The Worst Plant I Ever Planted: Tithonia Diversifolia aka Mexican Sunflower

I donʻt hate very many plants, but there is one that is a clear winner in my book, the Tithonia Diversifolia. Also known as Mexican Sunflower, this plant has been nothing but a nuisance ever since it showed up on my property.

Learn from my mistake. Get instructions on how to properly care for this potentially invasive plant that you might just want to think twice about planting.

🌱 EBOOK // Month by Month In The Tropical Garden

TROPICAL TREE SEED STORE

MORE VIDEOS YOU MIGHT LIKE //
10 Shade-loving Plants You Can Eat
3 Way To Make Rainwater Drinkable
3 Tips To Make Fruit Trees Grow Faster
Preserving Bamboo with Vertical Soak Diffusion, Super Easy Method You Can Do In Your Own Backyard

My Favorite Bamboo Tools//

MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS //

OFF GRID ESSENTIALS //

DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!

#urbangarden #gardeningtips #permaculture #offgrid #bamboo

[saltyaussie]

After seeing this video I am definitely going to plant a hedge of Mexican sunflower for privacy from my nosey neighbours.

[alun]

I planted it as a privacy fence across the back of my yard and down one side of my yard. Mine doesn't "pop up" all over the place. Each plant grows very tall, blooms beautifully, and stays put. I and the birds and bees love it!

[lenering]

Tithonia Diversifolia aka Mexican Sunflower is one the best plants that you can use to feed your soil. You just need to cut it very often and let nature do the work.

[lalila]

There are apparently two types. The one that grows via seed is the one you have. I love mine, I planted several as a privacy screen from a nosy neighbor. Mine doesn't grow from seeds but can propagate if you stick a thick piece in the dirt-- most of the time. Its a beautiful useful bush, the flowers are beautiful, and smell like honey. Neighbors compliment it constantly (except for the nosy one) and the polinators love it. It does grow very fast. I know this as a Bolivian sunflower. I hope people give it a chance, its so lovely.

[CynthiaLamb-jfmd]

I absolutely love Mexican sunfĺowers . I plant them every summer.I live in MO.where the winter kills them, but I save seeds and sow them in the spring.The butterflies come by the dozens to the flowers.I have the orange and the yellow and can fill my whole yard with this beautiful flower.🎉

[wellfedcaterpillar]

Here in IL, tithonia doesn't come back after winter. I am a native plant nerd. I'm converting 80+% of my property to plants native to my area. But I do put in tithonia every once in awhile for end of summer nectar. I was worried the first season that it would reseed, because it is indeed a monster in small urban spaces. Thank God, it didn't come back! That means it's fairly safe here -- now and then. I can't imagine fighting it the way you have to. :(

[danihall]

This plant is one of our absolute favorites in our system. We have a sterile cultivar, so we've never had any issues with sprouts. They are a workhorse of a plant for us. They provide incredible nutrients in the form of chop and drop and compost tea, a privacy screen from our neighbors, beautiful cut flowers for us, and flowers for the pollinators. They smell divine and they are also absolutely gorgeous even without flowers. I'm terribly sorry you have had such a negative experience, but depending on the situation this plant is a joy. 💜🌼

[FarmedandForaged]

This is one of my very favorite plants. I don't think that you should necessarily be advising everyone against using it because of your experience with it. I have used it extensively, and it takes maintenance, but you are wasting your time chopping back the foliage with a machete. The most efficient way to maintain Tithonia is to cut the woody stems right down to the base with a pair of loppers once the plant is established. This doesn't hurt the plant as it will just continue to regrow, and you can keep it small & continue getting a consistent source of biomass from the pruned material, and allowing the plant to accumulate phosphorus in your soil. I have kept very established & mature plants as small bushes for many months with a small amount of maintenance.

