Solar Power

SKU: FL3254

Striking bi-coloured petals are mahogany with bright yellow tips around a dark brown centre for amazing contrast on 1.7m (5.5') tall plants. Solar Power has thick, strong stems, but it is surprisingly nice as a cut flower, dominating any bouquet with its large size and flashy colour. Read More

Exposure Full-sun

Average Seeds Per Gram 18 ?

Solar Power has a rating of 4.8 stars based on 6 reviews.

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Product Details

Plant Solar Power sunflower seeds in mass plantings if you have the room because the flowers are so striking. They look great on their own as well, or mixed in with other medium-tall varieties. Striking bi-coloured petals are mahogany with bright yellow tips around a dark brown centre for amazing contrast on 1.7m (5.5') tall plants. Solar Power has thick, strong stems, but it is surprisingly nice as a cut flower, dominating any bouquet with its large size and flashy colour. All sunflowers are attractive to honeybees and other wild pollinators, and they can act as a kind of beacon to draw pollinators towards crops that require pollination like squash and pumpkins.

Hardy Annual (HA)

Quick Facts:

Hardy Annual
Mahogany with bright yellow tips
Grows to 1.7m (5.5') tall
Very colourful
Looks great in grouped plantings

All About Solar Power

Latin

Latin
Helianthus annuus
Family: Asteraceae

Difficulty

Difficulty
Easy

Season & Zone

Season & Zone
Exposure: Full sun

Timing

Timing
Direct sow repeatedly after the last frost date. Starting indoors is possible, but does not gain much time. If sunflowers are allowed to get root-bound, they will lack stability at transplant time, and will require staking. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21-30°C (70-85°F). Seeds should sprout in 10-14 days.

Starting

Starting
Sow seeds 5mm-1cm (¼-½”) deep. Space dwarf varieties 15cm (6″) apart, but give the giants lots of room at 1m (3′) between plants.

Growing

Growing
To grow really big plants with really big flowers, enrich the soil with organic matter and incorporate 2 cups of balanced organic fertilizer per 3m (10′) of row, and irrigate regularly. When the plants are 30cm (12) tall, dissolve 5ml (1 tsp) of borax (for boron) in 350 ml (12 fl oz) of water and spread the solution over 5m (15′) of row. Be careful not to over-apply this solution. This application of boron will produce bigger seeds and flower heads. Do not apply boron to other garden plants. When the back of the flower head turns yellow, it is ready to be cut from the plant.

Companion Planting

Companion Planting
Sunflowers planted near rows of corn are said to increase yields. Sunflowers can be used to draw heavy metals, toxins, and even radiation from soil, but should be burned at the end of the season if grown for this purpose. Plant sunflowers amid squash plantings to improve pollination and overall production.

How to Grow Sunflowers

Step 1

Timing

Direct sow repeatedly after the last frost date. Starting indoors is possible, but does not gain much time. If sunflowers are allowed to get root-bound, they will lack stability at transplant time, and will require staking. Optimal soil temperature for germination: 21-30°C (70-85°F). Seeds should sprout in 10-14 days.

Step 2

Starting

Sow seeds 5mm-1cm (¼-½”) deep. Space dwarf varieties 15cm (6″) apart, but give the giants lots of room at 1m (3′) between plants.

Step 3

Growing

To grow really big plants with really big flowers, enrich the soil with organic matter and incorporate 2 cups of balanced organic fertilizer per 3m (10′) of row, and irrigate regularly. When the plants are 30cm (12) tall, dissolve 5ml (1 tsp) of borax (for boron) in 350 ml (12 fl oz) of water and spread the solution over 5m (15′) of row. Be careful not to over-apply this solution. This application of boron will produce bigger seeds and flower heads. Do not apply boron to other garden plants. When the back of the flower head turns yellow, it is ready to be cut from the plant.

Tips

Companion Planting

Sunflowers planted near rows of corn are said to increase yields. Sunflowers can be used to draw heavy metals, toxins, and even radiation from soil, but should be burned at the end of the season if grown for this purpose. Plant sunflowers amid squash plantings to improve pollination and overall production.