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Planting sunflowers

IowaBowHunter1983

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Have a request from a client for a big Sunflower planting.

Anyone run them in corn planter? Seed is about same size as corn kernel.

I have a deere 7100 on 30" rows

Or better to drill?

Good herbicides for sunflowers?
 
Can't help with the planting question, though I walked soybeans for a farmer way back in the day that had a bunch of volunteer sunflowers from an earlier planting. He claimed the sunflower stubble was puncturing tractor tires. Might be something to check into. Possibly burning off the field the next year might help.
 
Can’t help with the corn planter or drilling question as we broadcast and disc in our sunflower plots.

We purchase black oil varieties. Can use a pre emergent - brawl . Post emergence application of clethodim if grasses are an issue.

You can buy expensive clear field sunflowers and apply imox for control of both broadleafs/grasses.


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Yes- I run 30 inch rows on a 7000 planter. My dad runs a 7100 on 30s and no problems either. Oddly- I have found plenty of sheds in them after season. But the flip side, once they find them growing they will eat them in a hurry too.

What variety of sunflowers you plant?
 
I planted them a few times over the years, I've always used my corn planter John Deere 7000, I do plant them on 15-in rows because that's how my planner is set up, same population as the corn never adjusted always turned out great
 

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I planted them a few times over the years, I've always used my corn planter John Deere 7000, I do plant them on 15-in rows because that's how my planner is set up, same population as the corn never adjusted always turned out great
Oh also just thought of this I have my corn planter set up to plant about 12 in between the seed because of the 15-in rows so probably about half as often as a standard 30-in row
 
We plant a lot with either the 4 or 8 row 30” JD 7000. depending on the size. Normally burn down then notill. The clearfield traited seed will give more options for broadleave weeds. We always spray Metoclor as a preemergent. i have never changed the population from its normal setting of 32,000. Also stopped a few years ago to grab a few bags from the Coop didn’t ask the price 2 bags of the high end traited sunflowers were about 700.00 bucks. Clethodim will get the grass. I missed opening day of Elk in NM last year to dove hunt , so I am pretty hooked on it.
 
I don't have the acres to plant them for a foodplot but..., if you wanna see the VERY BEST thing to have for a rubbing post, plant a few Mammoth Seeds in strategic spots. Ain't no stopping bucks from destroying them.
One of my annual fun project's.
 
Can't help with the planting question, though I walked soybeans for a farmer way back in the day that had a bunch of volunteer sunflowers from an earlier planting. He claimed the sunflower stubble was puncturing tractor tires. Might be something to check into. Possibly burning off the field the next year might help.
I can believe that sunflower stalks could puncture tractor tires. I have at least two hols in one of my "new" tractor tires from corn stalks.

I now mow my corn down pretty short...those "tall" stalks will get you.
 
32k will have much smaller heads. So depending on objectives that maybe ok. I plant about 20 acres a year for doves and plant 18k to 23k depending on variety and time of year. Start clean, use a good pre emergent program and they will do good on new ground if the deer don't find them.
I plant with a jd7000 with row cleaners. 36 in rows. 100# nitrogen. 30 in rows would cannot over quicker.
 

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Sun flower stalks are hard on tires. My BIL’s family farms in central South Dakota, they run stalk stompers on the combine and grain cart tractor. His dad said they ruined a set of tires on a 9000 series JD in one season on a 1000 acres of sunflowers before they went to the stompers.


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