter too as you should see her sunflower painting. Thanks Lynda for making this such an inspirational and joyous experience!

 PS Please do not steal my original images and written content. Be authentic and original. Be yourself and stop trying to be me. You know?

Harvesting Sunflower Seeds from the Heads

For ten days, I had been drying the cut sunflower heads in a wicker storage box in my Florida Room. Today, I worked on my first dried sunflower head to harvest the sunflower seeds.

By the way, imagine my surprise when I Googled sunflowers and harvesting sunflower seeds from the heads! Holy smokes, but I found so many content scrapers out there who don't have a clue how to be original and authentic, but feel the need to steal other people's work. Shame on you. Why don't you try and grow your own gardens and then you can share your own photography.

Dried Sunflower Head Before Harvesting Seeds

I knew that my sunflower head was about ready for harvesting the seeds as the top layer was easily falling away from the head. In the above picture, you can see the seeds exposed near the center of the head.

Dried Sunflower Head Before Harvesting Seeds

Checking the dried sunflower head, the rest of the top layer was easily falling away, exposing more of the sunflower seeds below.

Completely Removed Top Layer of the Dried Sunflower Head

Carefully running the ball of your finger over the top of the dried sunflower head, the top layer should easily fall off. Now you can see your seeds are completely exposed.

Some Sunflower Seeds Removed from the Dried Sunflower Head

As you gently brush the top of the dried sunflower head, the seeds will literally pop out. If you look closely at the above picture, you can actually see the remainder of the seeds within the seed head.

More Sunflower Seeds Removed from the Dried Sunflower Head

I found it amazing to see just how many sunflower seeds were neatly tucked into that dried sunflower head. In the above picture, you can now clearly see the honeycomb structure within the head that held the seeds. It rather reminds me of a bee's honeycomb.

All Sunflower Seeds Removed from the Dried Sunflower Head

Holy Smokes! Look at all those sunflower seeds. You can see them in the right side of the picture. On the left, is the top layer which covered the seeds. And, the honeycomb sunflower head has had all the seeds removed.

Grading the Sunflower Seeds Removed from the Dried Sunflower Head

I was curious how many sunflower seeds I gathered from harvesting the dried sunflower head. Can you make an educated guess how many there are without looking ahead at the answer?

How Many Sunflower Seeds Can You Harvest From One Dried Sunflower Head?

You can see I made 4 little piles of seeds. I was rather "grading" the types of seeds by A, B, C and D grades. To the far right is A; to the far left is the D group. After completing the counting and grading, I found that A and B were pretty comparable in quality and size.

Piles A and B have 100 sunflower seeds each. Pile C has 90 sunflower seeds. Pile D - I did not count but estimate that there are at least 50 little seeds. That's 290 good seeds from one dried sunflower head plus the 50 little seeds = 340 seeds!

I was more than a little impressed with the amount of seeds that I harvested from that one sunflower head. It measured 3.5 inches in diameter and weighed about 4.5 ounces. So, that's about 100 sunflower seeds harvested per 1 inch.

These sunflower seeds were harvested to be used as seeds for planting more sunflower plants. I hope to be distributing my sunflower seeds before the end of the month.*

By the way, I started with Burpee! You can get a variety of Burpee Sunflower Seeds on Amazon. I have enjoyed the Autumn Beauty variety the most. The colors are quite outstanding!

And, now I have a 7 foot sunflower garden -- how about that? All from little Burpee sunflower seeds.

*UPDATE: I started The Sunflower Project on June 11, 2013. Within the first three days of the project, I had a number of early adopters - participants who signed up. I've sent out free packets of sunflower seeds to everyone on the list. Don't miss out! Add your name to this pay it forward project.

Planting Sunflower Seedlings in the Ground

When you are getting ready for planting your sunflower seedlings in the ground, it's important that the weather cooperates. Living in Jacksonville, Florida, our weather can be quite different from day to day. As we head towards Spring, we can still experience some frosty mornings and nights.

Once you are sure that you have no more freezing weather, you can venture on to planting your sunflower seedlings.

Planting Sunflower Seedlings in the Ground : Left Row
Right Row: Sunflower Seeds from 3 Seed Packets
Photo taken March 18, 2013 by JaguarJulie Ann Brady

In one row, in my prepared garden area, I used Miracle-Gro Potting Mix and planted all the 25 cells of sunflower seedlings which I had been nurturing. In the second row, I planted the remaining seeds from the 3 seed packets.

