Small plants only need a couple of gallons of this nourishing drink per week, but as the plants surpass you they will triple their thirst. I plan to give seeds to several neighbors, and compare stalks at the end of the season! Grows 5-6 feet. Growing a successful hedge may lead to more ambitious projects: If you are the lucky owner of a large property, you may consider growing sunflowers for profit. Sunflowers are heavy feeders and deplete the soil more than many other crops – especially if you are growing them to reach a massive height so the nutrient supply must be replenished each season. Tall sunflowers can be planted in formation: as forests, playhouses or teepees. Perhaps you want a temporary screen to block the view of a vacant lot or nosy neighbor. To sow seeds, water your soil, and press seeds 1 inch deep in clumps of 5-6 seeds about 6-8 in. Planting sunflowers outdoors just after your area’s last frost allows the plants to develop their deep taproots in situ. Giant-sized hybrid sunflower varieties include ‘Kong,’ ‘Sunzilla,’ and ‘American Giant.’. Organic Sunflower Titan Huge. The seeds provide food for birds, and the flowers are a popular source of nectar for bees. The world’s tallest sunflower measured 9.17m (30 feet, 1 inch) and was grown in 2014 in Germany by veteran record holder Hans-Peter Schiffer of Germany. In the shorter-season, cold winter areas of the U.S., this means late May to early June. Our current variety can produce the tallest in any given year. Be attentive to weather reports, especially, as your plants become taller and more top-heavy. Details about 25 KING KONG SUNFLOWER Seeds / Largest & Tallest Multi Headed Variety Free Ship. This is because sunflowers have long taproots that grow quickly and become stunted if confined. The act of transplanting sunflowers can stunt their growth, denying you a couple of feet in height at the end of the growth cycle. Here is a list of the most popular sunflowers of the tall variety: Skyscraper. The scientific name is Helianthus , which comes from the Greek words helios, meaning “sun” and anthos, meaning “flower” . If you have limited space, Tom recommends sowing in a small clump that will eventually be thinned to one plant. Six hours a day is required for general vigor, but 8-10 hours is even better, providing the energy needed to produce strong stems. While traditional sunflowers are golden yellow there are a large variety of red sunflowers, too. When they are a foot tall, thin them to 2, and when they reach 2 feet high, select the best, most vigorous candidate. When the plants grow to 3 inches, thin them to the most vigorous 3 or 4. And the simplicity of growing and caring for your sunflower is certainly one thing to adore! Despite many gardener's best intentions, transplanting often gets postponed – so beat the odds and plan to sow seeds in the ground.Since sunflowers that are planted in midsummer often flower on shorter stalks, sow your giant sunflowers earlier-as soon as all danger of frost is past and night temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit both day and night. To grow the largest sunflowers, it is essential to direct sow seed directly into the garden, rather than start them in pots of any kind. Take this flower’s name to heart and plant your sunflowers where they will receive full sun. You can even grow colorful vines like scarlet runner beans up the stalks if you give the sunflowers several weeks head start. Sunflowers are made up of 1,000-2,000 smaller flowers and can have up to 2,000 seeds which almost always follow the Fibonacci sequence. Depending on your soil, you may wish to add, in addition to composted manure and an organic slow-release balanced fertilizer, an organic amendment containing trace minerals such as greensand or dried seaweed. Favorite Answer. Lv 6. One of the tallest sunflowers on the market is ‘Sunzilla’ (4), a new sturdy-stemmed hybrid that grows up to 16 feet tall. Tallest Sunflower? © 2021 Cornucopia. With proper care and support these seeds frequently grow sunflowers beyond 20' with the tallest being 22' 6". It really depends on the variety you have. The most popular variety of sunflowers used in growing competitions, American Giant sunflowers can grow up to 15 feet tall with faces about 1 foot wide. Next year I may try planting some pole beans next to the sunflowers and letting the beans use the tall stalks as a trellis. We offer many pollenless varieties that do not shed pollen when brought indoors, as well as a wide range of colors and heights. He currently prizes a 17-foot stalk and a 24 in. These have tall single stalks with big flower faces of golden yellow petals and chocolate brown centers that ripen into heavy heads filled with seeds that birds will love.I asked Tom why serious competitors should grow his variety instead of traditional varieties of large sunflowers like Mammoth, Russian Mammoth or California Greystripe. Other varieties in the 10- to 15-foot range include ‘Giganteus’ (3), ‘Kong’ (1, 2), ‘Mammoth Russian’ (1, 3), and ‘Paul Bunyan’ (1). Fortunately for home gardeners with giant sunflower aspirations, Tom has also focused on breeding the ultimate tall competition varieties ("Giant Edible Sunzilla" and "Heirloom Titan"). You won't believe the size of tallest sunflower grown by Germany’s Hans-Peter Schiffer! To learn the secret of growing sunflowers to record-breaking sizes and heights, I turned to Dr. Tom Heaton, the world's foremost sunflower breeder and Renee's Garden sunflower seed supplier. 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