Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk AL Wingshooters Sunflower question

Wanted to see if anyone could help me find an answer for what we did wrong. We planted about 4 acres of sunflowers for the first time this year. We went to the camp on 06/23 to check on everything and they looked great. Entire field had bloomed out, so obviously we were pumped. Well, we then went back a week later and everyone of them was dead. Any idea on what happened or what we should have done? We planted the perdovic variety. We did not have a soil sample as this is new property to us. Applied 200lbs of 19-19-19 per acre when we planted. Thanks for the help.

planted too soon?

Did they make any seed?

Sunflowers are browning up here also. If they made seeds and died that's exactly what you want them to do.

Hot droughty weather got them?

When did u plant them?

Planted May 16th....tried to research all I could before putting them in the ground and everything I read said they take 120 days to maturity. So I figured mid August maturity then start bush hogging a few strips the next couple of weeks and let them lay. They did not make any seed...also planted corn, sun hemp, brown top, and sorghum and they have done great so I would think we have gotten enough rain...maybe not??

Sunflowers are very drought tolerant so if your other crops made rule out drought. Could be a disease I guess but that would be super rare here. Could've missed pollination. You got a strange case there

I planted a few behind the house back in April. I was just messing around, not doing a dove plot. They've been dead, dried up, and gone for at least a month now. They did produce seed very well though.

I certainly don't know much, but I understand annuals to put all their effort into producing seed. They've got one shot. They aren't like clover where they'll "die" off and put their resources into the root system and then come back once conditions are favorable. I'm curious what happened in your case.

Are the flowers gone. Did deer eat all the seed heads?

Went to the camp today and checked them out again just to make sure I was giving the correct info. The flower "pods" were still on each stalk but dried out, dead as a hammer, and no seeds.

Alright if you planted on May 16th and they were bloomed out on June 23rd you had a super rapid growth to start with. Mine were planted June 28th and are just now starting to bloom out.


Maybe the 19-19-19 was too hot for them?

If I've got those dates wrong please let me know. But 5 weeks from planting having bloomed out flowers is incredible!

I agree with North40. Blooming out in 5 weeks is pretty remarkable. Something wasn't right.

I went back through all the texts our group sent around this time and missed my dates a little. We put the sunflowers in the ground Sunday, May 9th....they were knee high May 30th, 70% bloomed out June 12th, full bloom June 23rd, starting to wilt June 29th and dead the next weekend. My cousin planted his the same time in Baldwin Co and had
The same thing happen to his...I'm thinking I just screwed up and planted too early...don't know??? Bush hogged the dead stalks this past weekend. There are some beautiful pics of other members plots...nice job guys and good luck opening day!!!

Those dates sound perfect. Now you've just got to figure out why they didn't produce seed.