Did you ever dream of growing something beautiful that also repaired lousy dirt?
Probably not, but if you knew there WAS something beautiful that also repaired bad dirt, I bet you’d want to grow it. When I found out about these guys, I was hooked.
Meet Tithonia diversifolia:
LEARN MORE about these and other compost crops in my book Compost Everything!
Though the varieties I’ve encountered in the US don’t produce viable seeds, they are easily propagated through cuttings. Once you get some, it’s really easy to make more. I stick them all over my food forest.
The only time Mexican sunflowers bloom here is in November, so I’m enjoying it while they last. The butterflies are happy and the blooms make great cut flowers, with a rich honeyed aroma.
See? I’m not just a brutal utilitarian. I can appreciate pretty things, as long as they’re also useful.
Whoops. Guess I AM a brutal utilitarian.
If you want to grow these amazing plants, you can get cuttings of Tithonia diversifolia on ebay.
Cuttings root very easily, just like cassava. Just pop them into a pot (or in the ground, if you’re going to have a frost-free winter) and they’ll be growing in no time. Plant them out after the last frost and you’ll have your own forest of giant flowers by next fall.
60 responses to “Meet the amazing giant sunflower that fixes bad soil”
I have one (several now) that looks identical to this – only it has seeds that come up constantly in a nearby annual bed – so it must be a different variety. Wonder if they would fix bad soil too?
You might have this guy: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/97/
They're also supposed to be good for soil repair.
Does anybody hear know how they compare with Comfrey in North Florida (I live in Gainesville FL)?
Comfrey has done poorly for me here, which is why I've been experimenting with other nutrient accumulators. The comfrey doesn't die… if it's in the shade… but it also doesn't thrive. I've had a few plants limping along for the past three years. It's funny: they did GREAT for me further north. In Florida, no dice.
I have one that hasn’t produced any flowers. I started it about a year ago and it’s 8′ tall even after the landscapers cut the top off. Still no flowers. Any idea why and how I can get it to bloom? I started it from a root cutting.
Yes – they bloom only in the fall when the day length changes. It will almost certainly bloom for you this year.
I am reading through these posts in disbelief! I planted two comfrey seeds back in the beginning of April. One germinated and is very happy and big.. In fact, by the end of July it made flowers. So it didn’t need to wait until the Fall to bloom. It’s the beginning of August and it still has flowers on it. I’m in Georgia. The only thing I can attribute to its success is I planted it in an area where I had had a giant sunflower. So maybe the soil made all the difference.
so after you've used the mexican sunflowers to rehabilitate soil, how easy are they to take out, in order to plant other things? do they grow back aggressively, or from just an inch of root, like comfrey?
It takes some leverage, but you can dig them out without too much trouble. In winter it would be pretty easy to do.
I'm in south Georgia comfry has been hard for me to work with as well. I am managing three comfry plants in pots now. I hope they stay alive till next spring.
I am anxious to try these mex sunflower s.
Interesting… I wonder what the line is for happy comfrey. GA has a huge range of climate and soils.
I know your post was from 2013, but just in case you’re still wondering…I live in zone 8a (central South Carolina, so further north than S Georgia) and comfrey struggles through the summers here. I’ve had one plant (out of 8 tries) in afternoon shade that has survived and it’s definitely not “thriving” (so not a good one for chop ‘n drop here).
I *have* had the tithonia diversifolia overwinter here (much to my surprise!) – they were in varied conditions, so don’t think it was microclimate. They are definitely slow to get going, though – late April to early May before they started sprouting from trunk. I got one bloom in November last year (then it froze, so that was the end of that) None (nor any buds) so far this year (Nov. 4th) – 2 were large from overwintering in sun room, 3 regrew outside (so doesn’t appear to be tied to growing time) – you think it’s tied to day length? (If yes, any idea what the cut off (trigger hours) is?)
Also (for what it’s worth), I’ve read that “specimens from Nigeria are sterile and plants from Zambia are fertile” relative to it reseeding (unfortunately, I no longer have the reference) and few are actually labelled by sellers here anyway.
Well same here I am also very anxious and excited too to try out this experiment in my garden. I am new to gardening and happy to learn many new and useful things from you all. Will definitely do it.
Thanks
Steve John
Do you still have cuttings?
I lopped off the tops of most every one, but I do actually have a couple plants left that were untouched by frost… so… yes! A very few!
Any chance you're offering cuttings this year?
Yes! I have them right now. I need to announce it.
How well do these do in the Tampa Bay area of Florida?
I live in Holiday in the northern Tampa Bay area and these are growing profusely. I started from a single cutting 4 years ago and now I have four monsters 20 feet tall and several 10 – 12 ft. shrubs. I have found them to be excellent growers that make “instant” shade trees when managed correctly. I propagate them in pots and sell them locally with ads on Craigslist for $5. One customer who bought one a few months ago came by last week and told me she already has shade at the window where she planted it and tons of ladybugs, butterflies and hummingbirds daily!
