Can you imagine for years been complaining about this 'WEED' in my backyard especially, that looks like sunflower 🙈🙈 and kept asking for its name!!a few weeks ago did I get the name of my 'WEED' - TITHONIA!! So elated to further learn it was a natural fertiliser 💃 💃 💃 to my joy !! Growing up with grandparents never saw them use chemicals in their fields!! Now I understand why I have a good crop of maize in the backyard which is generous in size. Imagine last rain season 2022/2023 due to not being well the backyard had no crop but alas it was orange TITHONIA and Blackjack took over! At that point had not discovered I had'green' gold on my hands!! It's all now dried up. I'm ready for coming rainy season Nov2023/April2024! Now I'm getting as much info on TITHONIA. I have NEEM Tree which I use mostly as an organic pesticide! Now geared to also grow Moringa and Comfrey and spread my Lemon Grass. This video has just energised me 💃 💃 💃!! It is 02:40hrs in Lusaka (Zambia) I can't wait for the rain season!!please continue to enlighten us thank you 🙏 🙏
Wao only seeing reply today 😂 Greetings across the border!I'm looking forward to rain season! Last season drought hit! But have DRIED TITHONIA at edge of wall fence ready to push into ground as prepare to plant!!
We have this plant in our very tiny backyard Food Forest and it is amazing always comes back you can build walls with it in the garden it's an awesome plant easy to control cuz you can just chop it down. I thank you Pete your videos are very inspirational.
Great vid! I had Mexican sunflower at my last house on a regular sized lot. I had no idea that it was a good nitrogen source. I have 4 acres now with fruit trees growing. I will be getting more Mexican sunflower. Thanks for posting!
The Lean Homestead I like pine needles for paths and as mulch. I think finding the free mulch is the ticket, plus the pine areas and needles are usually loaded with tics.
@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL ok cool. So it has to be woody to root then. Found some on the side of the road today that grew into a ditch from someone's property and grabbed a bunch of it.
Deathless Zero I have and it's no easy task. The best results I've seen with elimination of Bermuda grass is burning the area or a seriously thick mulch job like 1-2ft.
Well I was planning on doing a few of these… then u said rabbits… snap… I have hoardes of wild rabbits… but good to know, if I try these in the ground, I will protect them until they mature… but darn, shoulda been my first thought … sunflowers to bunnies are like chocolate chip cookies to Santa. Claus
Like this info. Did you start from seed or cuttings. What others plants do you use for nitro-fixing for tropical growing. Did you do other videos about this? Thanks Pete.
Joseph Nieboer cuttings only with Mexican sunflower. I've done individual videos on most of them but I should probably do like a 'Power Pack' of nitrogen fixers video.
I really appreciate your illustrations of theory in practice. I'd like to get some chop n drop carbon nitrogen balance in my small backyard food forest going on. Since it's a small lot and downhill from the house, my concern is that a dynamic accumulator is going to accumulate some crap I don't want to be eating. Is there anything like this that's just good for chop and drop but won't pull a bunch of chemicals up? Construction hasn't happened in almost 20 years though. I don't know if it's a concern or not.
I have so much moringa I actually do this with that same growing habits I can cut one tree heavy a week later its like it never was cut so me and my plants feed off moringa a lot
I have Maximillian sunflowers...would you consider their choppings as nutritious as the Mexican variety? I suspect their a different genus...but am just wondering. We keep all our cuttings, and we've discovered squirrels don't like walking on bamboo leaves (a blessing since we feed the birds and thus, have squirrels).
Mexican sunflower is not studied enough and what is published on it is hard to find -I’ve even seen signs there might be benefits to type two diabetes but I’m scared to consume the plant without knowing how to prepare. I’ve said this before there is many videos you could probably do on this plan with your knowledge of it!
