harvesting sunflowers?

[vegie chicken]

the internet tells me to harvest sunflowers when the seed has a white line on it and the backs are brown.

well the backs are brown but no white stripe and the seed easily fall out

i might just but a breathable bag over the head of the flower

 

[digitS']

My cue has been:

before the finches harvest it all

before me . . .

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

the internet tells me to harvest sunflowers when the seed has a white line on it and the backs are brown.

well the backs are brown but no white stripe and the seed easily fall out

i might just but a breathable bag over the head of the flower

I think it may depend on the type of sunflower you're growing. I don't think they all necessarily have a white stripe. If they are coming out of the flower head easily, I'd say they're ripe.

 

[bootstrap]

a piece of window screen wrapped around the head will hold the seeds and keep the birds off.

 

[journey11]

I know the mammoth sunflowers will have a white stripe. The black oil ones will just stay black. If they're falling out, I'd say you're ready. Like Steve said, get 'em before the birds do!

 

[vegie chicken]

i pulled a few seeds out some are hollow and some are half filled. the back of the flower head is brown

 

[thistlebloom]

Sounds to me like they didn't all get pollinated Aussie'. I found this interesting site about sunflower pollination and bees.

http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/factsheet_sunflower_pollination.pdf

Maybe you could get some mason bees ( do you have mason bees in Australia? ).

 

[vegie chicken]

majority were hard and ther were plenty off bees around. once a whole hive had moved itself and whilst it was moving and re making a new hive they were sticking around the sunflower. i sowed a whole row but only one came up as i had very little time to water them.. to busy harvestoing at that time.


dont know much about beees but the closets be hive is about 50 km away. native bees around ere

 

[MotherBrugger]

I have found that when they're ready to go, they don't really need to 'be pulled,' persay, as much as slightly brushed with back of hand and they'll come loose. Beetles get mine. I really grow them for the squirrels. We cut the whole head off when ripe, and place like an offering on their tree-table in a large pine we have.

 

[gettinaclue]

I don't know how expensive screening is, but maybe tulle from the fabric store might be an option as well.