Why are the lower leaves of my potted sunflowers turning yellow?

[CSmith]

I am a 100% novice gardener!! I have planted sunflowers (in pots) which are just beginning to flower however the lower leaves are turning slightly yellow and brown-dry in places. Is there something I should be putting in the soil? Should I remove these leaves or let nature take its course?
Thanks in advance for any help!

[JoeSpareBedroom]

"CSmith" > wrote in message
...
>
> I am a 100% novice gardener!! I have planted sunflowers (in pots) which
> are just beginning to flower however the lower leaves are turning
> slightly yellow and brown-dry in places. Is there something I should
> be putting in the soil? Should I remove these leaves or let nature
> take its course?
> Thanks in advance for any help!
> --
> CSmith


How big are the pots, in inches across the top (diameter), as well as
height?

[Mark Anderson]

In article says...
> I am a 100% novice gardener!! I have planted sunflowers (in pots) which
> are just beginning to flower however the lower leaves are turning
> slightly yellow and brown-dry in places. Is there something I should
> be putting in the soil? Should I remove these leaves or let nature
> take its course?

For a container you need a good draining soil and some kind of
fertilizer. I usually throw in a good amount of slow release fertilizer
when I mix the soil for the containers and then periodically hit them
with that Miracle Grow blue stuff which is mostly nitrogen. Unlike in
ground plants, containered plants need an external source of food. That
said, the lower leaves of my sunflowers sometimes still turn yellow and
fall off but not as much as in past years when I didn't have a
fertilizer regime or have them planted in a good potting mix. The lower
leaves don't really matter since those plants grow up up and up growing
more leaves as it goes. Sometimes I think the sunflower plant realizes
it doesn't need those leaves at the bottom anymore and stops funding
them.

[Tim]

"Mark Anderson" > wrote in message
.net...
> In article says...
>> I am a 100% novice gardener!! I have planted sunflowers (in pots) which
>> are just beginning to flower however the lower leaves are turning
>> slightly yellow and brown-dry in places. Is there something I should
>> be putting in the soil? Should I remove these leaves or let nature
>> take its course?
>
> For a container you need a good draining soil and some kind of
> fertilizer. I usually throw in a good amount of slow release fertilizer
> when I mix the soil for the containers and then periodically hit them
> with that Miracle Grow blue stuff which is mostly nitrogen. Unlike in
> ground plants, containered plants need an external source of food. That
> said, the lower leaves of my sunflowers sometimes still turn yellow and
> fall off but not as much as in past years when I didn't have a
> fertilizer regime or have them planted in a good potting mix. The lower
> leaves don't really matter since those plants grow up up and up growing
> more leaves as it goes. Sometimes I think the sunflower plant realizes
> it doesn't need those leaves at the bottom anymore and stops funding
> them.
>
>


I have some sunflowers in an admitted bad location, but they are planted in
the ground. The lower leaves have also yellowed and browned. Mostly, I
pull them off to no negative effect. My mother-in-law has many more
sunflowers in a much better location with the same leaf problem. She just
lets them fall off on their own. I am inclined to agree with the previous
post and think this is a natural part of the sunflower growth.

Tim
S.New Jersey, zone 6b

[Buderschnookie[_2_]]

"CSmith" > wrote in message
...
>
> I am a 100% novice gardener!! I have planted sunflowers (in pots) which
> are just beginning to flower however the lower leaves are turning
> slightly yellow and brown-dry in places. Is there something I should
> be putting in the soil? Should I remove these leaves or let nature
> take its course?
> Thanks in advance for any help!



They need food.
If they yellow from the bottom up they need macronutrients, and if they
yellow from the top down it's micros.

--
Toni
Hills of Kentucky
USDA Zone 6b
http://www.cearbhaill.com

[CSmith]

[QUOTEQUOTE]

Thanks for the advice.
They are in pots of 30cm diameter and depth.

Let's hope I can "rescue" them with my ungreen fingers

[Ann]

"Buderschnookie" > expounded:

>They need food.
>If they yellow from the bottom up they need macronutrients, and if they
>yellow from the top down it's micros.

No, even sunflowers planted in fertile soil show browning of the lower
leaves, it seems to be the way they grow. I just pull them off.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
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