Well I think I found a bonus use for the sunflower anyway. I'll plant surrounding my new camelia sinensis plants abut 2 months before I'm ready to harvest the tea, they shoud grow tall enough to provide the tea with about a month of that wonderful shade that makes gyokuro and matcha so sweet and delicious!
totally thought this was going to be about a vegan guy and his compost toilet pile hahaa :p i chop, shred, then use as compost toilet mulch, then compost, then drop, lol, shout out to you for putting vegan in the title woohoo! :D
Tithonia Rotundifolia or Diversifola? Want to buy the right plant. I always bring truckloads of mulch in, this looks easier to just grow near my fruit trees to use as mulch. Also what is the plant behind him that looks like cannabis towards the end? Schefflera?
As of now this video has 10,000 views 5000 of those views are probably from me. You know what that means, you could revisit tithonia And go further into it and even repeat yourself and we’d watch. I’m so interested in this plant. I planted it last year and it didn’t do all that much until the end of the summer. Now we’re only one week into spring and they’re popping up like rabbits this year. TH-cam does not have a lot of English videos about tithonia. I’m curious about the usefulness for bunny rabbits but more importantly koi food! My main thing is can they be the ultimate source for my bananas?
You got it! Updated video coming soon. You’ll be happy to know I also sent samples off to a university and have some test results to share. I also have information about feeding the rabbits :)
I do enjoy seeing your videos to a certain degree. Your last few vids had me nauseous with you swinging your camera around. I seriously thought of in unsubscribing. Sorry, it's true. But I want your knowledge and toughed it out. I am glad that Justin came to visit you and talked you into documenting good positive info. Please keep us in mind with slower movements, thank you. And keep on producing and sharing your great quality information. Sincerely, Arlene
A Mose thank you for the feedback! Its not too often I watch myself but recently we played a few on the TV and I also noticed the fast movement. The next 2 videos are filmed, uploaded & scheduled - but I will be sure to slow down with the camera turns from there on...
Hey Pete!, I have 1 mexican sunflower that is about 2 and a half feet high and it just gave me my first flower. I want to know more about the mexican sunflower and how to manage it. 1. is it a perennial? 2. how do I get my mexican sunflower to grow as big as yours. 3 should i be pruning it and when should i prune it. I live in southern california if that helps at all. I have chickens and 2 rabbits so I feel like this is the perfect crop for me because I can get free rabbit food out of it and also use it to cover barren spots of dirt on my property (which I have allot of). Thank you so much for your videos I learn allot from them. I am just a 17 year old trying to get into the agricultural buisnes and one day I hope to create food forest parks all around the world.
Clovado hello! Yes it is a perennial and if we get frost it will freeze to the ground and recover fine in spring. Im sure the heavy rain and humidity have something to do with the crazy growth rates here. I think more water and regular pruning would help. You're on the right path with agriculture, I wish you the best of luck! Let me know when you're ready to start planting these food forests 🌳
There are two tithonias that are being confused for several years. The Tithonia diversifolia which is the one in this video gets tall and has large yellow flowers. It's common name is really Bolivian sunflower. Tithonia rotundafolia is short and has reddish orange flowers that go to seed and is the way to propagate it. It's not a perennial like the other one. This is the Mexican sunflower. Clovado, I think it sounds like you might have there: Here's a link with more info: floridata.com/Plants/Asteraceae/Tithonia%20rotundiflora/277
oh thank you so much for the reply! yes I have the the mexican sunflower that is much shorter and has red flowers. So what your saying is I need to get the bolivian sunflower if I want the one in the video.
I had no idea mexican sunflower was so nutrient dense for soil. New project for me, helpful & free. Thank u 😊
Can you imagine for years been complaining about this 'WEED' in my backyard especially, that looks like sunflower 🙈🙈 and kept asking for its name!!a few weeks ago did I get the name of my 'WEED' - TITHONIA!! So elated to further learn it was a natural fertiliser 💃 💃 💃 to my joy !! Growing up with grandparents never saw them use chemicals in their fields!! Now I understand why I have a good crop of maize in the backyard which is generous in size. Imagine last rain season 2022/2023 due to not being well the backyard had no crop but alas it was orange TITHONIA and Blackjack took over! At that point had not discovered I had'green' gold on my hands!! It's all now dried up. I'm ready for coming rainy season Nov2023/April2024! Now I'm getting as much info on TITHONIA. I have NEEM Tree which I use mostly as an organic pesticide! Now geared to also grow Moringa and Comfrey and spread my Lemon Grass. This video has just energised me 💃 💃 💃!! It is 02:40hrs in Lusaka (Zambia) I can't wait for the rain season!!please continue to enlighten us thank you 🙏 🙏
I am doing the same and very excited about this plant. We call it "deriya" over here. Greetings from across the border (Malawi).
