Helianthus annuus 'Prado Gold Improved'
Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 1999
Good Qualities:
Good color (6); Good flower size (6); First blooms July 7. First of trial seeds to bloom. Hugh flower heads 6-8; across; Nice small flowers for bunching alone or with other large flowers; Long lasting, head's point up or out; Consistent color and growth produced crop that flowered very uniformly; Yield; Good bug damage resistance. Good strong stem. Reliable hold; Good; Very nice sunflower.
Problems:
Lodging; Worst at lodging of all sunflowers grown this year; The branching habit could be a problem if you wanted large single blooms–then you'd have to pinch them; Weak stems; None; Height, stem size and small flower for a yellow sunflower; Harvest period is spread out with last few hanging on.
Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating (1) | Repeat Again Rating (1) | Ease of Cultivation Rating (1) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 4.8 | 24.0 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
PanAmerican Seed
P.O. Box 438
West Chicago, IL 60186
Comments:
Similar to Sunbright; Amazingly drought tolerant and heat tolerant. We had weeks of 100°F + temperatures and after 4 weeks of 100°F + days and little water, they finally began to show stress in the leaves, burned margins. No fertilizer or chemicals used; Last one picked the end of September when other growers had none. Used as focal flower in mini bouquets and with a short grass tied with raffia; Not uniform.