Skyscraper sunflower

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Last year I had a few Skyscraper sunflowers. The one in this picture was the biggest one. About 15 from where that one was is its baby that came up as a volunteer, well there is another one next to it, but not as big. The first picture is the original and then the next picture was taken June 6 and the last June 18. I put compost tea on it June 10.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

That is amazing! Very cool

 

[digitS']

Massive! How some plants can gather all that energy to make that much growth - it IS amazing!

I've got a volunteer that's a little like that one. It is growing almost in the snapdragons :/ & has to go but there are plenty of sunflowers planted elsewhere in the garden.

I haven't found a single hornworm in the tomatoes since I started growing sunflowers. (knock, knock) It has been about 10 years! Back then, I had a couple sunflowers with a few tomatoes planted nearby. One day, I noticed that characteristic damage to them! I forgot the Bt spray on my next trip out there and by the next time, the plants were healing.

I realized that the sunflowers were being visited almost constantly by chickadees, gold finches, house finches, chipping sparrows, etc! It is like they try to lay claim to sunflowers long before there is any seed to harvest. They may be seed-eaters but any caterpillar within reach is likely to be carried off to their nestlings.

Steve

 

[Kassaundra]

Massive! How some plants can gather all that energy to make that much growth - it IS amazing!

I've got a volunteer that's a little like that one. It is growing almost in the snapdragons :/ & has to go but there are plenty of sunflowers planted elsewhere in the garden.

I haven't found a single hornworm in the tomatoes since I started growing sunflowers. (knock, knock) It has been about 10 years! Back then, I had a couple sunflowers with a few tomatoes planted nearby. One day, I noticed that characteristic damage to them! I forgot the Bt spray on my next trip out there and by the next time, the plants were healing.

I realized that the sunflowers were being visited almost constantly by chickadees, gold finches, house finches, chipping sparrows, etc! It is like they try to lay claim to sunflowers long before there is any seed to harvest. They may be seed-eaters but any caterpillar within reach is likely to be carried off to their nestlings.

Steve

I have sunflowers every year some I plant and others planted for me, but have never thought about that, next year for sure I'm planting some sunflowers w/ my tomatoes that makes soooo much sense.



That is some amazing growth! I wonder if you regularly harvested leaves off of it, if it would put that much energy into "releafing" instead of intense heigth so that it could be used as bunny fodder?

 

[desertlady]

I planted those last year, I loved them ! This year I notice its not as tall . no bees not rain this year

 

[bj taylor]

I have had quite a crop of volunteer sunflowers in my tomatoes this year. two varieties. one has multiple flowers & one has one big flower. I like them both. I had not made the connection that they were attracting birds which in turn were taking out the bugs on the tomatoes. two years running, no hornworms (knock on wood - my head that is).
one problem I have w/the sunflowers is when they get big like that they blow over & break & take anything in their path. one of my tomatoes took a hard hit today when one went down in a surprise storm.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I have had quite a crop of volunteer sunflowers in my tomatoes this year. two varieties. one has multiple flowers & one has one big flower. I like them both. I had not made the connection that they were attracting birds which in turn were taking out the bugs on the tomatoes. two years running, no hornworms (knock on wood - my head that is).
one problem I have w/the sunflowers is when they get big like that they blow over & break & take anything in their path. one of my tomatoes took a hard hit today when one went down in a surprise storm.

My DH put a T- post by that sunflower last year and he already put a stake by this bigger one.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Massive! How some plants can gather all that energy to make that much growth - it IS amazing!

I've got a volunteer that's a little like that one. It is growing almost in the snapdragons :/ & has to go but there are plenty of sunflowers planted elsewhere in the garden.

I haven't found a single hornworm in the tomatoes since I started growing sunflowers. (knock, knock) It has been about 10 years! Back then, I had a couple sunflowers with a few tomatoes planted nearby. One day, I noticed that characteristic damage to them! I forgot the Bt spray on my next trip out there and by the next time, the plants were healing.

I realized that the sunflowers were being visited almost constantly by chickadees, gold finches, house finches, chipping sparrows, etc! It is like they try to lay claim to sunflowers long before there is any seed to harvest. They may be seed-eaters but any caterpillar within reach is likely to be carried off to their nestlings.

Steve

I have sunflowers every year some I plant and others planted for me, but have never thought about that, next year for sure I'm planting some sunflowers w/ my tomatoes that makes soooo much sense.



That is some amazing growth! I wonder if you regularly harvested leaves off of it, if it would put that much energy into "releafing" instead of intense heigth so that it could be used as bunny fodder?

I may try it. By the time I got the rabbits last year and read that they like sunflowers mine had started to die and I read to be very careful with mildew, so I did not give them any.

 

[Jared77]

That is amazing! Thank you for sharing

 

[nelson castro]

WOW! Truly amazing..