Wao only seeing reply today 😂 Greetings across the border!I'm looking forward to rain season! Last season drought hit! But have DRIED TITHONIA at edge of wall fence ready to push into ground as prepare to plant!!
Love it!
You should send some Mexican sunflower to John Kholer.
Did you see the video he made here?
@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL no i haven't seen it i will take a look at it? Do you gave the link?
are you playing caspian in the background?
Hello again Pete
If you don't sell and ship your cuttings of Mexican sunflower, please tell me where to buy Mexican sunflower.
Thank you
We do sell them. Check out my online store. GreenDreamsfl.com
Just made an online order.... thank you much!
Will the tithonia regrow from the roots zone 8A?
Possibly, but unlikely
How long did it take for that tithonia to grow the one he was cuttin? Thanks.
4-5 weeks
Awesome!
I have studied rabbit diet Mexican sunflower can be used for 10% of their diet and after that they start losing weight if anyone wanted to know
Jursuleun artichoke is a good and there more edible and more cold hardy
very useful - thx!
Nice sharing dear
I just purchase some Mexican sunflower.
Thanks for the support man! We appreciate it.
will it come back the next spring/summer after a hard freeze kills it?
Yes sir
@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL Awesome, thanks Pete.
Would Mexican sunflower grow in Southern California since we don't have the humidity? Thanks
Derek Wong I don't see why not. This plant is pretty bulletproof.
Okay, sweet thanks. I'll give it a try next year as mulch for my trees. Could you make it into a tea by steeping it in water till broken down?
It grows gray in Tucson Arizona very little humidity
That would be great fantastic
Okay sweet, thanks man. Now i just need to find a place for them haha. Do they go dormant in Arizona?
Do you terminate the plant before it flowers to keep plant from using the nitrogen?
Yes! We prune monthly so they never get the chance to flower.
We have this plant in our very tiny backyard Food Forest and it is amazing always comes back you can build walls with it in the garden it's an awesome plant easy to control cuz you can just chop it down. I thank you Pete your videos are very inspirational.
Thank you, thank you Pete; the slowing down with the camera really allows to enjoy the video.
Hulagu Kahn glad you noticed!
Where does one buy the seeds?
We sell plants online. This one doesn’t produce viable seed.
Hi Pete
How big is your yard?
Hello! When I made this video it was 6 acres, we’ve since purchased the 5 acres behind us.
Great vid! I had Mexican sunflower at my last house on a regular sized lot. I had no idea that it was a good nitrogen source. I have 4 acres now with fruit trees growing. I will be getting more Mexican sunflower. Thanks for posting!
ive been doing the same thing Pete and seems to work great thanks for info vid i like that.
Steve's Outdoor World that's awesome! I'm glad to hear it's working for you .
We have a bunch of pines on the property any thoughts on using the dropped needles like chop n drop?
The Lean Homestead I like pine needles for paths and as mulch. I think finding the free mulch is the ticket, plus the pine areas and needles are usually loaded with tics.
Ian would have had that finished in 30 min with a hedge trimmer. hand snipping that much is a workout on the hands, hard worker you got there.
i was going to say a rice knife/sickle but yeah definitely more efficient ways lol
Pete, would this stuff help break down wood chips to compost fairly quickly? Or would it root in the "compost pile"
Good question. It could be used as green manure. New growth wouldn’t be a problem but woody growth my take off.
@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL ok cool. So it has to be woody to root then. Found some on the side of the road today that grew into a ditch from someone's property and grabbed a bunch of it.
Great info and visuals! Everyone needs to learn this stuff.
USA1492 thank you! I appreciate the feedback.
