Tag: Moths

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Growing Skyscraper Sunflowers

The Skyscraper Sunflower is just one of the funnest sunflowers to grow! It is SO large, so tall and so bright that I do believe every Bee in the nation can see it!  Or at least it seems that way as they all fight for space across its giant Yellow flowers.

About Skyscraper Sunflowers

The Skyscraper sunflower earns its name as it is one of the tallest sunflowers there is to grow!  This baby here grew fifteen feet high and was actually slightly taller than the roof of my house! As a result, you can see from the photo above the flower head was a good thirteen inches across.  Not only are the flowers beautiful the drying stage and the seeds are beautiful as well.

Skyscrapers also produce the largest sunflower seeds making them the best to eat! Their colors range from bright white with gray stripes to light and dark grays and their seed heads are just amazing to look at!

Tips on Growing Skyscraper Sunflowers

  • Skyscrapers grow best in zones 3-9 and need full sun all day long if possible.
  • SF Home Gates recommends tilling the soil to around two feet deep in prep for these giants.  That may be the best for sure as their root systems are solid.  However, I will be honest I did not till more than 10 inches and they still grew well.
  • Sunflowers like well-drained soil, no water should be standing as it will cause root rot.
  • Sow seeds directly in the ground after all danger of frost.  Seeds can take approximately 10 days to germinate.
  • Water deeply two times a week rather than short bursts of watering each day. This will help your sunflowers grow deeper root systems preparing them for the heat.  You can see more about watering in the article,  "Helping Plants Survive the Heat"
  • These plants are large so give them room to spread.  Plant 2-3 seeds per section approximately 18-24 inches apart.  Thin to the strongest plant in the grouping once established.

  • Plants should mature in approximately 60-75 days.
  • Use fish emulsion once a month on these giants!

Challenges with Skyscrapers Sunflowers

  • Aphids love sunflowers!  This is actually what makes them such a good companion plant as I swear they will go there before your other plants. Be on the look out for them under their giant leaves and act quickly or they will soon look like this!
  • Ants will often congregate around sunflowers you can sprinkle DE at the base of the plants to avoid this.
  • Sunflower Months of course are one of the largest predators as they actively seek sunflowers to lay their eggs in.  Read about managing sunflower moths in The Article "The Sunflower Moth"

Companion Plants

  • Squash
  • Beans
  • Corn
  • Cabbage
  • Cucumbers
  • Peppers
  • Tomatoes

Find Sky Scraper Sunflower Seeds in Oma's Store Front!

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Insects – The Sunflower Moth

Sunflower Moth

About the Sunflower Moth

For those that love Sunflowers be on the look out for this pesky insect! It’s a small white sandy colored moth in the genus Homoeosoma.  There are two types, the American Sunflower moth (Homoeosoma electellum) and the Eurasian sunflower moth (Homoeosoma nebulella).   They show up in May to August time frame (depending on your region) and are most prevalent in the twilight hours, (figures it would be right when we all love to be in the garden) where the female lays their eggs on the sunflower head.   

The spawn of this devil will hatch in about a week’s time and burrow themselves down into the the seed head and attempt to eat to their heart’s content with no concern what so ever to your precious plants (how rude!).    To make matters worse this pest can also effect your Marigolds and your Echinacea  as you can see from the picture below where some of my own were impacted.   Signs of damage appears as a rotted area right in the middle of your flowers.   If you pull the seed head apart you will most often find the worms, (I’ll add a pic of that).

Flowers suffering from moth damage

Tips to Avoid and Treat

Like so many of the insects we deal with in our gardens there are a few natural enemies of the sunflower moth.

  • Wasps will attack the larvae as well as eat the eggs of the moth reducing its impact.
  • Ground beetles can attack the overwintering pupae and pirate bugs will also feed on them.
  • Insecticidal soap as well as dawn dish soap (1 1/2 tsp per quart) mixed with water and sprayed on the plant’s seed head can be used.
  • Organic insecticides such as BT and Neem can be used.
  • I personally have had good luck using Neem Oil (the 100% organic cold pressed kind that you mix yourself) to detour them.   Simply spray the seed heads while spraying the rest of the garden.
  • Tilling your soil well for winter as well as again in spring and using nematodes is a good practice. This helps remove any overwintering little critters, (get them while they sleep!)

There are also several synthetic sprays that can be used. However its best for our bees to try the natural methods first as there are so many organic options available to control this pesky insect.     If you find them on your plant cut and remove the flowers impacted and do not compost!

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