Sunflowers: A Question

Comments: 15

flit . Aug 31, 2007, 12:06am EDT

no idea...some critter knocked down all but one of ours and carried off most of the heads!

Christopher K. Aug 31, 2007, 12:26am EDT

wish i could help you,but why not get the seeds and eat em after you roast em.
i like sunflower seeds,that is what iwould do,unless you want to sell them,lol

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Olivera J. Aug 31, 2007, 12:32am EDT

Either or... both work. You might want to post this question in Garden Tales gardentales.gather.com - maybe somebody will have some great advice.

I sometimes cut them and dry them, and then other times I'll just leave them in the garden and the birds will have a ball as well....

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Jo C. Aug 31, 2007, 3:51am EDT

Christopher: I'd love to get the seeds but we put up a little finch sculpture and didn't realize it would attract finches like crazy. Anyway, they apparently love the seeds so we rarely get to them before the birds do. I really don't mind because I figure they need them more than we do :)

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Denise B. Aug 31, 2007, 7:11am EDT

no clue but if it looks bad and that bothers you cut it down

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Victoria H. Aug 31, 2007, 8:25am EDT

I have no idea, Jane, but I do know that there are a few sunflower fields down here in SC and whoever owns them cuts them down.

I would guess that it would depend on if you want them to produce more sunflowers maybe, although I really have no idea.

If they're ugly, I'd cut them down! :)

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Kimberly Ripley Aug 31, 2007, 9:31am EDT

No clue, but will be watching this thread to see if anyone has good answers!

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Cecile V. Aug 31, 2007, 12:14pm EDT

I haven't grown sunflowers in some years, but when I did, I would cut them, hang them upside down to dry, then use them for dried flower bouquets.

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Jo C. Aug 31, 2007, 12:56pm EDT

Cecile - Did cutting them affect their ability to reseed and come back next year?

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Cecile V. Aug 31, 2007, 3:41pm EDT

Jane, sorry, but it's so long ago, I don't remember reseeding them.

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Charlotte Babb Maven-Fairy Godmother Aug 31, 2007, 9:03pm EDT

Sunflowers are annual. Cut off the flowerhead and put it in a paperbag to dry. Hang it by the stalk. Then when it is dry, bang the bag against a table to knock the seeds loose. If they are the big kind, eat them. If the smaller ones, save for next year.

Sunflowers may reseed themselves, but they grow from seed every year. They don't come back. If you have a hybrid, very likely if you bought plants from the store, the seeds may not sprout or they may not be the same as the flowers that grew this year.

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Deb J. Aug 31, 2007, 9:03pm EDT

They should be cut down if the finches are eating up all the kernels anyway. They will not reseed themselves if the birds are getting all the seeds anyway...and they are just an eye-sore after they are dead and (seedless) . Just my opinion. I grow them every year (believe it or not from the sunflower birdfeed I put out in the feeders!)

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