Believe it or not, this next blog post is part of Health Survival.  Planting these Mammoth Sunflowers:
• Gets you active (fights heart disease)
• Gets you outdoors (Vitamin D from the sun)
• Calms you down (fights high blood pressure)
• Get you outdoors (provides negative ions)
• Harvest time – nutritious sunflower seeds

As this blog post is published (August 2019), it’s already too late to plant your own set of 12-foot tall Mammoth Sunflowers. But this blog post will give you ideas and incentives to get your own Mammoth Sunflower project planned when Spring comes around again. Check-out this entire blog post with photos and come back every Saturday as I update the status of all the Mammoth Sunflowers and provide photos.

Here’s what I call ‘Stonehenge Mammoth Sunflowers!.’  I used no plans or anything. I just made it up as I went along. Here are the exact step-by-step instructions I took to build this ‘Stonehenge Mammoth Sunflowers!’ project.  Here’s a photo of the finished project at harvest time (100-days).

KEEP COMING BACK EACH SATURDAY FOR AN UPDATE WITH PHOTOS

(100 Days To Harvest – 22 September 2019 [Sunday])

Ingredients:
• Area is clear of overhead trees & vegetation and must have at least 06 full hours of direct sunlight per day
• Area big enough to plant 12 Mammoth Sunflowers approximately 12 – 18-inches apart in a circular pattern
• Lawnmower
• Rake
• Shovel
• Wheelbarrow
• 63 rocks (twice the size of a softball) for perimeter outline
• 02 Rolls of Landscape Fabric (03-feet X 50-feet)
• 01 Roll of Black Gorilla Tape (38.5 yards)
• Scissors
• Utility Knife
• 12 Clothespins
• 20 Bags of Rainbow Rock (1/2 cubic foot each)
• 24 Block Concrete Cement Hollow (8 X 8 X 8)
• 02 Bags of Miracle Gro Soil (01 cubic foot)
• 01 Small hand shovel
• 01 Pack of Burpee Annual Sunflower Mammoth seeds
• 01-Gallon of exterior paint
• 01 Paint brush
• 48 Sections of cardboard (keep from dropping paint on the Rainbow Rocks)
• 90 12-inch sticks

MOST IMPOORTANT NOTE:  Since this project has the Mammoth Sunflowers growing in their own hollow brick containers, their roots are self-contained.  Their roots can not go into the ground to procure water.  Therefore, they must be watered every day.  I water them twice a day (see Steps & Notes below.)

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STEP 01:  The area I used for my Stone-Hinge Mammoth Sunflowers was a circular pattern of medium rocks made by the previous owners. I let it get overgrown with high grass and weeds for years. I used my lawn mower to cut down the high grass and weeds. I raked it all up and piled it in my wheelbarrow and hauled it away. I then took a shovel and tried to dig up the high bumps of dirt and grass. I just tried to make the circular pattern as flat and level as possible. Again, I shoveled all the excess dirt and grass clumps in the wheel barrow and hauled it off. The picture below is real clean picture compared to waist-high weeds and grass just hours before.

(08 June 2018 – Saturday)

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STEP 02:  The circular pattern that I used was already built by the previous owners. It’s hard to see because of the grass and weeds (see next photos). They cemented 63 medium rocks on a circular pattern of cement. But you just have to place the loose medium rocks (10-pounds each) in a circular pattern. Due to the weight of the rocks, the medium rocks will eventually settle in-place and not move.

STEP 03:  Once I cut the overgrown grass, got the area clear of debris, placed the medium rocks in a circular pattern, I want to put down a double layer of Landscape Fabric to keep grass and weeds from growing within the open circular pattern. A single layer will not work. Why? Right now I have a double layer of Landscape Fabric placed down on the circular pattern with a good layer of Rainbow Rock on top of it and I still have a few blades of grass still penetrating both layers and the rainbow rock. So you got to have a double layer of Landscape Fabric.

So I measured the circular pattern and it was wider than the width of the Landscape Fabric. So I rolled-out two sections 01-foot wider than the diameter of the circular pattern. Then I took the Gorilla Tape and taped the 02 sections together. That’s one layer. Then I repeated the process and now I have 02 sections which I overlap and lay side-by-side over the circular pattern.

Now I’ll repeat the process above to make 02 more sections which I’ll lay side-by-side on top of the 1st big layer. Now I got 02 full layers of Landscape Fabric over the circular pattern which is overlapping the overall circular pattern.

