Who does n’t lovesunflowers ? These beautiful blossoms are symbolisation of hope worldwide , as they constantly turn their bright , well-chosen facial expression towards the sun as it moves . The spoilt news is that there are a boniface of helianthus pests and diseases that can cut these beauties down before they have a chance to expand .
Let ’s take a look at some of the most common issue you ’re potential to come across when growing sunflowers . Some are easy to lot with than others , but all have their own fix .
Common Animal and Insect Sunflower Pests
I do n’t generally like to expend the word “ pests ” when it comes to animal , but it ’s an accurate terminus . After all , dealing with these critters is a nuisance in the backside , especially when you find yourself yelling and chase them away with brooms in the middle of the nighttime .
1. Raccoons
In my experience , raccoons are some of the worst interlopers when it total to eat sunflower . They ’ll eat on the sprouts , the young works , the buds … everything . found your flowers well away from bulwark or fences that these guys can mount easily . Then , mix olive oil with garlic and chili pepper pepper , and use a paintbrush to distribute this on the stalk .
raccoon have sensitive noses and will curve forth from these strong , bitey scents . I ’ve launch that they also detest the scent of lavender , so a bit of Dr. Bronner ’s lilac-colored Castile soap ( diluted into spray ) is a good deterrent when spritzed around their stem .
2. Squirrels
Unlike raccoons , squirrels will only take out your sunflower flora when they ’re under a foot tall . That is until they mature and the source heads develop . Then , they ’ll scurry up the stalks , gnaw the heads off , and do ineffable things to the germ .
Fend them off by planting really thorny thistle around your helianthus so they ca n’t get close . Also , make baffle cone shape below the flower head out of plastic . You know those ridiculous strobilus you put on dogs ’ necks after surgical procedure , so they do n’t pull their stitch ? Like those , with the openings aimed downwards . The squirrels ca n’t get past them , thus store your seeds for next snacking .
3. Birds
Do you know what other fauna do it to eatsunflowers ? hiss . They wo n’t go after the seedling , but they ’ll annihilate the seed forefront when they start to suppurate . you’re able to cover them with really fine bird netting to keep them away . The same form of meshing you employ for floating wrangle covering to keep butterflies off your Brassica do work well .
Once the seed heads start to maturate , you may also cover them with gravid paper bags .
Believe it or not , scarecrows will do the put-on as well . Sometimes , they ’ll also keep raccoons away , especially if you hang noisemakers like aluminum cans or shell off them . If you do n’t want to make a scarecrow , fall some Christmas tinsel off the plants . The movement and glister should fend off almost all species … except magpies and crows . Because shiny .
4. Ants
You might suppose I ’m jest here , but I ’m not . Most citizenry do n’t weigh ant to be mutual sunflower pests , but they certainly can be ! I kept lose sunflower seedling whenever I plant them and believe I was dealing with some sort of damping - off disease . The stalks seemed to dissolve just above ground level , which is commonly a sign of a soil - borne pathogen .
Wrong - o. It turn out I had been found them in an area that the local ants had claim as their own . How did I discover this ? I went out early one forenoon and saw them gnaw on the stalk until the seedling keeled over . Rather than annihilating these worm on their home plate sod , we planted a new batch of seedling somewhere else , and they ’ve been thrive ever since .
5. Grasshoppers
Like the locusts of Biblical plague proportion , hordes ofgrasshopperscan take out an entire field of sunflower in a matter of years . We had a huge moving ridge of them last summer , and they ate just about everything growing on the property . Fortunately , toads and snakes perfectly have it off to crunch on untested grasshoppers .
Plant your helianthus tight to a pond , if you have one , or supply a good H2O source for toads and frogs . They ’ll help to keep the hopper population down around your harvest .
6. Sunflower Beetles
If helianthus beetles eat up parting on larger plant , they wo n’t be able to do much damage . Where problems take place is if they get their jowl on younger plants . They wo n’t just deplete the true leaves : they ’ll eat their way of life through the stems and buds as well . You know what ’s a great handicap for beetles , however ? Double - sided tape .
Wrap the cornerstone of your sunflower still hunt with a bit of aesculapian veiling for protection , and then wrap that in two-fold - sided sticky tape . It ’ll catch all kinds of predatory insect that are just itching to assail your flowers .
7. Sunflower Borers
Sunflower stone drill and stem maggot burrow into the stem of helianthus plants to bung . This can quick kill the flora and other part of sunflower plants , especially in big numbers . lamentably , there ’s really not much you could do to treat these once they ’ve shown up . They hold out in the grime , and you wo n’t roll in the hay they ’ve wreaked havoc until it ’s too late .
destruct affected plants , and invalidate re - planting sunflowers there for at least two year . exercise even harvest rotation , and till well to lend the larvae up to the surface for birds to eat up .