Florida soil quality can be very spotty. Holiday is right along the Gulf coast so the soil is terrible–at least 90% sand. These are dropping leaves constantly. I also trim them back frequently to keep them in shape and I strip off the leaves to cast on the ground. They crumble practically to dust once dry. They are excellent soil nourishment and I am seeing some “black” color coming into my soil near the plants.
Constant management is necessary to keep them in shape. If let go they will try to take over the world! I mainly cut away horizontal shoots before they thrust out too far. Pruning is easy. Most of the time you can just snap off unwanted limbs as they are rather brittle, just use a saw or loppers on bigger ones or you could split a trunk. Even if you split a trunk, though, it will keep growing. These are almost indestructible. Many other trees I’ve planted in efforts to create shade have died because my soil drains too rapidly and stays too dry. These, once established, take off with unbelievable speed.
Yeah – they will conquer an area for sure, but the chopping and dropping improves the soil wonderfully. Even the leaf fall is great.
My name is Rick and I’m from Tampa, Florida. I sell cuttings from my Mexican Sunflower Trees. I have never mailed any before but I work at Quality Meat Market on Orient Road and sell them in the parking lot. I tend to the property so I’m not always there. I live five minutes down the road and the owner Dave can contact me. My cuttings are already rooted and I can tell you ways to make all you want or get them to spread in what ever direction you need them to without taking cuttings. I have been growing them for ten years.
Rick
Thank you, Rick.
Hi Rick I live just a little further north than you, Inverness, FL. I’m interested in learning more about your techniques. What is the best to get in touch with you?
Tina Hi I also live in inverness. These grow very well here.. But can not take any cold or frost well.. I started with one stalk 3yrs ago.. now have 7 very large plants.. very easy to start in pots.. I have about a dozen started in pots now.. You would be welcome to some if your still interested.. Mine have survived the winter, and still have a few flowers.. Tony
[…] your base nitrogen mix, add some mineral diversity with other things you may have lying around. Tithonia diversifolia leaves are great as are thistles and other weeds. Everything from pokeweed to mulberry works; just […]
I am in North East Pasco, FL and planted some cuttings in the spring. I am hoping to have blooms this year for my wedding in November. Unfortunately, my plants have grown over 15 feet already. Have you had any success with summer pruning to a manageable height and still get blooms in November? I have pruned off some unruly side shoots and planted cuttings recently which are already about 1-2 ft tall and I am hoping they will bloom at a shorter height as well.
I have had success, yes, but the most amount of blooming happens when they’re very tall. I’d risk cutting half of them back, but I might not do all of them in case they decide to just give you green growth instead of blooms. I can’t tell you the latest I’ve cut them at and still had success with blooming. They really are a beautiful cut flower and have a nice, honey scent.
And congratulations!
Megan,
If you have cuttings to share, I would love to grow this. My plants need all of the nitrogen fixing they can get! I’m in North central Pasco.
l am in Nigeria.l have lots of its seeds that l sell every time.The seeds germinate under 5days!
Hi Dave, I’m in Hernando county (Fl), and I’m wondering if you have any cuttings available. If not now, at any time in the future…?
Unfortunately, no – I sold my property and am no longer in the states.
You can get them here, however:
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5575220617&toolid=10001&campid=5337951904&customid=&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FLot-of-10-20-Yellow-Mexican-Sunflower-Tithonia-Diversifolia-10-INCH-Cuttings-%2F311678192853%3Fvar%3D%26hash%3Ditem489177ccd5%3Am%3AmYiUAIpbjEvTt2UM6AjawKw
I recommend cuttings or live plants, not seeds, as many of the seeds in the US are infertile or have been mixed up with this plant’s annual cousin.
[…] and drop,” like Mexican sunflower (annual Tithonia rotundifolia and the robust perennial Tithonia diversifolia), Enterolobium (spp.), Leucaena leucocephala, Autumn olive (Eleagnus umbelatta), cassias and even […]
Awesome article. I found some growing in some woods here in Orlando and pulled up three that were connected under the soil. Planted them in my back yard yesterday. I was hoping they were a variety of tree spinach but now know what they are. I’m happy to have them for the flowers and the bio-mass.
I’ll keep searching for the elusive tree spinach.
Thanks for the great article.
Since David is no longer in FLA, I will have potted Tithonia Diversifolia available for sale in the spring. I am in Mims, N. Brevard Co, 10 mins off 95. They grow profusely here in my sand! If you will email me with your phone number, I will add you to my list, and I will text you when they’re ready. – CJ
I just realized you need my email address!
rogersfinancialgroup@gmail.com
I have about 40-50 well-established plants left, available right now, 3 gallon pots, 1-3′ tall. Email me.
