Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 72 Entries. Sunday, January 22 View Page Unsurprisingly the artificial parthenocarpy project ended in failure for various reasons, including a nutrient solution with a ppm in excess of 6000 (500 scale). However, the sunflower hasn't missed a beat and is now in the Floral primordial stage.  A few updates to my system later mean that I'm now recirculating the nutrient solution (1.7 EC) and heating the water to around 22 c. Third time lucky I hope!   Wednesday, February 22 View Page For my own future reference... This is the root mass of my 560m Sunflower from 2022 that I saved and overwintered, taken at a spades depth. I was actually expecting a huge tap root, but this wasn't the case, in fact, it was anything but huge, consisting of more fibrous roots, having tapered off at about 30cm.   Sunday, March 12 View Page Time to wake the plot up after the first snowfall in Shropshire this winter... Treated the soil with Basamid (soil sterilant) last autumn, although, and on the basis I didn't have time to work it, I doubt it served its purpose. Soil sample taken and ready to be posted.   Sunday, March 19 View Page Soil Analysis results are in from the patch. Here’s a comparison between 2022 and the more recent 2023 report. Having recorded **most** of my in-grow amendments from 2022 I’ve also shared a further comparison (last column) that considers my 2022 fertiliser regime. Note. 2022 soil analysis taken *after* annual patch amendments were added to the dirt.  General Observations, - Calcium levels have increased between 2022 and 2023 - expecting the opposite since I had a Ca leaf deficiency in 2022  - K usage seems high for what I grew, perhaps a consequence of leaching and not plant utilisation  - Fe and Mg usage seems about right (I think) - Zn and Mn have increased, although in excess of in-grow amendments !! I did mulch the patch with milled straw, which may explain **some** but not all of the nutrient increases that fell outside of the expected norm for this grow.   Thursday, April 13 View Page Have changed my mind several times in the last 6 weeks, here are my picks for 2023... Pumpkins  - 1586 Guns - 1989 Conway - 1584 Martin - 2003 Kisamore  - My 470 Wheel.  Wide Sunflowers - 30" Rose - 27"/28" Mace - My 18" (25 Rose x Self) Tall Sunflowers - Giraffe - 21ft 2" Mace - 23ft 7" Mase - My 550cm (20ft 3" Brown x Sib)  Marrow - 136 Timmins (Unknown x Baggs 201)   Thursday, April 13 View Page The main 900 sqft patch, enough for 2 plants this year. Double dug followed by 2-3 passes of the rotavator and some light amendments watered in overhead i.e. Mn, Mo, & B. I also added 5ltrs of non-sulfated molasses and tilled 100ltrs of perlite into the bottom half of the patch. Finally, I will grow a plant on my other plot for the 150sqft competition.   Wednesday, April 19 View Page Tall sunflowers are go !   Wednesday, April 19 View Page Repotted the 1584 Martin from a 5" to 8" pot @ 7 DAE   Saturday, April 22 View Page Progress in the grow pod, although, and after a little seed anxiety (if that's such a thing?) I fired up the 2350 Gienge. DAE = Days after emergence 10 DAE - 1584 Martin 10 DAE - 30" Rose Sunflower 9 DAE - 30" Rose Sunflower (triple cot) 7 DAE - 1989 Conway 5 DAE - 470 Florendine A 5 DAE - 470 Florendine B 5 DAE - 1586 Guns A (damaged cots) 1 DAE - 153 Baggs Marrow 0.5 DAE - 2350 Gienger   Saturday, April 22 View Page I also repotted the 1989 at 7 DAE from a 5" pot to an 8" one. Here's a comparison with the 1584.   Saturday, April 29 View Page Repotted both the 1989 (14 DAE) and 1584 (17 DAE) from their 8" pot to a 15ltr one. Interesting to see the different root architectures between each plant. Each 15ltr pot adopts the pot within a pot system, for what I hope will be an easy transplant in 10/14 days' time.   Saturday, April 29 View Page No space in the grow pod so the greenhouse floor it is. 1584 is the larger plant, but has 3 days on the 1989. 