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The 2017 Great Bigleggy Sunflower GrowOff

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Nightjar Sep 2017 7:52pm, 12 Sep 2017 4,955 posts	0 Nightjar Nice! Well done. We will share the honours!
Cyclops Sep 2017 8:25pm, 12 Sep 2017 3,120 posts	0 Cyclops I'm jealous :-(. All your sunflowers are huge and lovely
Alice the Camel Sep 2017 9:18pm, 12 Sep 2017 3,321 posts	0 Alice the Camel I pulled all mine out today, ahead of the storm. They were well past it! All except one, a cuckoo in the nest. I'm sure it must be a different variety, only about 4foot tall with 6 small heads, all in full bloom. A lovely bit of late summer colour!
Wriggling Snake Sep 2017 10:27pm, 12 Sep 2017 16,365 posts	0 Wriggling Snake Big heads. Mine were weeners by comparison. Biggest 154cm.....
alpenrose Sep 2017 7:47am, 13 Sep 2017 28,524 posts	0 alpenrose My talles one was chopped down yesterday, the others are going today.
McGoohan Sep 2017 8:43am, 13 Sep 2017 31,013 posts	0 McGoohan Mine have been a bit battered by last night's storm.
bigleggy Sep 2017 1:02pm, 13 Sep 2017 6,041 posts	0 bigleggy Now it's time to cut them down, you have a few options :- 1. Remove the head and as much greenery as you can. Hang it somewhere dry for a few weeks then harvest the seeds for next year 2. Harvest the seeds and leave them on a tray for birds/squirrels to take and feed on through the winter 3. Just cut en down and compost em/throw en away etc Alternatively, leave then where they are and the birds will pick em clean eventually
Nightjar Sep 2017 1:06pm, 13 Sep 2017 4,958 posts	0 Nightjar I'd left a smaller one that has split into 2. The wind last night took it/them down
McGoohan Sep 2017 1:33pm, 13 Sep 2017 31,021 posts	0 McGoohan So, a question to the more experienced growers. Many of mine had multiple heads. This was quite nice as we got a big display of flowers. But would you ordinarily pinch some/all spare heads off as they emerged to encourage a single, higher one?
Wriggling Snake Sep 2017 3:07pm, 13 Sep 2017 16,375 posts	0 Wriggling Snake I am going to take the harvest and bird feeding option myself, I stlil have 2 flowing so will leave them up in the hope of good weather for a few weeks will allow some mre seeds to form. I am going to try a different seed next year. At least I got 4 though, as compared to last years one. I think pinching the heads might give you one bigger one, I'd doubt it would get taller, the basis of a good experiment though.