And plenty of cuttings, too!
I live in Orlando, I have 3 Mexican sunflower bushes 8 to 10 foot tall & they are blooming now (may) the flowers are smaller(2 1/2” across) Than last year(6”across) & not as many.When do I cut them back? How close to the ground? &when & what do I fertilize them ?
I found something very similar growing behind my place of employment, on the edge of the adjacent field. I tried a web search of the picture but nothing turned up. Looking at the picture of Tithonia Diversifolia side-by-side with the picture of this other plant, the leaves look identical but I’m still not sure. If it is Tithonia Diversifolia, it was put there by a migrating bird, which means it is the non-sterile type. Guess I’ll wait for it to flower and see.
I always find myself finding your website when doing plant research. Funny how that works isn’t it? Thought you should know. Once again saying hello from North Fl. As always, looking forward to your live chats and future content David.
-Kinjo51
✌
Nice to see you here. I must be nearing 2,000 plant-related posts at this point. I suppose luck is with me.
Oh, man, I’ve only read 1,932 of them! Best get busy!
I finally got my cuttings from Grower Jim. Potting them up today until I figure out where I want to plant them.
Hoping the cuttings aren’t dead. I followed the directions, put them in nice soil and kept them out of direct sunlight but they’re brown now. Maybe it’s the heat? I put some water bottles over them just now to help keep in moisture and water them. Guess I’ll see soon enough.
I hope they live. They may be dead, though. Worth trying again if they’re cooked.
I might try them again in the Spring. Pretty sure these cuttings are cooked, though. It’s been 100 degrees here for a while now and a cool 90 or more in the shade. It will only get hotter from here until October, so I’ll try next year to get them established.
A friend of mine, also into growing things, stopped by my work today since he knew today was my last day there. He’d been downtown to a plant swap and stopped by one of the community gardens and found Tithonia Diversifolia being grown for chop and drop. He dug one up and brought it to me because he recalled a previous conversation we’d had about the plant. So now I have my own to propogate through cuttings in the Spring! Debating on planting in now and mulching it really deep or just overwintering it. Thinking planting and deep mulching would be best to get a nice root system developed by Spring.
Good work. I would plant it now and mulch it. They are tough.
David,
I was given some Tithonia rotundifolia (the orange red flowered variety) seeds. Do you have any experience with this one if it would also make a good chop n drop like diversifolia? Thank you
It is an annual – not nearly as tall and vigorous. So-so for chop and drop, but the butterflies absolutely love it. A beautiful plant.
I finally got some tithonia diversifolia from a friend of a friend this past Thanksgiving. After three months in pots to get established they were planted about a month ago. They are about 4 feet tall and blooming like crazy. I really like the look of this plant. It will be added to many areas of my yard as I am able to propagate cuttings. David, the katuk and Gainesville mulberry cuttings you gave me at the food forest seminar in Ft Lauderdale are doing very well. Katuk tops are my snack when I am in the garden. Thank you for all you do for us. Neil
You can’t kill em but they won’t flower in the shade. I found out their hardiness when I planted one in my back yard. Didn’t know the humus potential until I read Compost Everything. Nor the ease of propagation by cuttage. Great to know! Thanks!
Would anyone be willing to share some cuttings of tithonia diversifolia? Please let me know. Thanks!
I know this is an old post, but I wanted to weigh in because I found out the hard way that T. diversifolia can trigger contact dermatitis. Anyone who routinely breaks out from exposure to certain plants should cover up, wear gloves, and shower/wash clothes that may have touched the plant. Also invest in spray calamine, just in case! My rash took a few days to develop, but when it “bloomed” it was huge and itchy and really quite disgusting.
That’s happened to me with lantana!
Will the Mexican sunflower grow in the florida keys?
Yes, definitely.
I have grown Tithonia (reddish-orange) from commercial seed for 15 years in central AZ, zone 7. Last season it was hard to find on the seed racks, so I bought 1-2 packets at three different stores. Some of those seeds grew to 14′ tall, not the usual 6′. They were magnificent! I could look out the 2nd floor windows and watch the monarchs, hummingbirds, and finches working the flowers at eye level. Unfortunately, I did not save the seed packet, because I was not expecting them to grow that tall, so I don’t know the source. However, after some research, I did find a botanical reference to this tall species. Does anyone know where I can buy seeds for this specific, TALL variety?
I just ordered some tithonia diversifolia seeds from eBay. And was reading that you can only grow them from cuttings. Some sources say you can and some say you can’t grow from seed. What’s your experience?
I have not seen viable seeds on them.