First try at sunflowers

Sharing some of my recent experience. Biggest is settings on the john Deere 8300 grain drill. I couldn't find anything on settings for sunflower.

The planting rate for drilling sunflower was 4-5 lbs/acre.

I started on a setting of 14 and quickly realized that I was putting about 10-11 lbs/acre.
Got a really thick stand but the heads are about 1/3 the size of normal.




I adjusted to a 7 and soon realized that was too small of a gap and it was grinding a lot of the seed.
Not enough plants but huge heads.




Opened up to a 10 and got great coverage. It put out about 7 lbs/acre with very consistent coverage.



I did see the value of pre-spraying with roundup.
I missed this area and all my sunflowers were knee high with silver dollar heads.

Also did 2-5 acre fields in wgf sorghum. So far no seed heads and it doesn't look good.


5 acres of sorghum beside 5 acres of sunflower. This field stayed soaked for about 3 weeks after planting and I got about 20% sunflower growth.

Did 7 acres of mixed brow top millet and hybrid pearl millet.

Brow top is super thick and covered with heads but looks like it's already dropping. I think i needed to wait until May instead of April. The pearl didn't do good at all. What came is putting off big heads but only the high/dry ground took.
Super tick brown top


Brown top and pearl


Come on September!!!!

Awesome!!

Cool !

Very cool! I gotta remember this for next year

Any thoughts on why the WGF isn't doing well. We just planted some on some wetlands this year and are hoping for the best.

What kind of sunflowers did you plant ?

the good news is ------ next year just plow, the sunflowers will automatically grow, but you have to plow.

depending on what part of the state you're in, the small native flowers will do that anyway. or come on strong in a field that was disked and planted in WW the previous fall

Blazer Black Oil Sunflowers

I don't believe that these will come back up on their own. The natives definitely do. I can't plow these plots because they are on a hilltop and I would lose a ton of dirt with any rain. We are spraying and then no till drilling. I wish I could just plow and let the natives come up. Lot easier and cheaper.

Not sure on the wgf. I sure hope they seed out. I was counting on those 2 -5 acre fields to be producers.

Thats what I do just plow but I get a couple lbs of hybrid and through them out as I plow

Where abouts?

Looking good. What day in April did you plant the brown top?

How many did you lose to deer? I've always heard that deer destroy sunflowers. We planted about 10 acres of milo this year. Its looking good so far.

East Bell County around Seaton

I'm sorry sallysue, kinda know where you are. Was wondering about brazosboyt, cause there is a big field that has been planted close to my house.

Between buckholts and Rogers.

Ewww it's so on...nothing like doing the work and waiting for the benefits. Nice work. I think I see a dove in one of your pictures already

I wonder which section the doves will like the best?

But there is a big field that somebody planted, should help us!!!!!! Thanks.

Pretty much zero. Deer heard is thin in that area. I did 15 acres in San Saba 1 year. They got 4" high and within a week, there wasn't a plant left.