[cflory]

I live in Kansas and it's one of (if not the main) routes the Monarchs take in the late summer/fall to their winter grounds in Mexico. I have large native plant/flower beds + Milkweed for the caterpillars. Once I planted the Tithonia (the ORANGE variety), the Monarchs made a beeline for it. They bypass EVERYTHING else!
If you deadhead the flowers, it will continue to set on new flowers until the first freeze. When everything else was dying during our hot/dry late summer and the Monarchs were desperate for food, the TITHONIA was flourishing/blooming! To keep it from taking over, just pull out the babies by the handful in the spring and drop them on the ground to provide shade/mulch (or transplant the strongest ones somewhere else) - leaving only the ones in the locations where you want them to grow (keep them about 1-1/2 - 2 feet back from the edges of flowerbeds/walkways - they get big/wide!)
DEADHEAD to control the seedheads, and yank out the babies you don't want before/when they are knee-high.
We lost 60% of the remaining Monarchs this past year, and 90% of what to be a MASSIVE population just a decade ago - provide Milkweed (NOT TROPICAL milkweed! It hosts OE that is KILLING THEM!) and flowers they love APLENTY!!

[KellenChase]

“Is that what you want to happen on your homestead?” Sitting in dry land Arizona “kinda, yea?”

[dawnkeckley]

“Is Mexican Sunflower Invasive? Not to be confused with a different plant altogether, Tithonia Rotundifolia is not invasive. You may plant it freely and comfortably. Another variety of Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) poses a high invasion risk according to the University of Florida.” I grew Fiesta del Sol, a dwarf rotundifolia, last year. I sure hope this info I quoted is correct.

[AB-xbph]

I have terrible soil and cannot get anything to grow. Lol. So I am hoping this grows. I have wild rabbits and I have donkeys and pigs that I could unleash on it. Fingers crossed it grows just a little for me

[dadalacks]

Mine only grows from cuttings. I love it. Green fertilizer, pollinators, biomass. Love this cultivar. I want it to spread. It’s not going anywhere unless I directly grow a cutting.

[susanb]

My neighbor has these against our common fence. Last year I had none, this year I have a wall 5 feet deep and 8 ft tall before blooming. They’re sprouting all over my yard and are a complete nuisance. She also planted Trumpet Vine which is also sprouting all over. I spend most of my outdoor time taking care of her gardening fiasco. This is in central New York and I believe the sunflower is on the state’s“do not plant” list because of its invasive nature.

[ChristineD]

I plant this in pots during the summer season for the hummingbirds. But the woodchucks keep devouring them right down to the dirt! Frustrating. And then if they are allowed to grow and bloom, the squirrels eat the entire flower part. So I've sort of given up.

[SaintNjuguna]

I planted Mexican sunflower about year 2000 as a hedge arround our home, true it's medicinal, but unchecked it's messy alot

[pvasshep]

I hope this video doesn't discourage people from planting this in appropriate zones. While it does sound like a nightmare in Hawaii, in Maryland, it's an annual and I've never heard of anyone who doesn't love having it in their yard. (I was shocked that this video was nearly the top result when I googled "Mexican Sunflower.")

[ainabearfarm]

Aloha Shawn! It is definitely the most useful plant we have in our food forest but I think you are exactly right about how wet your area is. Up in Hamakua, we dry out much more regularly so I very rarely have an issue of it sprouting where I don’t want it. In fact, it took me awhile to get it going because i had to make sure to water it regularly. We use it mostly for an instant wind break and mulch of course. I’ve seen it in spots where it takes over though and it can be a monster.

[tammyrenee]

I grew these last year from a pack of wild flower seeds that i planted, and i loved it, so much so that i harvested lots of the seeds and there growing right now, also here in North Georgia, they bloomed till Winter 🫶✌️🤱

[SlipMahoneyBowery]

I grow it from seed every year in Zone 6. It’s the only fertilizer I use. Chop and drop into the garden and compost. Never gets out of hand. I grow 4-5 plants and chop every month or so. I would recommend it.