2350 Gienger is probably destined for the 150 sqft competition as I bust the growing tip on my 470. Marrows are doing well (Baggs and Timmins), as are the Sunflowers, although the lights have produced compact plants.   Monday, May 8 View Page Plants are moving on nicely with both the 1584 Martin and 1989 Conway approaching the 5ft vine mark. Focus now shifts to how I get them down to the plot, safely.   Saturday, May 13 View Page Plants are in the dirt although regrettably, we took a casualty in the 1989. Moving a 5ft plant was not a straightforward procedure and while the 1584 landed mostly unscathed - mostly through luck, the large leaves on the 1989 made the plant top-heavy, causing a twisted stem, multiple vine splits and snapped leaves. A huge shame as the 1989 was in good shape prior to the move and just wanted to throw out roots and shoots.   Saturday, May 13 View Page The 1584 Martin (1141.5 Lehrer x 2112 Skinner) survived the move. While smaller than the 1989, it's still 2x or even 3x larger than my plants at the same stage and age compared to last year.   Saturday, May 13 View Page The 1584 Martin and a 15ltr pot full of roots! Should have been in the ground at least 5days earlier.   Sunday, May 14 View Page Sunflowers are 20 days after emergence and ahead of last year's plants. But will it be a PB year?   Wednesday, May 24 View Page Day 30 after emergence in the Sunflower patch, and things are looking up. Compared to 2022, we're 5 days ahead in terms of height at the same DAE milestone, and the plants are looking in excellent shape, the 21ft Mace especially. Hoping this nice May weather holds out. Here are my day 30 numbers. 5.5m Florendine: 88cm 23ft 7" Mace: 88cm 5.5m Florendine: 84cm 21ft 2" Mace: 93cm   Wednesday, May 24 View Page The wide-head sunflowers are also progressing well and are benefiting from the great May weather. The Rose 30" is my main plant (centre), followed by my own crosses, last year's Rose 25" selfed. Having the plants at the bottom of my garden means they get daily doses of attention, wish I could say the same about the Pumpkins.   Thursday, May 25 View Page The 1584 Martin. Had a bit of a kicking early on. I was away with work for a couple of days and it suffered from excessive heat under the cloche and lack of water. Heading into June its doing OK now. I'll let it run it's own race.   Monday, May 29 View Page Marrow Update - 100 Timmins (80 Timmins x Baggs 201) Hoping for some hybrid vigour with this cross.   Monday, June 5 View Page I'm delighted with how the 1584 Martin is coming along. I hope the May/June weather continues, although maybe a few days of rain please.   Monday, June 5 View Page 1584 Martin female.   Monday, June 5 View Page The wide-boys.   Monday, June 5 View Page The wife isn't happy with the new garden vistas. I, on the other hand, beg to differ! Here are my day 40 numbers. 5.5m Florendine-A: 155cm 23ft 7" Mace: 162cm 5.5m Florendine-B: 160cm 21ft 2" Mace: 170cm   Monday, June 12 View Page Here are my day 50 numbers. The 21ft 2" Mace is again the standout plant in the patch. Regrettably the 23ft 7" Mace has switched to floral growth, and a small bud is beginning to develop. 5.5m Florendine-A: 192cm 23ft 7" Mace: 211cm 5.5m Florendine-B: 206cm 21ft 2" Mace: 222cm   Monday, June 12 View Page The wide headed Sunflowers look really well, and have put on some decent growth over the past few weeks. The Rose 30" (Centre - tallest) is a beast and has yet to display a bud @ 62 Days After Emergence. Some of the others are beginning to display the floral primordia, but that's ok, there's plenty of growth yet to come.   Monday, June 12 View Page For my own records, Tall Sunflowers DAE 48, and hopefully the images are the correct orientation.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page 1584 Martin (Left), 2350 Gienger (Right), followed by my 470 for the 150 comp.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page Ignore entry 26, these are my day 50 numbers. 