Need some help please.

Tried for three years to get native sunflowers established in a pasture that has woolly croton. We love to dove hunt and the woolly croton doesn't get ripe and drop until November most years. I have planted the NS in October and also in November and do get some to germinate in the spring but the WC just swallows them up.

Cant use broadleaf herbicide because it kills both (unless there is some herbicide that I'm missing that might not affect NS.(imazamox possibly)?. NS must go through winter dormancy so spring planting after the WC germinated and gets sprayed won't really work. I tried that one year....no dice.

One thought would be to just nuke the WC in the spring right after it germs and just plant the NS the following fall/winter with a planter and not disturb the soil much.

Throw some ideas at me.

Could you get the sunflower established in strips? Control the croton in a 6 foot swath or so, every 100 feet or whatever you choose. After those strips are established you'll get a lot more seed from them and better chance of them coming back next year.

I would also consider putting the seed in the refrigerator and maybe some mild acid scarification to overcome the dormancy you're describing, then planting in the spring.

Thanks. I have placed seeds in the freezer before but it didn't work well. AI say the fridge is a better option. Put them in a big ziplok with sand and keep damp is what it says.

Will try that and then wait until spring. Nuke the first signs of WC emerging and then plant with my row planter.

Try planting your sunflowers in the fall. They will stay low and get wide but not grow tall until the early spring. They will have a jump start on the WC. I started sunflowers this way and they did not freeze, however they was prior to 2021 (or so) single digit freeze.

Is this pasture grazed? Very small sunflowers are eaten by deer and livestock. Croton? No.

I have done this but didn't get good germination. My guess is lack of cold strat.

Lightly grazed. Have had a huge problem with deer and cattle eating peredovics but not natives on a different place.

unclefish said:

---

I have done this but didn't get good germination. My guess is lack of cold strat.

---

the stratification is just meant to mimic a natural winter, so i don't see any reason that a failure to germinate with fall planting would be from lack of stratification.

how large of an area are we talking? what depth of planting? what kind of soil prep are you doing?

you can plant the sunflower with winter wheat. I have seen this done before and worked really well. Place had a wel managed deer herd.

drred4 said:

---

you can plant the sunflower with winter wheat. I have seen this done before and worked really well. Place had a wel managed deer herd.

---

Good idea.

I meant I didn't get much germination in Oct, Nov, Dec when I fall planted and It was because the seeds had not gone through strat yet. The ones that germinated in the spring were drowned out by WC.

Its a 7-8 acre patch I'm trying to establish. I plant with a JD 71 row planter about an inch deep.

I don't have a problem getting NS to grow in a place that doesn't have a WC infestation. The issue is WC and its ability to suppress the NS germination and growth.

I would plant in mid- late March and spray a burn down at or soon after planting. 2-4 D will kill the croton and a 2 percent glyfos mixture added to it will kill any competing grasses. Add a light mixed ammonium sulfate blend fertilizer like 17-5-10.
Find the 120-130 day seed which will be mature in August for the Sept 1 season opener.

Maybe consider adding some milo seed to part of the planed area.

ought1ag said:

---

get out there with a hoe and try to chop down any sunflower you see........that always seemed to make it grow more for my grandpa. Still remember how offended he was that someone wore a dress with sunflowers on it to the family reunion one year.

I like the idea of the strips mentioned above

---

That's hilarious my granddad hated sunflowers too.

Gonna put the NS seed in the fridge to cold strat like plant science guy suggested and then plant next spring right after the WC is sprayed.

Also gonna try to see if cereal rye will help curb germination in the WC. Rye has allelopathic properties that acts like a pre-emergent for the existing seed bank. It last about 2 weeks after the rye in terminated and then will plant the stratified NS seed into the rye thatch with a row planter.

Be careful, most broadleaf herbicides (even 2,4-D) for croton will have a plant back interval that you will need to observe in order to ensure good germination of your sunflower. Natives may be a bit more resilient but it can ruin your plans if you don't check before spraying the croton.