I had a 3 foot tall sunflower growing in a pot in my yard. We are having a
rainstorm here and when I looked out my bck window I saw my poor sunflower
leaning at about a 45 degree angle. I moved it closer to the house under
the balcony and propped it up against the wall. I don't see any breaks at
all in the stem. This is my favorite plant in my garden and I don't have
time to grow a new one this year. Will it die? What can I do to save it?
Please help!

Thanks,
Adam

From: "Adam Schwartz"
Date: Wed, Jun 25, 2003 7:08 PM
Message-id: BXpKa.17992$R73.2606@sccrnsc04

I had a 3 foot tall sunflower growing in a pot in my yard. We are having
a
rainstorm here and when I looked out my bck window I saw my poor sunflower
leaning at about a 45 degree angle. I moved it closer to the house under
the balcony and propped it up against the wall. I don't see any breaks
at
all in the stem. This is my favorite plant in my garden and I don't have
time to grow a new one this year. Will it die? What can I do to save it?
Please help!

Thanks,
Adam


Well.....I'm growing new ones 'cuz my wabbits ate my old ones. (Wild wabbits,
mind you.) But fear not, because sunflowers have very shallow root systems and
it's probably leaning because the storm pushed it over, pulling up the roots on
one side. Just readjust the plant by gently pressing the roots back down into
the soil in the pot and maybe adding a bit more soil if necessary. You should
certainly put a stake in the pot with it now or whatever you can do to give the
plant the support it needs as it grows. (Leaning it against a wall isn't the
way to go.)

Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa

Tyra Trevellyn wrote:

Well.....I'm growing new ones 'cuz my wabbits ate my old ones. (Wild wabbits,
mind you.)

Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa


I also have had LOTS of problems with sunflowers this
spring. We had a very wet, cool spring and between the
weather and the critters I lost a lot of the early ones that
I started. The latest batch are doing very well and I
expect a lot of sunflowers next month.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

For pictures of my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

Bill R wrote:
Tyra Trevellyn wrote:


Well.....I'm growing new ones 'cuz my wabbits ate my old ones. (Wild
wabbits,
mind you.)
Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa



I also have had LOTS of problems with sunflowers this spring. We had a
very wet, cool spring and between the weather and the critters I lost a
lot of the early ones that I started. The latest batch are doing very
well and I expect a lot of sunflowers next month.


Reading my response, it seems that I should be using a
grammar checker. I should have said "the latest batch IS
doing very well....." Sister Mary Anne (my fourth grade
teacher) is likely rolling over in her grave.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

For pictures of my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

Bill R wrote:

Tyra Trevellyn wrote:

Well.....I'm growing new ones 'cuz my wabbits ate my old ones. (Wild wabbits,
mind you.)

Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa

I also have had LOTS of problems with sunflowers this
spring. We had a very wet, cool spring and between the
weather and the critters I lost a lot of the early ones that
I started. The latest batch are doing very well and I
expect a lot of sunflowers next month.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Oh, good. It has been way too wet and rainy for seeds here - all my
father's literally rotted in the ground - and I really did want some
sunflowers. I'm in Central VA and this time last week it was 60 degrees
with torrential downpours. Today we're supposed to hit 100. Sigh. So,
you think I can put the sunflower seeds in the ground this weekend and
have some sprouts before too long?

Thanks, Callen

From: Callen Molenda
Date: Thu, Jun 26, 2003 11:22 AM
Message-id:

Bill R wrote:

Tyra Trevellyn wrote:

Well.....I'm growing new ones 'cuz my wabbits ate my old ones. (Wild
wabbits,
mind you.)

Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa

I also have had LOTS of problems with sunflowers this
spring. We had a very wet, cool spring and between the
weather and the critters I lost a lot of the early ones that
I started. The latest batch are doing very well and I
expect a lot of sunflowers next month.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Oh, good. It has been way too wet and rainy for seeds here - all my
father's literally rotted in the ground - and I really did want some
sunflowers. I'm in Central VA and this time last week it was 60 degrees
with torrential downpours. Today we're supposed to hit 100. Sigh. So,
you think I can put the sunflower seeds in the ground this weekend and
have some sprouts before too long?

Thanks, Callen


Absolutely worth trying, and it'll probably get you some sunflowers. (I'm
counting on it; I just replanted about five days ago, and mine have sprouted.)
In my experience, sunflowers really do catch up when the weather heats up
after a slow start.

Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa z7

Callen Molenda wrote:

...you think I can put the sunflower seeds in the ground this weekend and
have some sprouts before too long?..



I buy the hybrid pollenless sunflower seed for cut flowers. THe seeds
are way too expensive to just put them in the ground, so I start them in
individual cells and then transplant them after the roots fill the cell.
I use a small cell so the roots fill it faster, otherwise I wind up with
a really tall plant with a small root ball.

I don't see why this approach wouldn't work with the ordinary
sunflowers. Try starting some indoors on your windowsill and put them
out when they get in the way. For my sunflowers, it takes about 3 weeks
before they're ready to put out. The advantage is that they get a head
start under controlled conditions. Having larger plants in your garden
is a real help when you're weeding, since it's more obvious which are
the weeds. The disadvantage is that it's a bit more work and takes up
some space in the house.

I find that although the critters like young sunflower plants (along
with most everything else), I can protect them by putting a fence
section between the plants and safety for the critters, then making sure
that the critters have something they like on their side of the fence.
The fence alone won't do it, even if it completely surrounds the plants.
Most of the herbivorous critters will be happy with a good clover in
your lawn. Clover has the advantage that it's leguminous and has deeper
roots than grass, so it resists drought better.

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 11:22:40 -0400, Callen Molenda
wrote:


Oh, good. It has been way too wet and rainy for seeds here - all my
father's literally rotted in the ground - and I really did want some
sunflowers. I'm in Central VA and this time last week it was 60 degrees
with torrential downpours. Today we're supposed to hit 100. Sigh. So,
you think I can put the sunflower seeds in the ground this weekend and
have some sprouts before too long?

In SE VA there's a long enough growing season to start over at least
once and sometimes twice. Sunflowers are quick to germinate. Go for
it!

Callen Molenda wrote:


Oh, good. It has been way too wet and rainy for seeds here - all my
father's literally rotted in the ground - and I really did want some
sunflowers. I'm in Central VA and this time last week it was 60 degrees
with torrential downpours. Today we're supposed to hit 100. Sigh. So,
you think I can put the sunflower seeds in the ground this weekend and
have some sprouts before too long?

Thanks, Callen

Callen,

It is not to late to start sunflowers. In fact, it is a
good idea to stager start them so that you have fresh ones
blooming later in the season. I like to grow the small
varieties that are good for cut flowers and I don't want
them blooming all at once so I start new one every couple of
weeks from late april until about the middle of July. This
time of year I start them in four or six packs (like the
ones that annuals come in from your gardening center) and
they seem to get a better start than the ones I plant in the
ground. I think the starlings get a lot of the ones started
in the ground. I noticed quite a few shells around where I
planted the last bunch. I also like to give some of the
sunflower seedlings to my neighbors. The small ones (kids
and grand kids) really love them and enjoy seeing how fast
they grow.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

For pictures of my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail