Planting sunflowers - Peredovic vs Clearfield?

Guybo

Eight Pointer
I was starting preparations for an upcoming field for doves and i'm thinking sunflowers this season. I planted Brown Top Millet last year and it did ok but I've never tried sunflowers and thought I would give it a go. I have about a 3 acre field that i'll be planting. I see that these two are the most preferred but is there really a big difference other than price? I'm aware that the Clearfield are treated and can be sprayed with a herbicide but man those seeds are really pricey and so is the herbicide that's recommended to use with them. I can get the Peredovic for a lot less. Any suggestions or maybe someone has used both? Thank You.
 

JayDB

Eight Pointer
I planted Peredovik Sunflowers last year. Deer hit the plants hard once they began coming up. The plants that made it, the deer ate every leaf off every plant once they began maturing. As a result, the heads never produced. If you can keep deer from eating them, they should be fine. I put out around 500 pounds of triple 17 prior to planting. (and they came up good). I sprayed the field with Gly prior to planting, waited a couple weeks, tilled, then planted. Did have some weeds pop up. Looking back I wish I had sprayed again prior to planting.

I've planted Brown Top Millet and German (Foxtail) Millet. Both were easy to grow, however, the German Millet drew/held a lot more doves.
 

para4514

Eight Pointer
Contributor
May want to add some grey striped sunflowers in with the Peredoviks. Generally a little larger and may not get hit by the finches as bad.

Imazapic herbicide use to be labeled as tolerant for annual sunflowers. Now it appears it was moved to the "weeds controlled with an 8 to 12 oz. per are rate" section of the label. You may want to research this as an option since it shows no control when applied pre-emergent at lower rates. Depending on the weeds you are trying to control there may still be an opportunity to legally apply it according to the label. This herbicide does a good job in controlling foxtail and crabgrass.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I use Peredovik. I talked with a local farmer this winter who has used the Clearfield for the last 5 years or so, and he said he was going back to Peredovik, I believe. But he plants to harvest. If you are planting for wildlife, I believe Peredovik gets the job done with a much cheaper investment.

You still need to spray before, use a preemergent (helpful) and spray again in early August. At least that's what I do.

Deer didn't bother mine much the first couple years, but now they are hitting the stuff out of sight of the house hard. So much so, that I planted corn in that area last year. Corn didn't seem to draw the doves like I had hoped, even though no other corn was cut locally. I may go back to millet in that low spot.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Disc, spray preemergent, incorporate (drag or disc), plant. I have used a couple different kinds, trying to switch it up a little, as 2 or 3 weed species are getting worse each year. That's the downside. A particular herbicide won't get everything. Trifluralin and Metolachlor are the ones I've tried.
 

Guybo

Eight Pointer
Thanks for the feedback everyone I do appreciate it. I know I'd have a deer problem with the sunflowers because it seems everyone else has. I'm thinking now maybe the German millet may be the route I'll take. I grew brown top there last year and they did great but didn't attract a lot of doves. I would hate to invest all that money for the deer to destroy the sunflowers. Again thanks everyone.
 

darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
Another option is go buy black oil sunflower seeds being sold at farm store for bird feed. I top sow them and they have been the trick for the last 3-4 years. No, you can’t spray them but I plant them thick enough they’ll shade out a lot weeds and by the time the weeds do become an issue, you can spray over top of sunflowers because the head is already made. Is it the best way? No, but at $22/50lb bag it works fine and in the last 3 years, there’s a :donk:donk:donk:donk ton of dead doves that have enjoyed them. Haha
 

JayDB

Eight Pointer
I've never used a preemergent (hence my questions).

How long do you wait after applying preemergent before planting your sunflowers?

Disc, spray preemergent, incorporate (drag or disc), plant. I have used a couple different kinds, trying to switch it up a little, as 2 or 3 weed species are getting worse each year. That's the downside. A particular herbicide won't get everything. Trifluralin and Metolachlor are the ones I've tried.
 

stilker

Old Mossy Horns
Another option is go buy black oil sunflower seeds being sold at farm store for bird feed. I top sow them and they have been the trick for the last 3-4 years. No, you can’t spray them but I plant them thick enough they’ll shade out a lot weeds and by the time the weeds do become an issue, you can spray over top of sunflowers because the head is already made. Is it the best way? No, but at $22/50lb bag it works fine and in the last 3 years, there’s a :donk:donk:donk:donk ton of dead doves that have enjoyed them. Haha
ive done this quite a bit,southern states has a game bird seed mix and I mix in black oil and striped,top sow and disc them in,been getting a really good stand the last few years.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I've never used a preemergent (hence my questions).

How long do you wait after applying preemergent before planting your sunflowers?

Follow the instructions, but I usually plant as soon as I can. I don't think it matters. They do give you specific instructions on how soon and how deep it must be incorporated though.
 

Eggman

Twelve Pointer
Try a section of brown top. Spray it in early August, disk around the perimeter and then burn it. Clean ground is what a dove loves!
 
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