How many plants are in one of those clumps of mexican sunflower?
An "Alternative Method" is to host a nudist vegan escape on the farm and...well, like that. 1000 Pounds of vegan manure. And I had to look.
😂😂😂
Do you ever have to deal with Bermuda grass?
Deathless Zero I have and it's no easy task. The best results I've seen with elimination of Bermuda grass is burning the area or a seriously thick mulch job like 1-2ft.
Where are you located in Florida? to buy some of those stalks and the grass. I'm in Pinellas county.
Hello! We’re just north of Tampa Florida. Please email us to schedule an appointment for pickup. Admin@greendramsfl.com
Well I was planning on doing a few of these… then u said rabbits… snap… I have hoardes of wild rabbits… but good to know, if I try these in the ground, I will protect them until they mature… but darn, shoulda been my first thought … sunflowers to bunnies are like chocolate chip cookies to Santa. Claus
Like this info. Did you start from seed or cuttings. What others plants do you use for nitro-fixing for tropical growing. Did you do other videos about this? Thanks Pete.
Joseph Nieboer cuttings only with Mexican sunflower. I've done individual videos on most of them but I should probably do like a 'Power Pack' of nitrogen fixers video.
I saw some seeds for sale. For 100 seeds then ran from $9- $14. Only a few seem to carry them. One had 5 seeds for $3.99.
Where can I get Mexican sunflower ?
Great job with the videos, and the timely replies, brother. It's appreciated
He said an hour
😅
What’s the difference between tithonia diversifolia and Tithonia rotundifolia?
I really appreciate your illustrations of theory in practice. I'd like to get some chop n drop carbon nitrogen balance in my small backyard food forest going on. Since it's a small lot and downhill from the house, my concern is that a dynamic accumulator is going to accumulate some crap I don't want to be eating. Is there anything like this that's just good for chop and drop but won't pull a bunch of chemicals up? Construction hasn't happened in almost 20 years though. I don't know if it's a concern or not.
I have so much moringa I actually do this with that same growing habits I can cut one tree heavy a week later its like it never was cut so me and my plants feed off moringa a lot
KELVIN ALSTON that's awesome! Moringa is a great chop and drop species.
does the 1000 lbs equal about 300 when dry?
Skibrzy probably. But by the time it dries out in the shade on the bananas it will have already recovered and time to drop again.
when not cut down does this put of a kind of fruit ,,
Super good info! Definitely will be putting in Mexican sunflower.
Way less work than animals.
Thank you!
Thanks Jim! Glad you enjoyed.
I have Maximillian sunflowers...would you consider their choppings as nutritious as the Mexican variety? I suspect their a different genus...but am just wondering. We keep all our cuttings, and we've discovered squirrels don't like walking on bamboo leaves (a blessing since we feed the birds and thus, have squirrels).
Mexican sunflower is not studied enough and what is published on it is hard to find -I’ve even seen signs there might be benefits to type two diabetes but I’m scared to consume the plant without knowing how to prepare. I’ve said this before there is many videos you could probably do on this plan with your knowledge of it!
I need to make an updated video! I have lots of new information to share from actual tests. I’ve sent 100 pound samples to Texas A&M.
@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFLCan't wait to hear about the test results.
Great, I'm going to be adding these for sure, do they make edible seed too? That would just be the icing on the cake!
Thanks Josh! No I've never see it set seed. Wouldn't that be awesome?!?
Well I think I found a bonus use for the sunflower anyway. I'll plant surrounding my new camelia sinensis plants abut 2 months before I'm ready to harvest the tea, they shoud grow tall enough to provide the tea with about a month of that wonderful shade that makes gyokuro and matcha so sweet and delicious!
No edible seed.
You can plant Chaya too for biomass and the added occasional salad.
What is the plant near the mexican sunflower that has multi pronged leaves that looks like cannabis? Is it schefflera?
dezertXer likely the cassava. Otherwise it will be chaya.
dezertXer yes it's Cassava.
totally thought this was going to be about a vegan guy and his compost toilet pile hahaa :p i chop, shred, then use as compost toilet mulch, then compost, then drop, lol, shout out to you for putting vegan in the title woohoo! :D
wallamangaveer I'm getting tricky with the click bait. Lol
Vegan or not, why would want to order shit to your house when you can be self-sufficient just like that with plants.
