I plant sunflower seeds in my garden. But you may also grow them to eat the Sunflower Plant sunflowers later in the season if you've had a problem with maggots or weevils and rotate where you grow sunflowers so they don't grow in the same space each year. Several weevils, maggots and moths lay their eggs on the seed heads, causing extensive damage to the sunflower seeds. Eventually, larvae can burrow in the flower head and feed on the ovary, preventing fertilization and resulting in empty seeds. You can use brown paper bags or nylon mesh. greens: boiled, steamed, sautéed. Within a couple days something began to eat all the leaves as well as the yellow flower petals. Adult sunflower beetles eat only the margins of the leaves, while the larva eat buckshot holes throughout the leaves. Toss in butter with a little garlic and salt for a simple vegetable Needless to say the plants are now all dead. Mostly, it has worked. I have come across a few pet parrots recently that are fed just sunflower seed. Pull off the caterpillars by hand and destroy any eggs or chrysalids on the undersides of leaves, or spray leaves with bacillus thuringiensis. Sunflower, genus of nearly 70 species of herbaceous plants of the aster family. These caterpillars grow to 1 1/4 inches long, are black or brown with a gold stripe down each side and have a spines. The sunflower moth feeds on the head and seedlings of the plant, while the sunflower bud moth damages the stem and unopened buds of the plant. Asked July 26, 2013, 2:45 PM EDT. Tilling the plot in the fall or winter kills overwintering insects. the actual flowers too. Attach protective material to sunflower heads. tough and fibrous. It doesn't smell pleasant, either! What's eating my sunflowers?!!! Consider growing some extra so you can try Sunflowers are native primarily to North and South America, and some species are cultivated as ornamentals for their spectacular size and flower heads. scale to make oil, but you can even make a delicious seed butter out of If birds or other pests are attacking your sunflower heads, you can cut the heads and hang them in your garage like onions often are dried. Sunflower beetles resemble Colorado potato beetles, but do not feed on potatoes. Pull off the caterpillars by hand and destroy any eggs or chrysalids on the undersides of leaves, or spray leaves with bacillus thuringiensis. Thistle caterpillars are the larva of painted lady butterflies. Make sure your sunflower heads are black with ripened seeds before you harvest. Remove the floating row covers when the sunflowers stand 12 inches high or when temperatures climb above 23.9 degrees C. Pesticides are also effective against flea beetles. These maggots are less destructive than the weevils are to the sunflower plants. can be pretty tough. I'm sure we've seen worse ... we're not that squeamish Don't cut the head off - if it's as I imagine I'm sure … View photos of the sunflower moth and its larva in the Photo Gallery. What Eats Sunflower Plants? Drying sunflower brooms. I've been putting powdered cayenne pepper on the heads of my sunflowers now to keep the critters away. We’ve got the answer for you. Squirrels will also eat the flowers and seedheads. They have reddish-brown heads and cream-coloured wings with dark markings. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Use the older leaves as you would other plant than just the seeds? When dehulled, the edible remainder is called the sunflower kernel or heart. I knew we had deer problems but I never dreamed that the squirrels eating sunflower plants would be a problem! Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. The sunflower should dry stem-side up and head-side down. Just be sure to remove the greens from around the base of the bud before one has been thoroughly obliterated. Sunflowers offer the gardener both beautiful yellow flowers and seeds that have many uses. Larva: Brown head capsule with alternate dark and light lines running longitudinally, 0.75 inch in length. regal blooms. Squirrels, too, compete with birds at feeders and generally make a nuisance of themselves.Wild animals don’t draw a line when it comes to food, and your ripening sunflower heads are also a target. The biggest threat to sunflowers in the home garden is birds, who love the seeds and may damage the flowers with their scavenging. 25-04-2011, 02:06 PM. The gardener oftentimes must deal with a variety of pests from insects to animals and birds. Hello Mr. Kötter, I have the same problem every year. She's the creator of MarmaladeMom.org, dedicated to family fun and delicious food, and released a book titled "More Than Pot Roast: Fast, Fresh Slow Cooker Recipes.". But you need to ensure that the seeds are mature. The flavor is unique, described as The edible seeds are an important source of oil. The Palestriped flea beetle is only about 1/8 inch long, and shiny black with two white stripes on the back. Natural trapping using pheromones can control the sunflower and sunflower bud moth po… If you try to harvest too early, you'll find the oil will leave a black stain on your hands. The greens are also Something is eating the heads of my sunflowers!! blooms, but they are pretty tasty. But can you eat a sunflower? Julie Christensen is a food writer, caterer, and mom-chef. side dish that tastes like artichoke. Both larva and adults eat the leaves and can cause extensive damage. But it has happened like 6 times and I actually found the pieces of it on the ground. individually to toss into salads. Not only can the covers keep squirrels away from sunflowers, but it can help your sunflower head still breathe and prevent mold from forming. The sunflower moth (Homoesoma electellurn) lays its eggs on the flower heads, and the larvae, commonly called caterpillars, feed on the developing seeds. Sunflower Beetles. I have noticed a groundhog and a possum walking through our neighbor's yard a few times. Related Articles:What’s Eating My Sunflower Leaves?6 Pests That Could Be Eating Your ZinniasHow To Stop Sunflower Seedlings From Being Eaten?How To Revive A Dying Sunflower Plant? Both larva and adults eat the leaves and can cause extensive damage. When the first plants begin to sprout, they are very quickly devoured. Sign up for our newsletter. Pesticides will control these insects, but try other methods first if you plan to eat the sunflower seeds. flavor and texture. If I look into my neighbour’s garden, wonderful sunflowers grow on a regular basis. seeds. Hang the head upside-down. Often the leaves die back now too, since the plant has already done its job--no flower has a very long life. I grow sunflowers in my own backyard and the long stems that hold up those huge sunflower heads are very tough. If you have planted a giant sunflower, do not forget to harvest the seeds before the birds do it for you. But did you know that you can actually eat much more of the Pluck them The adult moth is 0.38 inch long, with 0.75 inch wingspread. Most of these pests can be controlled with insecticidal soaps, biological controls or through the introduction of predatory insects. There are small holes all over the place about 2" around. Beetles and Weevils. You know you can eat sunflower This will further minimize the losses from animals eating the flower heads while ensuring that the seeds are at their best before storage or consumption. Several weevils, maggots and moths lay their eggs on the seed heads, causing extensive damage to the sunflower seeds. This naturally occurring bacterial disease organism destroys the stomach lining of caterpillars, causing death by starvation. Common insect pests include aphids and other leaf sucking insects, as well as flea beetles, sunflower beetles and thistle caterpillars. edible. They have reddish-brown heads and cream-coloured wings with dark markings. Thistle caterpillars munch the leaves, quickly defoliating sunflowers in large quantities.