Summer heat takes toll on sunflower crop
Like every plant, sunflowers need plenty of sun to grow. But this summer’s sweltering heat has actually cast a dark cloud over area sunflower patches.
“Nothing has been as bad as this year,” said farmer Ted Grinter. His sunflower patch in north Lawrence is a hotspot for residents looking to take pictures. “The day I planted them, six hours later we got three and a half inches of rain. I replanted them and then it didn’t rain for three weeks."
Grinter’s family has been growing sunflowers since the 70s, but this season included 19 days of triple digit heat plus another 66 days of 90 degrees or higher - making it nearly impossible for the crop to reach its full potential. “This heat this year has been unforgiving,” he said.
On Labor Day, Susan Williams and her family ventured to Grinter’s patch like they’ve done the past six years. Normally, the sunflowers are nearly six feet tall, but Williams says, this year, “the sunflowers are a little bit smaller, and the patch is a little bit thinner than it has been in the past.” But she says that isn’t all bad news. “It’s actually worked out really well for pictures this year because the sunflowers are just the right height to be able to get a family shot.”