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Precisely when to thin down sunflowers after first true leaves?

Sunflower    Karachi, Pakistan

My Velvet Queen journal can be viewed at: https://www.plantvillage.com/gardens/...

I started velvet queen seeds and today is the sixth day after germination. The photo below is from today.

When exactly should I snip off the two plants to thin down? I know its when the first true leaves grow out, but is there a specific time after first true leaves when I should thin them? I have a photo from today updated below, and have started seeing second set of leaves coming out on all 4 plants.

Another thing was, and pardon me for being a bit pedantic, but does stem shade determine the color of the flower later on? The left one on the top actually has a lighter shade of burgundy on the stem than the other three plants and I planned on keeping that one along with the right lower one to maximize the distance as well as have a gap between blooms since these two sprouted a day apart.


Posted by: Naveed (1 point) Naveed
Posted: July 15, 2015




Answers

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You could wait a bit longer to thin them when they reach around 3 inches in height. That way you can ensure that you choose the most vigorous seedlings. All do look very healthy though so I wouldn't worry about trimming the ones you have already selected at this point either. I'm afraid I do not know the answer to your question about the stem color. Velvet queen sunflowers produce burgundy colored bloom which are dark in the center and fade to yellow at the tips. It would not surprise me to see slight variations in bloom color with different stem colors but I cannot find any information to confirm this. It will be interesting to see how the blooms develop.....


Posted by: Lindsay McMenemy (4 points) Lindsay McMenemy
Posted: July 15, 2015


Naveed commented,
Hey Lindsay, I just measured the seedlings with a scale and all seem to be exactly 3 inches in height at this point. I am also seeing second set of true leaves appearing. I guess tomorrow in the evening, might be later too, I will snip the ones I am not keeping. I also read that thinning should be done at night time so there's no stress from the sun.
over 8 years ago.

Lindsay McMenemy commented,
Sounds perfect!
over 8 years ago.



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