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Sunflower Plants Growing Multiple Flowers Instead or One?

Question:

I have been growing sunflowers for a few years. The first two years I planted them, I had great success. I had tall sunflowers with the large heads and many seeds to eat. But the last few years I can't get those large heads anymore. The sunflowers grow tall and then the tops of the plant branch off and make several small flowers rather than one big one. I am buying new seeds every year. This year I chose Mammoth. What am I doing wrong?

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Hardiness Zone: 7a

Monica from Moab, UT

Answer:

Monica,There are a couple of reasons you could be seeing multiple heads on your sunflowers. The first is pest damage. The larvae of certain sunflower pests may not always be visible (especially on tall varieties) because the larvae are tiny and they feed on developing seeds and heads. Damage often results in shrunken or malformed (sometimes multiple) heads. The larvae of sunflower seed weevils and sunflower midges are the primary culprits. The larvae over winter in the soil. Tilling in the fall and again in the spring and practicing crop rotation will help minimize infestations.

Herbicide drift or chemical residue in the soil is another common cause of multiple heads on sunflowers. Herbicides drifting over from other parts of the garden (or the neighbor's garden) can cause abnormal bending or twisting of stems and/or leaf petioles, slow growth, or cause the development of multiple heads. This happened to my neighbor this year. In her case, she didn't actually plant them, the birds and squirrels feeding at my bird feeders did. When sunflowers sprouted in her backyard she decided to leave them alone. As they grew, they developed multiple heads. The seeds carried to her yard from my feeders were black oil sunflower seeds.

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I imagine they were harvested from commercially grown sunflower crops that were grown in large fields. Even if these fields were not treated with herbicides, crops in nearby fields may have been. Meanwhile, a few weeks later and a mere 25 yards away, the mammoth sunflowers planted in my garden bloomed normally-none of them developed multiple heads. Could her multiple heads could have been herbicide drift? Maybe. Neither of us uses chemicals on our yards or gardens so it would have to have been the seeds. It remains a mystery.

Sunflowers are native to North America. In the wild they usually have multiple heads-up to 20 heads per flower is the norm. These wild seeds make up the genetic basis for the domesticated and hybrid seeds we see today. Could yours be cross-pollinating with nearby wild sunflowers? It's just another possibility.

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Ellen

About The Author: Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com

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By (Guest Post)
July 28, 20061 found this helpful

I would say if you are fertilizing you may be using too much or maybe you have a hybrid seed?

Go check out this website and ask you question there, they are great for all gardening needs!

www.gardenguides.com/.../

good luck!

 
August 8, 20161 found this helpful

All

Multihead sunflowers are the norm.The single head versions are cultivated to be a single bloom.If you save the seeds and replant them then after a few geneartions you will find the seeds would revert to the normal multihead variety.It is nothing to do with garden pests or where you are planting the seeds

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happy Gardening

jolly Gary the gardener

 
May 12, 20180 found this helpful

Hi there,
I would love for my sunflower get multiple blooms and NO seed:)
I like the flower for itself and not for seed, and having trouble finding multiple variety in seed to plant!

 
By darrellg in Oklahoma (Guest Post)
July 28, 20060 found this helpful

Try planting in a different spot each year . If you are still planting in the same spot each time you are using up the vitamins and minerals that they feed from. Just try rotating crops, plant something different there next year & your sunflowers else where. It also goes for any plant to rotate.

 
October 3, 20210 found this helpful

this is my single stock sunflower. It has 40 to 60 blooms and more coming on. Why is this happening.??

 
 
August 4, 20060 found this helpful

Read your message, I have the same problem. Mammoth Seed and all. Beautiful Tall, 12 Feet plants the first 2 years, then 6 footers with 10 or so flowers.

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I would like an explaination too. I will add one thing. I added a mulch I picked up from the local landfill, supposed to be any way. My zucchini did not turn out at all, could not keep the plants alive.

If I can't grow zucchini I need help! The rest of the garden with the same "mulch" grew great tomatoes & green bell peppers. Still do want my sunnys back.

 
January 17, 20140 found this helpful

I kinda have the opposite question: I'm growing the "sun king" variety of sunflower for ornamental purposes, and I would like to have several flowers on each plant, is that possible with some clever pruning? Thanks.

 
April 8, 20200 found this helpful

Good morning all.
I live in South Africa and grew a few sunflower seeds that I picked out from a bag of wild bird feed. They also grew numerous heads (up to 16) and neither me or my neighbors use any chemicals.

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In fact, they do not even garden ! I live on a farm in the hills and there are no other crops closer than 500yrds from me. The bees love the multitude of flowers though :)

 
August 31, 20210 found this helpful

Amazing Sunflower plants with 'extra' blooms at every leaf are blessings from God. You are special, you are loved. He is showing you again and again how amazing this world, that He has made for us, is. Past finding out! The Creator is showing His power over His creation to prove to you that He IS your Creator and Savior. Praying you will seek Him with your whole heart-that is when you will find Him! Praying you will see Him in Everything...He is working all things together for good-for those who are called according to His purpose Romans 8:28,
29---He's calling you. He is the Chief Gardener, Owner/Creator of all the dirt, the seeds, the sunshine and water. Loving and Generous God to include us in all of this wonder!

 

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