Helianthus annuus 'Expt. Pollenless No. 3'
Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 1999
Good Qualities:
Good dark yellow color (7); Large/good flower size (4); Heat and drought tolerant. Held up well in the field (a favorite with grasshoppers). Also good vase life as a cut; Very tall plant; Attractive dark center. This version (#3) was quite a bit shorter than others (#1, 2). This made harvest easier; Strong stem; No pollen, great!; No lodging; Gold/dark disk, single stem; Good color, customers like pollenless.
Problems:
Slightly slower to get any height to them, but quality of blooms was good; Branched about 3' from the top. Heads fell over. Not a good cut flower; Bugs, as with all sunflowers; Small percent lodging after big storm; Uneven flower size, has pollen; Heads pretty large for vase work; Not as uniform flowering as some; Very short, late crop had cupped flowers.
Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating (1) | Repeat Again Rating (1) | Ease of Cultivation Rating (1) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 2.2 | 34.5 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.5 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Benary Seed
1444 Larson St.
Sycamore, IL 60178
Comments:
8-10; heads were huge, held color well in heat. Very heat and drought tolerant. Thick stems, long lasting as a cut flower. Did have a tendency to lodge in windy conditions. Overall, very good. Experienced some leaf burn, but we had weeks of 100°F + temperatures, high winds. Note - no fertilizer used, no chemicals either; It's at least 7-10 days later than experimental No. 1 and No. 2. If you plant them all at the same time, you'll get a staggered crop; It was nice to have varying size in same colors–made for nice arrangements; One flower per stem.