Spindly Sunflowers...

rediguana

Hi.

I'm a (very) novice gardener. I planted lots of different types of sunflowers and they've been brilliant for germinating. Once they sprout to over an inch or two though, they keel over, completely incapable of supporting their own growth. I improvised and used wood skewers (for BBQs) as stakes, and I've just gently wound the stalks around them, which seems to be working out reasonably well. Would I be better off tying them though? Basically I'm looking for advice on tying young plants to stakes without strangling them. Thanks!

p.s. I buried an avocado seed (those big huge things) in a nursery pot earlier in the winter and over the past few days it's sprouted into an impressively-thick and healthy looking sapling, with young, bunched-up leaves and all. I had to take it out of the nursery to give it some space, as the starter pot is full of mint, sage, thyme, chilli plants, sunflowers and conkers. I hope this won't kill it? I was gentle and I re-planted it alone with good potting soil and some plant food and I've left it in a sunny spot. Anyone else growing avocado trees? Can I ever expect a crop in this country (obviously I mean some years from now...)?

The Sweeper

Sunflower seedlings - seedlings get leggy and fall over for a number of reasons - too much water and too little light are the two main ones. You may need to move them to a brighter spot with more direct light, and water a little less.

Avocado seedling - while a lot of seeds from commercially grown fruit you buy in the supermarket WILL germinate and produce a plant, that plant may not prove to be a fruit-bearing true type tree. Most of the trees we get our produce from these days are cuttings from existing trees, often grafted onto suitable root stock for the region they're grown in - clone trees, in other words.

It'll still make a pretty plant though!

rediguana

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Sunflower seedlings - seedlings get leggy and fall over for a number of reasons - too much water and too little light are the two main ones. You may need to move them to a brighter spot with more direct light, and water a little less.

Avocado seedling - while a lot of seeds from commercially grown fruit you buy in the supermarket WILL germinate and produce a plant, that plant may not prove to be a fruit-bearing true type tree. Most of the trees we get our produce from these days are cuttings from existing trees, often grafted onto suitable root stock for the region they're grown in - clone trees, in other words.

It'll still make a pretty plant though!

Thanks for that! Yes, I was probably over-watering the sunflowers. I thought something growing so rapidly would need lots of water. They're right in the window, but it's hardly ever sunny.

The avocado plant is shaping up to be very handsome alright. Last time I had tree-saplings was when I was a teenager. I grew conkers and nurtured the saplings for a year or two. Then my dog had pups, and as soon as the pups were able to walk over to the pots, they ate the young trees and undid many months of hard work - DAMN YOU, INFANT DOGS!

The Sweeper

Heh - we used to have an apple tree that my neighbour's golden lab puppy 'pruned' for us, so I know what you mean.

I've tried growing sunflowers in a window before - bright enough, I thought, but no. They ended up with seven inch stems with four leaves that trailed out of their seedling pots like scrawny ivy. They're best planted out where they're to grow.

If your avocado is inside, I'm not sure how it's going to perform if you move it outside. What kind of avocado is it? They're quite successful as a temperate to warm climate tree, but different cultivars will do better in a cooler clime. I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply to the coldness of an Irish winter, but you never know, in a sheltered spot, protected from frost...

rediguana

I'm moving apartment soon, so the sunflowers will have to make the best of the pot for now. I'll plant them in soil proper once I get a garden, which I hopefully will over the next year. Might be new sunflowers though! Some are bolt upright today, some are lazing along the soil. Quick out of the traps, but fickle. That's my assessment of sunflowers!

No idea what type of avocado. I eat lots of them and one day (a few months ago) I just buried a seed in a herb garden I have and then forgot about it. I'll be interested to see how it evolves over the summer.

What's the secret to successful basil? No matter what I do with it, it rapidly turns limp and lifeless and is spectacularly the least successful plant I ever deal with (sorry, basil)...

Grannie Annie

Hi,
I'm not sure if I am in the correct thread but maybe someone can give me advice please.
I need to grown sunflowers to have them flowering or first week in May for my daughter's wedding:). Can anyone give me some advice on this please? Any help appreciated.

Thanks in advanve.
Grannie Annie

looksee

Grannie Annie there have been a few answers to your question in your thread.

The problems with the sunflowers is that it is too early in the year, there is not enough light. They may germinate but that doesn't prove that they will grow satisfactorily. Commercial growers would have special lighting systems to imitate the natural light of later in the year to get things to grow early.