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Sunflowers have sprouted!

I'm so happy. I just glanced at the shelf I have the first 5 I planted on, and they had all sprouted. Well pretty much, they're not straight up yet, one's still half bent over, and one is almost through the dirt, but good enough for me! I bought an already grown miniature sunflower last year, and the dogs decided to use it for a chewtoy. My animals(whether it be the dogs or the chickens or the bunnies or the geese) are not plant friendly. At least Joxer(my cat) hasn't bothered them. But he doesn't go outside anymore. Oh he acts like he wants to, and whines/meows by the door for me to let him out, but once I open the door, he turns and runs back in the house.

Reply to
Lilah Morgan
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"Lilah Morgan" wrote in news:qKL%h.12652$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net:

Yesterday my neighbor cut down my foot tall sunflower that I carefully nursed through our late freeze. Never trust a man with a weed-whacker. I should have realized he was having just TOO much fun when the thing was still whirring constantly and he had pretty much trimmed everything that wasn't moving. And then he moved to our murky property line and BANG! my sunflower was gone before I could scream, "STOP!" :(

Last year I planted about 60 of them. Not one grew.

I give.

Reply to
FragileWarrior

On May 7, 6:10 pm, FragileWarrior sunflower was gone before I could scream, "STOP!" :(

Oh my, that's about as sad as watching your tomato plant with its first tomato going down the gopher hole. We have fences here to deter weed-whackers; I now use wire baskets for the gophers! I think you just might have to whack his "wacker"!! So sorry FW. Emilie

Reply to
mleblanca

"FragileWarrior" > on, and they had all sprouted. Well pretty much, they're not straight

Planted sunflowers in a bad spot/bad soil last year, only a few flowered. Aphids and other insects ate the plants in general. Couldn't keep enough water on them due to the severe heat here either.

This year, they're in pots. The aphids are back again though. Some are nearing a foot in height. Since I'm not going to eat any part of them, am using bug killer powder on them as of today.

Good fences make good neighbors.

Reply to
Dave

Awww *hugs * I've been there too. Our neighbors don't do that. They're an elderly couple not that much older than my mother, and just...well they're ok to say Hi to now and then, but the guy keeps acting like it's their yard. At least there's a fence. Last year he had a fit because we had a tarp lying flat out on the ground, and it was obstructing their view. I guess they liked looking at the dirt underneath it. I've come to hate doing yardwork outside while he's out in his yard, because I know he's gonna tell me what I need to do. Funny thing is, I was weeding out around the lilacs, and he wanted to know what I was doing, and I told him, and he said he's never seen them bloom, to which I replied that they bloomed last year. He quit talking to me then.

Reply to
Lilah Morgan

In article , FragileWarrior sunflower was gone before I could scream, "STOP!" :(

You would if you could girl. Time to get back up on that horse and get some seeds into the ground. This time when they come up, put a small tomato arbor over them and ask your neighbor if he ever thought about becoming an alto.

- Bill Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Reply to
William Rose

"FragileWarrior" > on, and they had all sprouted. Well pretty much, they're not straight

Mine mowed down 2 Peony bushes when we lived iun Alaska. I wanted to murder him on he spot. They cost a fortune here.

Betsy

Reply to
betsyb

Peony are expensive? My boss from the cafe I used to work at(she went through the Master Gardener program the local extension office offers), she was looking at our yard and this one thing, I didn't know what it was, it was in the area with the strawberries, tulips/daffodils, and wild roses that came with the place, and she said it was a peony.

Reply to
Lilah Morgan

"betsyb" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news2.newsguy.com:

My neighbors (other neighbors, not the sunflower slayer) routinely smash their peonies to bits. They hate them. The guy next to them, a first time home owner, "weeded" out 12' of old peony bushes without knowing what they were. He was about to throw them in my fire pit when I rescued them and replanted them; they are growing in my yard now. As soon as the foliage dies back, I'm going to get about three dozen red and yellow tulips from him (he hates them, too) and move them over here. My neighbors are crazy people. And here they thought *I* was nuts just because I sometimes graze my horses on my lawn. At least I have flowers in my yard. :)

Reply to
FragileWarrior

Yes, I paid $45 for each. Alaska inflates prices due to shipping.

Reply to
betsyb

"betsyb" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news3.newsguy.com:

I have a draft horse. I have enough fertilizer to make this town GREEN. :)

Reply to
FragileWarrior

hmm that's weird, second time this happened, my post doesn't show up on my end when I check the newsgroups, but people have replied to it. I feel better having put a hardware cloth cage thing around the peony now. Should protect it from the chickens/geese/bunnies/dogs. Not bugs though. I'm starting to see flying ants everywhere too. And mosquitoes, and bees/yellow jackets/hornets/wasps(well luckily only one here and there). Need to build some bird/bat houses. Oh and the thyme has started sprouting too. Does that mean my thyme's up? :-)

Reply to
Lilah Morgan

Wow I've never heard of aphids that big. If you can't get them under control, look at the bright side. They'll probably keep the gophers at bay.

Try 1 TBS Dawn, 1 TBS peanut (or just vegetable) oil, and 1 TBS baking soda to 1 gallon water. Mix well and spray the plants lightly but well, especially underside of leaves.

Good luck.

Reply to
xPosTech

My aphids are only 8 inches high, but I expect them to hit a good 18 inches or so by mid summer. When they start to chase the cats, I put my foot down and go for the giant lady bugs.

Reply to
Ook

|>> "Lilah Morgan" wrote

|>>> I'm so happy. I just glanced at the shelf I have the first 5 I planted |>>> on, and they had all sprouted.

Well, that's great - aren't they nice big sprouts? Sunflowers are great for introducing kids to seed planting, they come up so big.

But what about that asparagus - did you ever germinate the seed, and how's it doing? I've started some "Purple Passion" seeds (in cells) They weren't pre-soaked and took a good 2 weeks to show above the soil. Just about needed a magnifying glass to see them. But I've got almost 100% success.

Now about your giant aphids. You don't have to use poisonous stuff on them. Safer's soap from the garden store will do the trick. A tiny bottle (you dilute it) will last for years. Just spray it on those monsters and they'll be toast. I even wonder if regular detergent wouldn't do them in.

Alexander

Reply to
Alexander Miller

Congratulations on your goal to grow sunflowers! Make sure to get some good seeds for different varieties. That's half the fun. They are easy to grow and enjoy. A few friends and I are working a great site devoted to sunflowers. It will have everything imaginable about sunflowers with all kinds of great information, links to the best products and a discussion area. The forum is already open! Check us out at

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Reply to
ckline72

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