Sunflower Seedlings Planted in the Ground by JaguarJulie
The very first look at what will surely come!
Photo taken March 27, 2013 by JaguarJulie Ann Brady

Once I got my sunflower seedling planted, they looked quite vulnerable to critters with the open garden. I happened to find some decorative metal edging at Big Lots. I placed the edging around the perimeter of the garden. Not only did it look pretty cool, but the critters stayed out of that garden area with the exception of one! It was that dog-gone mole.

Oh, please take a look to the left of that picture. You can see my Mexican Petunia garden. Note how those were pruned and don't currently look like much. Stay tuned for developments!

Sunflower Seedling Emerging from the Ground : Middle Row
Top Row: 2 packets of "organic" sunflower seeds from Lowe's
Photo taken April 3, 2013 by JaguarJulie Ann Brady

In the picture above, you can see that I have little sunflower seedlings already emerging from the ground in the middle row. Those came directly from the sunflower seeds being planted in the ground. In the top row, I planted more sunflower seeds. Those were 2 packets of Organic Sunflower Seeds, Autumn Beauty, purchased at Lowe's on April 3rd for $1.88 per packet.

I counted 28 sunflower seedings in the first row and 48 in the second row. That's 76 from 3 packets of seeds. I was quite pleased with the rate of growth that I got from the Burpee sunflower seeds! Little did I know what to expect: Sunflower Plants Prospering in the Ground.

Nurturing Sunflower Seedlings for a Flower Garden

It is so exciting to grow flowers from seeds! And, it is especially exciting when you are starting seeds inside, literally right under your nose. Nurturing sunflower seeds [into little sunflower seedlings] for a flower garden can be quite fulfilling and rather invigorating. I can well imagine how farmers feel tending their newly planted crops from seeds.

If you are following along with my flower garden progress, you have read about the first step; i.e., Planting a Flower Garden From Scratch and step two, Starting Sunflower Seeds for a Flower Garden. Hey, you can't go about planting a garden half-assed, you know?

I am working with the Burpee Eco-friendly Seed Starting 25 Pellet Greenhouse Kit. Let me tell you, I would recommend that product every time! If you want to start your flower seeds from scratch, get the Burpee Seed Starting Kit! They come in bigger sizes, but for us feminine ladies, 25 works great.

Burpee Seed Starting Kit
Photo Taken: March 8, 2013

So, about one week into the daily nurturing, I wake up one morning to find a bunch of seedlings pushing up on that biodegradable germination sheet.

The less expensive seeds comprise the 2 left columns, whilst the more expensive seeds are in the 3 right columns.

Do you notice that the "cheaper" seeds are nearly 100% seedlings?

Burpee Seed Starting Kit
Photo Taken: March 9, 2013

A few days later, I am seeing the more expensive seeds have germinated!

There was only one cell that hadn't yet sprouted a sunflower seedling.

I continued to water the cells daily, being careful not to over-water.

A little tip: Place the tip of your little finger into the side of the cell to feel if it is damp.

Watering these, I used a tablespoon and sprinkled water over the tops of the cells.

Burpee Seed Starting Kit
Photo Taken: March 10, 2013

It was surely interesting is to see the difference in growth of the seedlings.

The nurturing conditions up to this point were controlled.

Once I started seeing the seedlings sort of bending over, I put the starting kit on the floor in my Florida Room near the sunlight.

I avoided direct sunlight so as not to fry the little seedlings.

Burpee Seed Starting Kit
Photo Taken: March 11, 2013

The little sunflower seedlings were well on their way.

I was still seeing better growth from the $1.09 sunflower seeds.

The Jacksonville Florida weather was still too chilly to contemplate putting these seedlings in the ground.

It was still mid-March!

The seedlings were growing at a pretty solid rate that I knew I'd need another temporary flower pot.

Sunflower Seedlings in Burpee Seed Starting Kit
Photo taken March 11, 2013 by JaguarJulie

I hope you have enjoyed my step-by-step photos using the Burpee Eco-friendly Seed Starting 25 Pellet Greenhouse Kit. I feel like a mother nurturing her young child ... stand up straight now!

Sunflower Seedlings in a Rectangular Flower Pot
These are just about ready to be planted in the ground.
Photo taken March 14, 2013 by JaguarJulie

I found a rectangular flower pot at Lowe's which would work for transplanting the sunflower seedlings until I was ready to take them outside for planting in my flower garden. I separated each fiber cell, opening up the sides, and placed it in Miracle-Gro Potting Mix in two rows in the flower pot.

Now, it was only a matter of timing to move the growing sunflower seedlings outdoors into the flower garden. That would be the next step: Planting Sunflower Seedlings in the Ground.