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Monday - April 26, 2010

From: Pflugerville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources
Title: Using a stock tank as a planter for Maximilian sunflowers in Pflugerville TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I am going to re-phrase a question I asked last week, because even though I tried to be very careful, I posed it in a way subject to misinterpretation and thus did not get an answer. So here goes: I propose to buy a stock tank about two feet deep and maybe four feet across, put one layer of bricks beneath it, put drain holes in the bottom, fill it with dirt, and plant Maximilian sunflowers. What are the chances that the sunflowers could thrive for a few years before I have to thin them? I currently have a colony in the ground and they are out of control.

ANSWER:

Sorry about the confusion! We grew up in West Texas where a stock tank was a hole in the ground where you hoped the windmill would pump some water for the stock. A stock tank for a container is a new concept for us. Anyway, based on the research we did answering your question today on Helianthus maximiliani (Maximilian sunflower), we would say you could get 3 or 4 years out of the tank, and that 2 feet would be deep enough. The roots are rhizomes, not far under the surface, so if you had to, you could thin them by just pulling out a plant.

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Monday - April 26, 2010

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