He’s Still Growing Giant Plants

He’s Still Growing Giant Plants CROPS New Techniques Brian Moore hasn’t stopped asking how tall his garden plants can grow Moore is an avid giant plant grower Vol 46 No 6 who’s grown 26-ft amaranth 19-ft teosinte ancestor to corn and 15-ft sorghum Even his weeds get big “A couple of years ago I had a smartweed that grew to 11 ft 7 in ” says Moore “It was hiding behind some amaranth ” Moore exchanges seed with other fans of tall plants in North America and Europe “I send my seed all over and have gotten seed from a grower in the U K and Germany ” says Moore “If people are interested in growing giant plants I take them under my wing and share my experiences ” His friend in Germany uses scaffolding to support his plants and has recorded a 27-ft 6-in sunflower using Moore’s seed It’s a cross between a wild sunflower found in a Nebraska ditch and seed from the U K The world record is 30 ft 1 in with scaffolding Moore is shooting for a 20-ft plant with the wild sunflower from the road ditch “I want a freestanding sunflower that consistently reaches 20 ft ” says Moore “Last year I reached 18 ft 7 in This year I reached 19 ft ” Among giant plant growers Moore says he’s one of a few who doesn’t use scaffolding Instead he plants a very dense garden with rows of trees around it “You won’t get a tall plant in an open field because the wind strengthens the stem and all the plant energy goes into it ” explains Moore “My garden looks like a jungle I use plant competition to push the growth higher You get the growth just as it canopies However if the canopy gets too thick they stop growing so I do a lot of thinning ” Moore notes that some people concentrate on one or two species and only a few plants each year His strategy is to plant multiple species and plants of each “It’s a numbers game which is why I grow a lot of plants ” he says “I can lose 60 percent in a windstorm and still have some growing ” Every year is different another reason Moore diversifies the species he plants “One year we had heavy rains that flooded the back of my garden and the amaranth did great because it naturally grows in marshes ” says Moore “This year we had a drought and it didn’t do well Moore saves cuttings from his amaranth to regrow each year He has also been successful at producing amaranth seed “Most tall plant growers who grow amaranth get their seed from me ” says Moore Moore used to sell seed but now he only shares them with very interested people noting that their experiences have increased his knowledge He also shares his growing tips like heaping soil around the base of tall plants as they grow In addition to heavy plant populations and thinning he gives everything a heavy feeding of chopped alfalfa in the spring “It has a natural growth hormone ” he says “If rain is forecast I’ll broadcast urea pellets You need to get all the big things down like fertility and moisture ” Mushroom compost compost and wood chips are also big things for him Moore doesn’t soil test his garden “If the plants look good then the soil is good ” he says Moore admits to spending a lot of time in his garden with his giant plants inspecting and thinning them However he tries to keep it in perspective “I try to keep it a hobby and not get carried away ” he says “I have too many other interests ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Brian Moore 281 Goat Hill Rd Lambertville N J 08530 ph 609-610-4147

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