Thanks for posting this question. I am having problem with my Sunflower too. I didn't know which Sunflower would be best for cut flower so I planted several kinds. I am very disorganized so didn't keep track of which is which. Anyhow, most of them have floppy and weak stems even though they all have long stems that I want.

I wonder which Sunflowers have bright flower with medium yellow or brown disc and strong stem and good for cutting. I would like to try those next year. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I won't compete with your business. I grow flowers for use at a temple, not for the market.
Thank you.

Hi Sherri,

Eversun has been our main sunflower for several years now. How floppy are your stems, anyway? Eversun stems are normally like tree trunks, but we have noticed a slight tendency towards floppiness and flower fragility in heat and drought conditions compared to some of our other sunflowers. Heat and drought in Texas probably put our heat and drought to shame. We try to take a bit more care with irrigation on Eversuns. We've also never transplanted them. Our guess would be that it's a combination of those two factors.
We don't use fertilizer, but we do till in a lot of mushroom manure, which does have some nutrients.
Good luck in solving your problem. We still think Eversuns are just awesome, with the flower size, shape, and normal lasting qualities.

Chris

Chris,

Thanks for your reply. The stems are pretty darn weak. Often if they appear to be o.k. at harvest, they will bend and twist w/in a few hours post harvest. It is ironic, because the only complaint we had w/this flower in the spring was that a lot of the stems were too thick! We were having problems w/germination from direct seeding and as a result we had uneven spacing. We were hoping that transplanting would help w/stem size since we would have more uniform spacing. It just goes to show you don't really know a variety until you have experienced it in all possible circumstances. I truly hope the problem is more the heat than the transplanting, because we have about 15,000 more plants in the field. They should mature when the weather is a little cooler here. I definetely agree, they are the prettiest variety we've grown. We are heartbroken to be having this current problem w/them.

Pitimpinai, as you can see-I have not yet found the perfect variety. Eversun is a truly beautiful sunflower, and since you probably don't have to worry about the horrendous heat we have here, it would probably be a good variety for you. Do you normally direct seed your suns? Another good variety for the traditional look is Sunrich Orange. Sunbright is a very hardy variety, it does have shorter petals, however, and I personally prefer the longer petal look. I also strongly recommend Sunrich Gold. Sunrich Gold has a yellow/green center and is a very hardy plant.

Sherri

ALL of my sunflowers are transplanted, including Eversun, and I don't think that has had an effect on stem strength. From what I've gleaned from this forum and other local growers, my sunflowers' stems are perfectly normal, floppy on the floppy varieties and strong on the strong varieties. Eversuns are TREES. I transplant at seedling age of 3-4 weeks, ideally, but some have been as late as 5 or 6 weeks and did fine with that. I haven't tried holding the superfast varieties (ProCuts, Premier Light Yellow) that long, but goodness knows Eversun isn't superfast! We haven't had any horrible hot spells but I irrigate so frequently, it wouldn't really be an issue. My guess is that your weather caused it.

pitimpinai, you might want to try the ProCuts - and Eversun!

Jeanne

Our experience has been floppy stems have nothing to do with the weather. Generally, we have found sunflowers to be heavy feeders and must be planted in fertile soil. We try not planting sunflowers in the same section two seasons in a row before we have time to rebuild the soil primarily with green manure crops.

It has been an extremely hot and humid season for us growers in Michigan. We haven't noted floppy stems; however, we have dealt with our share of thrips, Japanese beetles, aphids, leafhoppers and other such pests. This is the first season we find that we must cut flowers before they open. Otherwise, the petals get chewed. In previous seasons, we haven't had this problem.

BTW -- We don't transplant any sunflowers. They are all direct seeded.

Just curious how one might work a tree into an arrangement.

Our customers don't want the large sunflowers. This may be regional; however, if you look in many of the decorating magazines, Sunbright is always the sunflower featured. If we're taking 20 buckets of Sunbright to market, and bringing home two bunches, we're guessing we must be doing something right. It's always a hard call trying to figure what the customers are going to want each season. Many, many vendors sell sunflowers and zinnias at our markets. We charge more for our sunflowers; however, it's our belief that it has everything to do with marketing and display.

Jeanne, where do I find ProCuts & Eversun? I googled them but came up with zilch. I grow only a few- just enough for a few arrangements a week, not commercially, though.

Thanks.