Tithonia Rotundifolia or Diversifola? Want to buy the right plant. I always bring truckloads of mulch in, this looks easier to just grow near my fruit trees to use as mulch.
Also what is the plant behind him that looks like cannabis towards the end? Schefflera?
dezertXer this is Tithonia diversifolia. I've never seen it set seed before and the Rotundifolia has never been as vigorous for us.
@@PeteKanarisGreenDreamsFL is the Rotundifolia still a good chop and drop?
As of now this video has 10,000 views 5000 of those views are probably from me. You know what that means, you could revisit tithonia And go further into it and even repeat yourself and we’d watch. I’m so interested in this plant. I planted it last year and it didn’t do all that much until the end of the summer. Now we’re only one week into spring and they’re popping up like rabbits this year. TH-cam does not have a lot of English videos about tithonia. I’m curious about the usefulness for bunny rabbits but more importantly koi food! My main thing is can they be the ultimate source for my bananas?
You got it! Updated video coming soon. You’ll be happy to know I also sent samples off to a university and have some test results to share. I also have information about feeding the rabbits :)
Its a great frob too.
1000 pounds of vegan manure in 30 minutes!!! That's one heck of a laxative! You're lucky to be alive.
Gewgulkan Suhckitt 😂
I do enjoy seeing your videos to a certain degree. Your last few vids had me nauseous with you swinging your camera around. I seriously thought of in unsubscribing. Sorry, it's true. But I want your knowledge and toughed it out. I am glad that Justin came to visit you and talked you into documenting good positive info. Please keep us in mind with slower movements, thank you. And keep on producing and sharing your great quality information. Sincerely, Arlene
A Mose thank you for the feedback! Its not too often I watch myself but recently we played a few on the TV and I also noticed the fast movement. The next 2 videos are filmed, uploaded & scheduled - but I will be sure to slow down with the camera turns from there on...
Hey Pete!, I have 1 mexican sunflower that is about 2 and a half feet high and it just gave me my first flower. I want to know more about the mexican sunflower and how to manage it. 1. is it a perennial? 2. how do I get my mexican sunflower to grow as big as yours. 3 should i be pruning it and when should i prune it. I live in southern california if that helps at all. I have chickens and 2 rabbits so I feel like this is the perfect crop for me because I can get free rabbit food out of it and also use it to cover barren spots of dirt on my property (which I have allot of). Thank you so much for your videos I learn allot from them. I am just a 17 year old trying to get into the agricultural buisnes and one day I hope to create food forest parks all around the world.
Clovado hello! Yes it is a perennial and if we get frost it will freeze to the ground and recover fine in spring. Im sure the heavy rain and humidity have something to do with the crazy growth rates here. I think more water and regular pruning would help.
You're on the right path with agriculture, I wish you the best of luck! Let me know when you're ready to start planting these food forests 🌳
I heard that if the mexican sunflower goes to seed that it will die, do you guys just chop it off before it can seed?
There are two tithonias that are being confused for several years. The Tithonia diversifolia which is the one in this video gets tall and has large yellow flowers. It's common name is really Bolivian sunflower. Tithonia rotundafolia is short and has reddish orange flowers that go to seed and is the way to propagate it. It's not a perennial like the other one. This is the Mexican sunflower. Clovado, I think it sounds like you might have there: Here's a link with more info: floridata.com/Plants/Asteraceae/Tithonia%20rotundiflora/277
oh thank you so much for the reply! yes I have the the mexican sunflower that is much shorter and has red flowers. So what your saying is I need to get the bolivian sunflower if I want the one in the video.
Yes! And Thanks for being young and knowing so much of what's important!
Do you still believe in Chop n' Drop
Pound for pound....
EQUAL TO CHICKEN MANURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Luke Morrison it's some awesome stuff!