Question
QUESTION: Greetings,
My daughter is planning a fall wedding here in south central PA at either the end of Sept or middle of Oct.  She would like for us to plant a field (5 acres) of sunflowers which would be, no doubt, stunning.  Having never done something of this magnitude can you tell me the right way to go about doing this for maximum results? The fields are open (grass, in full sun and not the best, but ok soil. Thanks in advance for your assistance!


ANSWER: Hi Leslie,
Thanx for your question.  Your question is way out of my league.  Five acres is a lot of area to plant sunflowers.  It would be like planting a crop.  My suggestion is that you contact your local County Extension Agent for advice.  If you give me your general location (state and county or if you're in Canada, your province) I can give you contact information.

I have a 2 acre market farm and seeding that involves the use of an Earthway seeder.

http://www.earthway-outlet.com/1001b.htm

Or hire someone to mechanically plant.  This is going to take a lot of seeds.  You will need 3-4 lbs of seed per acre.  For cut-flower types of sunflowers, this is going to cost some money.  If you were just raising oil seed, bird feed or snack sunflower seeds the cost is about $12-$20 per acre.  If all you're looking for is the sunflower and the color, this is the way I would go.  If you're looking for 5 acres of cut flowers, that's going to be expensive.  Here's a link for growing fields of sunflowers.

http://www.jeffersoninstitute.org/pubs/sunflower.shtml

Sunflowers tolerate a variety of different soil conditions, including soil that is not rich.  You can amend with fertilizers, composted manures, etc.  Although sunflowers tolerate drought well, you'll want to make sure they get some regular watering to maximize the blooming.

Let me know your general location and I'll see what else I can get you.  I hope this helps.
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Tom for your prompt and helpful response!  We live in Adams County PA. I agree that the 'cheaper' sunflowers are the way to go, although you've given me the idea of making the cut flowers something that folks can cut and take home w/ them ... hmmm ... depends on the cost I guess, but I'm still leaning to the tall bird feed type.
Oh, what are your thoughts on the bloom time, in regards to having flowers in full bloom by the end of Sept or mid Oct ... when do you suggest planting the seed and is that time of year a problem blooming?  

I have my work cut out for me for sure and do appreciate your kind assistance! I look forward to hearing from you again. Thanks!!
Leslie  

Answer
Hi Leslie,
You do indeed, have your work cut out for you.  Contact the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service at Gettysburg.  The contact information is in the link below.

http://adams.extension.psu.edu/

I suggest a planting of either oil or seed-type sunflowers as this will not only give you a dramatic effect but you can also harvest the seeds either for eating or feed to wild birds and squirrels.

I suggest you speak with the agriculture agent at the county extension.  They have experience with how much you need to plant and when to plant to get the desired results.  Generally, when you decide what kind of sunflowers you want to plant, the seller of the seeds or the package should tell you days to maturity.  You'll use the days-to-maturity to calculate when you need to plant them in order to get the desired effect.

Here's some more info you may find helpful.

http://www.agmrc.org/media/cms/sunflower_guide_69AF73CC348B6.pdf
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G4290

Some sunflowers can be started as late as July 15th.

I hope this helps.
Tom