(13 June 2019 – Thursday)

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–STEP 04:  Now place the 20 bags of Rainbow Rock, one bag at a time, and evenly spread the rock over the circular pattern on top of the Landscape Fabric but WITHIN THE BORDER OF THE 63 medium rocks.

(13 June 2019 – Thursday)

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STEP 04-A:  The 63 rocks on my property are cemented together. But the medium rocks you’re using are loose. So once you got the Landscape Fabric spread-out over the circular pattern and covering the medium rocks, take each medium rock and place it on top of the Landscape Fabric. Now place the 20 bags of Rainbow Rock, one bag at a time, and evenly spread the rock over the circular pattern on top of the Landscape Fabric but WITHIN THE BORDER OF THE 63 medium rocks.

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STEP 05:  The 20 bags of Rainbow Rock is securing everything in-place. You’ll find you got excess Landscape Fabric going beyond the circular pattern past all those 63 medium rocks. Take your utility knife or scissors and go under each medium rock and start cutting away the excess Landscape Fabric. Keep all the excess Landscape Fabric in case you need to use it to triple patch an opening in the Landscape Fabric (in case animals like raccoons want to dig). Also keep the excess Landscape Fabric for Step 07.

(13 June 2019 – Thursday)

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STEP 06:  Now that we got the circular pattern layed out and it’s clean, now we’ll lay in the hollow cement blocks. I used only 02 levels of hollow cement blocks. This was my first time doing this. I know the sunflower roots go down as far as 03-feet. Next year, I may try 03 levels of hollow cement blocks. I placed the 02 levels of cement blocks on the circular pattern using the clock method. I placed the first set of blocks at 12 o’clock, then went to the opposite side and placed the next set of blocks at 6 o’clock. Then I divided the circle in-half and placed 02 sets of blocks at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. Then carry-on using the clock method and complete the full circle with 12 sets of double hollow blocks. I didn’t use a level instrument to level each set of hollow cement blocks. I eye-balled each one and pushed and pulled rocks under the foundation while carefully lifting / tilting each set of blocks till I got enough rocks under the lower side to level each set of cement blocks.

Note:  Insure the 02 sets of hollow cement blocks are stacked directly on top of each other.

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STEP 07:  Take a couple pieces of Landscape Fabric and place it at the bottom of each set of hollow cement blocks. We’re doing this to hold the Miracle Gro Soil in-place – to plug it up within each set of hollow cement blocks so the Miracle Gro Soil doesn’t leak out, especially when watering (or rain) the sunflowers.

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STEP 08:  Now we’re going to fill each set of hollow cement blocks with Miracle Gro Soil. Take your small shovel and carefully fill each hollow cement block with the Miracle Gro Soil. Don’t hard-pack the Miracle Gro Soil into each hollow cement block, but lightly pack it down. Fill the hollow cement block to the very top and level with very top. Carry-on and fill the other 11 sets of hollow cement blocks.

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MOST IMPORTANT NOTE:  Skimping on good soil is not an option. You have to use a good soil or all this work is for nothing. Use Miracle Gro Soil or some other good soil of your choice.

Planted sunflower seeds on 14 June 2019 (Friday)

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NOTE:  I Googled some data on the Mammoth Sunflowers. It states the roots should go down 01-foot to 03-feet. The stacked hollow cement blocks come to about 01 ½-feet. We’ll see if the Mammoth Sunflowers reach their height of 12-feet in 100-days, according to the Burpee seed packet (22 September 2019 – Sunday).

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STEP 09:  Now we’re going to plant a Burpee Sunflower Mammoth seed in each of the hollow cement block. According to instructions on the Burpee package, the sunflower seed should be planted at a 01-inch depth. I took a stick and made a hollow hole in the center of the soil about 01-inche deep. I inserted the sunflower seed and covered it with surrounding Miracle Gro Soil. I carried-on and planted sunflower seeds in the other 11 hollow cement blocks. I also inserted several sticks to protect each sunflower plant.

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(27 June 2019 – Thursday)

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STEP 10:  Now we’re going to water each sunflower seed. I started watering each set of cement blocks with about a ½-cup of rain water.

(27 June 2019 – Thursday)

Note:  I inserted several sticks into the soil of each hollow cement block – facing outward. Those sticks keep the cats from jumping on the cement blocks, laying down and killing the small sunflower plants.

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STEP 11:  The Burpee package states it will take the seedlings 07 to 14-days to emerge. My sunflower seeds were breaking the surface of the soil in only 04-days!