5.5m Florendine-A: 205cm 23ft 7" Mace: 230cm 5.5m Florendine-B: 218cm 21ft 2" Mace: 237cm   Saturday, June 24 View Page Tall Sunflower day 60 numbers, and it's looking good compared to last year. Flower initiation must be close, but that's ok, I just need the weather to up its game. Wide sunflowers have been a pleasure to grow this season. The 30" Rose is the patch monster (74 DAE), 2.2m tall, tree trunk stem, and it's got a flower bud developing too. 5.5m Florendine-A: 265cm 23ft 7" Mace: REMOVED 5.5m Florendine-B: 297cm 21ft 2" Mace: 320cm   Saturday, June 24 View Page 1584 Martin (Left), 2350 Gienger (Right). The 2350 has taken a while to get going, so the 1584 dominates the patch, leaving the 2350 with just a 300sqft growing area. No pollinations yet, perhaps in the next 5-7 days.   Sunday, June 25 View Page 150 sqft Comp particulars. Ignore the weeds :)   Sunday, July 2 View Page This year's contenders. 1989.5 Conway x 1586.5 Gunstrom for seed inventory. - 1989.5 Conway 3 Lobes - 2350 Gienger 4 Lobes - 1584 Martin 5 Lobes - 470 Florendine 5 Lobes   Sunday, July 2 View Page The patch! The weather over the last 10 days hasn't been great. Shropshire has been wet and windy, with daily highs on or around 18 degrees C. And it was going so well !   Tuesday, July 4 View Page The cover is back up, although i've been too slow to react. The last 10 days of growth have been awful, and while I'm ahead of last year's 70-day milestone, both remaining plants have switched to the floral stage.   Tuesday, July 4 View Page Tall Sunflower day 70 numbers, and it's looking a bit rubbish. While the beginning of this year was superb, the last 10 days have been a shocker. Still hopeful of a PB, although perhaps not by the margin i had predicted earlier in the season. 5.5m Florendine-A: REMOVED (Stem Rot) 23ft 7" Mace: REMOVED 5.5m Florendine-B: 360cm 21ft 2" Mace: 384cm   Thursday, July 13 View Page 1584 Martin x 1586.5 Gunstrom (DAP-15)   Thursday, July 13 View Page 2350 Gienger x 1989.5 Conway (DAP-15)   Friday, July 14 View Page Tall Sunflower day 80 numbers. The weather is still stuck in 1st gear with daily average highs of between 17 - 20 degrees C. 12 months ago we had highs of 38c... 5.5m Florendine-A: REMOVED 23ft 7" Mace: REMOVED 5.5m Florendine-B: 428cm (+68) 21ft 2" Mace: 460cm (+76)   Friday, July 14 View Page Wide Headed Sunflowers are now close to flowering... The 30" Rose (Centre) is 3m (10ft) and bossing the patch. It's 94 days after emergence. My crosses are a week behind.   Sunday, July 16 View Page 2350 Gienger x 1989.5 Conway (DAP-20) @ 96lbs.. Like Sam, accompanied with a bottle of Gold, although Shropshire Gold in this case.   Tuesday, July 18 View Page 1584 Martin x 1586.5 Gunstrom (DAP-20) @ 118lbs   Monday, July 24 View Page Tall Sunflower day 90 numbers. With Europe experiencing a heatwave, the UK is stuck between high and low fronts which means rain, and lots of it. Daily highs continue between 17 - 20 degrees C here in Shropshire. 5.5m Florendine-A: REMOVED 23ft 7" Mace: REMOVED 5.5m Florendine-B: 503cm (+75) 21ft 2" Mace: 546cm (+86)   Monday, July 24 View Page Knocking on the door of last year's numbers, although it could have been a different outcome had I converted what was a brilliant start to the year. Wouldn't mind another grow of the 21ft 2" if Mr Mace is watching :)   Monday, July 24 View Page To cross-reference in msg board. - Deficiency in new growth only - Lots of rain over the past 40 days - Temps between 10 - 20 degrees C. Former is night-time   Wednesday, July 26 View Page "Twig" (2350 Gienger x 1989.5 Conway) @ DAP-30. Regrettably, it looks like Fusarium has this plant. Consequently, I've cut some of the growth back and plan to treat it with phosphite going forward. I think I had Fusarium last year but put it done to clonex sensitivity in the 470. Oh well.   