8. Cutworms
True to their name , these worms “ cut ” a swathe through whatever leaf they befall to be cringe across . They like to nestle into soil hollows during the solar day and emerge at dark . Aside from insect powder , there are a twain of good ways to battle these bastards .
One is the aforementioned sticky magnetic tape on your sunflower stalks . The other is to let your chickens stray around through the sunflower stalks . They ’re often quite doting of cutworm and will pick at them out of their daytime hidey holes to snack on . If you do n’t have wimp , take over a couple for a few days .
9. Aphids
Are there any plants that these creatures wo n’t attack ? I detest these jerks . Okay , so they do n’t like unattackable scents , so be sure to plant flock of garlic cive , sage , and Nasturtium around your flowers . Spray the plants with neem oil , and scatter some diatomaceous world around for good amount . Oh , and be certain to introduce plenty of ladybird if you do n’t already have them around .
Ourguidehas more pourboire .
10. Sunflower Moths
Did you screw there was such a thing as a helianthus moth ? NEITHER DID I. Well , not until I get their squiggly little larvae booping around inside my helianthus floweret . I never came across these in the UK , but they ’re quite coarse throughout the United States and Canada . The specie isHomoeosoma ellectellum , and they prey on otherAsteraceaefamily penis , particularlyEchinaceaspp . andJerusalem artichokes(Helianthus tuberosus ) .
Plow the grunge deeply before sow seeded player to obliterate any eggs or larvae . Oh , and choose moth - insubordinate sunflower strains whenever possible .
Sunflower Diseases
In addition to the bevy of helianthus pests mentioned above , these bloom are susceptible to several unlike fungal disease and blights .
11. Sunflower Rust
This fungus loves sunflowers and otherHelianthusspecies ( like those sunchokes we mentioned in the first place ) . It ’s challenging to wipe out , as it can survive down to -40 ° degree Fahrenheit winter . It loves cool , damp environments , and bewilder around on leafage and root word detritus . As far as sunflower pests and blights go , this is one of the most common .
you’re able to endeavor to avoid it by clear away any leafage or other rest left by your sunflower plants . To treat it , dissolve 10 plain aspirin tablets in a congius of water , and spray the plant life with this every few days .
12. Stem Canker
This ordinarily picture up in blistering , humid environments after there ’s been a lot of rain . chocolate-brown - black sores appear on the stems and rot their way of life through , killing the plants . Most people use heavy - obligation fungicides to cover this , but sometimes strong garlic spray can work .
If your plants get stem pestilence , destroy them by burning , clear aside any widow’s weeds or debris , and plow the earth below . Then do n’t plant again for at least five or six years .
13. Leaf Spot
You ’ll pick out this fungous event when it appear . mordant spots start indicate up on the leave , which wilt and then fall off the plants . Choose disease - resistant varieties , and ensure you do n’t arise sunflowers in the same smear for five years . ( severely , that ’s the tidy way to cultivate them : harvest rotation is your Quaker . )
If it change state up , you could process it with garlic atomiser or diluted cyder vinegar and hope for the best .
14. Gray Mold
Are your sunflower plant covered in fuzzy hoar mold ? Yeah , that ’ll pass off … particularly during live , damp summertime weather . If this is a problem in your domain , be trusted to choose disease - tolerant varieties . plow the seeds with fungicide ( like soaking them in garlic water ) before planting them , and make certain you fecundate the dirt well .
To handle white-haired mold , use diluted apple cider acetum or aspirin spray .
15. Powdery Mildew
Who does n’t love this stuff when it shows up ? Yes , that was satire . Powdery mildewcan attack just about any works and looks as though talcum or icing simoleons has been dusted on your plants . As with other fungal sunflower pests , ensure to choose disease - insubordinate variety whenever potential . Clear out any detritus from around the plants , and treat the mould with apple cyder acetum or aspirin atomizer .
16. Black Stem
I ’ll be honest with you here : I ’ve only run into black stem once and was n’t capable to treat it successfully . My approach was to cover it with constituent , homemade antifungal that unremarkably work well on my other industrial plant . It did n’t work on fatal stem , and nursery faculty recommended a hardcore chemical fungicide rather .
I choose not to go that route and just destroyed ( burned ) the plants or else . You choose the method acting that works well for you , but I ’d rather destroy a few plants than add potentially grievous chemicals to my soil .
Best Practices to Avoid Problems
These are the main sunflower pests and diseases you ’ll potentially face when growing them . Remember that there are many disease - resistant sort out there that fend off pathogen and plague well . Keep your soil goodish and well - feed with a balanced fertilizer , and practice regular crop rotation .
Always rotate your sunflower bottom , so you do n’t grow in the same space until five or more years have passed . Choose healthy cover crops to replenish the soil in between , turning the ground over deeply so antimycotic agent will be killed by live summertime sunlight .
When you mature a successful helianthus crop , you ’ll find an amazing sense of accomplishment that these techniques worked so well . And as a bonus , you ’ll have a ton of delicious seeds to nosh on .
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