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STEP 12:  As the Sunflowers grew to a height of 06-inches, I added more water. I gave each of them ¾-cup of water in the morning and another ¾-cup of water before the sun went down.

Note:  I noticed at night, all the sunflower leaves are drooping, facing downward. But when the sun comes up, all the leaves face skyward.

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STEP 13:  As the Sunflowers grew to a height of 06-inches and more, I decided to paint all the double-stacked hollow cement blocks. I painted them the same color as the trim and window sidings of my house. I placed sections of cardboard at the base of each set of cement blocks to keep pain off the rocks.

(30 June 2019 – Sunday)

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STEP 14:  All the sunflowers are now 01-foot to almost 02-feet tall. Tomorrow (13 July 2019), I’m going to increase their water feeding to 01-cup of water twice a day.

Important Note:  I DO NOT USE TAP WATER (chemicals) when watering the Mammoth Sunflowers. I feed the sunflowers rain water or water from the watergarden (more nutritious and chemical-free).

(12 July 2019 – Friday)

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1st NOTE:  The bucket of 05 sunflowers growing in the center is an experiment. The Burpee seed packet states the sunflowers should be 12 – 18-inches apart. The 05 sunflowers are only a few inches apart but still growing real fast. In 02 of the cement blocks, I have 02 sunflowers growing next to each other. Those 04 sunflowers are smaller than the rest of the sunflowers but still growing.

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2nd NOTE:  The 12 sets of stacked hollow blocks look like they are all slanting. It’s the angle of the photo. I did not use a leveling device to level all 12 stacked cement blocks. I just eye-balled it. See Three Things I Would Do Different Next Time – 03 Cement Blocks at the end of this blog post.

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STEP 15:  Here’s an update. The photo below was taken a week later than the previous one. Them babies are growing fast. Even the smaller ones are growing fast. Here are the stats on the tallest and shortest Mammoth Sunflowers:

Mammoth Sunflowers Stats

Mammoth Sunflower Seeds Plant Date——-14 June 2019 (Friday)
Today’ Date————————————————19 July 2019 (Friday)
Total Days Grow Time———————————35 days
100 Days To Harvest (12-feet high)————22 September 2019 – Sunday
Tallest Mammoth Sunflower———————–03-feet & 10-inches
Shortest Mammoth Sunflower——————–02-feet & 00-inches

Note:  Heights of remaining Mammoth Sunflowers fall in between tallest and shortest measurements.

(19 July 2019 – Friday)

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Mammoth Sunflowers Stats (continued)

Mammoth Sunflower Seeds Plant Date——–14 June 2019 (Friday)
100 Days To Harvest (12-feet high)————–22 September 2019 – Sunday
Today’ Date————————————————-26 July 2019 (Friday)
Total Days Grow Time———————————42 days
Tallest Mammoth Sunflower————————04-feet & 02 ½-inches
Shortest Mammoth Sunflower———————02-feet & 07-inches

Note:  Heights of remaining Mammoth Sunflowers fall in between tallest and shortest measurements.

(26 July 2019 – Friday)

MOST IMPORTANT NOTE:  I noticed some of the leaves on each of the Mammoth Sunflowers were turning yellow and dying. I don’t know if it’s a lack of nutrients in the soil, insects, disease or a combination. So today (271530C July 2019 – Saturday), I added a pinch of ‘Pennington Epsom Salt Plant Nutrient – The Salt of the Earth’ to each Mammoth Sunflower.  When I give them their 2nd watering at about 1900 hours, the Epsom salt will dissolve and go into the root system of each sunflower.  I can vouch for the use of Epsom salt.  I used it on my lawn when I lived in Belleville, IL and BAMMM!  I had the greenest fullest lawn in the whole area!  Anyway, from here on out, just prior to each watering (twice a day), I’ll add a tiny pinch of Epsom salt to the surface of each Mammoth Sunflower plant.

Note:  Prior to each watering, I add 12 pinches of Epsom salt to the water.

As far as the insects and disease, when it gets cooler, just before dark, I’ll spray the sunflower leaves with ‘Natria – Insect, Disease & Mite Control.’ I’ll give you an update on the effect of these 02 plant products.

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Mammoth Sunflowers Stats (continued)

Mammoth Sunflower Seeds Plant Date——–14 June 2019 (Friday)
100 Days To Harvest (12-feet high)————-22 September 2019 – Sunday
Today’ Date————————————————–02 August 2019 (Friday)
Total Days Grow Time———————————49 days
Tallest Mammoth Sunflower————————05-feet & 02 ½-inches
Shortest Mammoth Sunflower———————03-feet & 04 ½-inches

Note:  Heights of remaining Mammoth Sunflowers fall in between tallest and shortest measurements.