Friday, July 28 View Page 'Noddle' (1584 Martin x 1586.5 Gunstrom) at DAP-30   Friday, July 28 View Page 470 Florendine plant for the 150 challenge. Finally got a pollination on the 470. Crossed with the 2350 Gienger. Has a similar short stem as its 1905 parent.   Friday, July 28 View Page 30" Rose. I have high or should I say wide hopes for this plant. Beginning anthesis stage 108 days after emergence   Friday, July 28 View Page No PB this year (again). The Mace plant has been a pleasure to grow this season, and my own cross isn't too far behind.   Sunday, August 6 View Page Pumpkin down... 'Noddle' (1584 Martin x 1586.5 Gunstrom) at DAP-38   Sunday, August 6 View Page My eldest daughter Amelia's fruit. Lost hers last year too so I'm not popular this morning. Not the torrential downpours the day before had anything to do with it.   Sunday, August 6 View Page 'Twig' (2350 Gienger x 1989.5 Conway) @ DAP-40. I'm an orange convert for sure. Still unsure regarding diary entry 47 and whether Fusarium is a problem or not. All in with Twig for Malvern although only a 250 sqft plant.   Sunday, August 6 View Page My 470 is looking ok, but not big for DAP 17. Crossed with the 2350 Gienger so hoping for orange next year.   Sunday, August 6 View Page 30" Rose, looking good...   Sunday, August 6 View Page One of my crosses from last years 25" Rose plant   Sunday, August 6 View Page The Mace is Ace.... Disregard Diary Entry 51, we're on a for a PB, but not by much. I always measure under the flower bud until the final measurement of the season, so knocking at the door of 6m with a little luck. Tall Sunflower day 100 numbers. 5.5m Florendine-B: 568cm (+65) 21ft 2" Mace: 580cm (+34)   Thursday, August 17 View Page 'Twig' (2350 Gienger x 1989.5 Conway) @ DAP-50. Loving the orange. Not huge but heading towards a PB in the next few days.   Thursday, August 17 View Page Sunflowers DAE 110 and now in full flower. 30" Rose left of picture. Mace bottom, Florendine top. PB by just a few inches, but I'll take it.   Friday, August 25 View Page 2023 has not been an exemplar of pumpkin growing with the New Zealand move looming large, however i've successfully winged it to day 60 and i've got the 2350 to thank for what is a great-looking fruit.   Friday, August 25 View Page Everything goes better with a smile.   Monday, August 28 View Page Tall Sunflowers at 125 days after emergence and we landed a PB, not by a lot, but as I said in a previous post i'll take it. Thank you 21" 2 Mace. Final measurements on day 125 look like this, 5.5m Florendine-B: 584cm 21ft 2" Mace: 610cm (20ft) Visible Flower Bud at 61 DAE and 66 DAE Anthesis stage at 104 DAE for both plants.   Sunday, September 3 View Page These orange things just astonish me. Amazing! and my fruit is small compared to what other BP'ers bring to the scale. Tomorrow is day 70 for Twig (2350 Gienger x 1989.5 Conway), and the UK National Giant Vegetable (and Fruit) Championship is less than 20 days away.   Friday, October 13 View Page Its been an eventful season, my last in the UK for a little while. 2023 will be a season to forget for most in the UK, but for me it produced both a Sunflower PB and a Pumpkin PB. Here's a picture of Twig just before we loaded her up for Malvern.   Friday, October 13 View Page Loaded and nearly ready for the drive down to Malvern !   Friday, October 13 View Page Ahead of the trip I had my moment of fame. The BBC eventually got my name correct.   Friday, October 13 View Page Twig is no Paton, Short, or Leach sized fruit, but at 720lbs we're super happy in the Florendine household.   Friday, October 13 View Page Left to right. Twig landed 3rd, followed by entries from Vince 2nd and Curtis 1st.   Friday, October 13 View Page Malvern isn't a GPC contest but here are the results all the same.   Friday, October 13 View Page More Malvern results. Both my daughters entered the widest Sunflower Head category and came 4th and 5th. The head from my 30" Rose stayed at home but wasn't much bigger.   Friday, October 13 View Page The marrow category at Malvern is always competitive.