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#481 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ohio
Posts: 4,350
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"Plant sellers often don't get rewarded with higher prices when they buy expensive seed. Hybrid seed might be 100x more expensive than OP, but the market price of a flat of plants is still the same. That's another reason I try to sell individual plants instead of selling them by the flat. I can spend 10-20 cents on one seed and make it back by selling a $2 plant. Flats of 48-72 plants only bring $10-15, which doesn't pay for expensive seed."
That is the truth. I spend a boat load of $$ on seed for every season. I spent about 300.00 on the clearance rack at a seed supplier just after labor day for next year already. some of it wasn't cheaper.. like the "paydirt" corn. I still spent 25.00 a pound on it. and I still have many more $$ to spend on seeds yet.
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carolyn k |
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#482 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Vernon, BC
Posts: 720
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Cole,
Do you have to go 1 gallon trade planters on those Dwarf Sunflowers? I see that you can get away with 8" for the Sunny Smile Sunflower according to Harris Seeds... I read that sunflowers don't like their roots getting disturbed so you wouldn't want to transplant or change pots more than once from seedling to planter. Al |
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#483 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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The trade size gallon I use is actually too small, I think. They are just cheap, and I bought a lot at once. I have to bottom-water the larger plants and let them soak in order to water them adequately.
They don't seem to mind being transplanted, honestly. Usually the root ball comes out as one big chunk, so the roots don't really get disturbed. Important tip for when you do transplant sunflowers - you know how tomato plants grow roots off of buried stem? Sunflowers do NOT do that. So legginess can't be corrected by burying the stem deeper at transplant, like I do with tomatoes. |
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#484 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Vernon, BC
Posts: 720
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Thanks Cole! My Daughter's school was looking for ways to make money and I brought up the sunflowers for Mother's day idea...
I read your earlier post that you have to plant the sunflower on top of the soil instead of burying it. I ordered Sunny Smile Sunflower seeds from Johnnyseed.com and I'm trying to come up with ideas for the planters. I was thinking about having my Daughter paint her hands and do a Mother's day theme on the nursery planters similar to what you see on google when you search for "Mother's day pots"... ![]() ![]() Last edited by Al@NC; February 5, 2018 at 05:11 PM. |
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#485 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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Those are great ideas.
Sunflowers do get seeded below the soil - some other types of flowers require light to germinate, but not sunflowers. But if you transplant sunflowers, then you are best served to place the root ball toward the top of your new media. |
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#486 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: New England
Posts: 661
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Cole , looked on line at Amazon for the trade gallons and found a source rather quickly but for a small quantity. Im betting you buy a few hundred. If I might ask, what is your source?
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#487 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: NC
Posts: 511
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https://www.mcconkeyco.com/Pages/Store_Home_2.aspx Lots of folks use them. I have order from them in the past myself. That was before I discovered a semi local source. I can get the 1 gallon pots for 17 cents each. Just have to go pick them up. My supplier sells them 450 to a case. |
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#488 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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I buy from Hummert International. They are near St Louis, which is not too far from me. Shipping is usually the deciding factor in where I order from. Hummert has a truck shipping deal twice a month if I spend enough money, and when I don't, the UPS charges are usually not too bad since they are only about 100 miles away. I did get royally messed over once due to an oversized box charge, which was the box that the supplier sent to Hummert and not Hummert's packaging job, but I was still less than pleased. It is very difficult to get them to tell you what the shipping will be before you place your order.
I'm trying to remember what I paid per pot for the trade size gallons. It was not much, maybe 12 cents or so each. |
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#489 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: New England
Posts: 661
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ok. Will search locally as shipping is a big factor in calculating costs.
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#490 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2014
Location: illinois
Posts: 281
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I also buy from Hummert. Good service and prices. My son is with Boeing and works 5 minutes from Hummert's whse. He picks up my orders and saves me on shipping.
There might be a wholesaler near you where an order can be picked up. |
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#491 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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Hummert just sent me an email that their truck-shipping minimum order size has dropped to $200 and the fee has dropped to $15.
From Feb 12th until the end of February, Hummert is also offering free shipping, as long as you mention "Hummert's February Delivery Special." Some larger items like greenhouse plastic will often ship directly from the factory, and I am guessing the free shipping offer will not apply to those products. |
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#492 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2014
Location: illinois
Posts: 281
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Good to know Cole. My son just picked up some 4 year film and plug trays. I think I'm set for the year.
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#493 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: NewYork 5a
Posts: 2,303
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I recorded dwarf sunflowers last winter to test timing to meet different
children NYC urban gardening programs. A few weeks ago I started a 1010 tray and again two weeks later. Another this weekend and again two weeks from then. For my starts, in my grow room climate, and might be a bit different for others....November 20th planted. Nov. 27, first pic. 4 weeks later still in the mini net pots, potted up into a variety of containers. *I use the jiffy discs since young children will be growing, adding water, then the seed. Kids like cute things. Easy to place a seed. They take those home. Two trays 4 weeks old they will plant in their community garden. Again easy to plant in the net pots. Tiny hands. Three trays will be starting to bloom and some will be blooming. Those are for sale for proceeds going toward the garden. Valentines day is my target for blooming Mothers day. Why I'm starting the ones I want to bloom for the holiday now. I should hit the target for some blooms. As a consumer of FarmersMarkets, I'm more likely to purchase from a full thick table, and want maybe a bloom but like to take home close to bloom so I can watch it growing in my home. (same with purchased tulip...I buy a tight young bunch with just one or two near bloom as the bunch will last longer) This is the first year I have two big sacks of bulbs in the downstairs fridge I plan to pot up some this weekend. This pic shows from sprout to 11 weeks. |
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#494 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: NC
Posts: 511
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Oddly enough my largest sowing of all my seeds will probably be on Feb 15. I use "15" as its easy to count by when looking ahead. Except for Feb and its silly 28 days, but its close enough. |
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#495 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: New England
Posts: 661
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