(02 August 2019 – Friday)

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Mammoth Sunflowers Stats (continued)

Mammoth Sunflower Seeds Plant Date——–14 June 2019 (Friday)
100 Days To Harvest (12-feet high)————-22 September 2019 – Sunday
Today’ Date————————————————–09 August 2019 (Friday)
Total Days Grow Time———————————-56 days
Tallest Mammoth Sunflower————————-06-feet & 01-inch
Shortest Mammoth Sunflower———————-03-feet & 11-inches

1st Note:  Heights of remaining Mammoth Sunflowers fall in between tallest and shortest measurements.

2nd Note:  The Epsom Salt seems to be helping the Mammoth Sunflowers grow greener and faster. I’ve been adding 13-pinches of Epsom Salt to each pitcher of water before I water each Mammoth Sunflower. I increased their water from 01-cup (08-ounces) to 10-ounces of water (rain water or watergarden water) twice a day. The ‘Natria – Insect, Disease & Mite Control’ seems to helping. Tonight, I’ll give the 12 Mammoth Sunflowers and ther Mammoth Sunflowers in the center another spraying.

(09 August 2019 – Friday)

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(16 August 2019)

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Mammoth Sunflowers Stats (continued)

Mammoth Sunflower Seeds Plant Date——-14 June 2019 (Friday)
100 Days To Harvest (12-feet high)————22 September 2019 – Sunday
Today’ Date————————————————23 August 2019 (Friday)
Total Days Grow Time——————————-70 days
Tallest Mammoth Sunflower———————-08-feet & 02 1/2-inches
Shortest Mammoth Sunflower——————–05-feet & 05 ½-inches

–(23 August 2019)

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Mammoth Sunflowers Stats (continued)

Mammoth Sunflower Seeds Plant Date——-14 June 2019 (Friday)
100 Days To Harvest (12-feet high)————22 September 2019 – Sunday
Today’ Date————————————————08 September 2019 (Sunday)
Total Days Grow Time——————————-86 days
Tallest Mammoth Sunflower———————-no measurement
Shortest Mammoth Sunflower——————–no measurement

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Three Things I Would Do Different Next Time!

Here are 03 things I’ll do next time to make it easier on myself and enhance the growth of the Mammoth Sunflowers.

• Plant Date:  I planted the sunflower seeds on 14 June 2019. According to the Burpee package, for my area – Illinois – ‘Outdoor Sown’ time is May – June. Next time, I’ll plant the Mammoth Sunflower seeds a lot earlier, approximately 45-days earlier. Next time, I’ll plant them no later than the 1st day or the 1st week of May. I may plant the individual sunflower seeds in separate paper cups in my house in late April to give them a head-start.

• 03 Cement Blocks:  This project has 02 stacked cement blocks for each Mammoth Sunflower. According to Google, the roots of sunflowers grow 01-foot to 03-feet down. Next year, I’ll add another cement block to each Mammoth Sunflower to accommodate the growth depth of the Mammoth Sunflower roots. Next year with 03 stacked cement blocks high, I’ll purchase a cheap level device and level all 12 cement block stacks as perfect as possible (using Rainbow Rock to level & support all 12 stacks).

• Pre-Paint Cement Blocks:  It was a pain in the butt to paint the 12 sets of stacked cement blocks that were already sitting on the layers Rainbow Rocks. Besides the sun beating down on me, I had to be careful not to drip paint the Rainbow Rocks. I used sections of cardboard which stuck to the bottoms of the cement blocks like glue when I removed them a couple days later. Next time, when I add another cement block to each Mammoth Sunflower (12), I’ll pre-paint each cement block under my carport in the shade while I’m sitting in a chair drinking a cold beer. Heck, I might paint all the 12 cement blocks in the house while I’m watching a movie and drinking a cold beer!

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Summer 2020 UPDATE:  I planted sunflower seeds and things went wrong.  But the main thing that really set back the growing 12 sunflower plants are deer.  I went to water the sunflowers and found 08 out of the 12 were eaten by a deer or two.  I live out in the country and this place is LOADED with deer and other critters.  I decided, next year (Summer 2021), I’ll plant corn!  Thanks for staying with me on this blog post.  See you next year.

See the Table Of Contents for plenty of helpful and informative blog posts.

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