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Sunflowers

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  • 14-07-2014 10:56am
    #1
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,915 ✭✭✭✭


    I finally managed to get some sunflower seeds past the slugs and snails (about my 4th attempt!), and they're flying up.

    Some are in a pot in full sunshine and are about 6 feet tall. Others are in a bed which is partially shaded, and are much smaller but doing well all the same.

    The ones in the pots are like bloody children - I'm out watering them twice a day if it doesn't rain, which is most of the time lately.

    There are no signs of flower buds on any of them yet.

    My problem is that I'm going away for a week soon, and I'm wondering what I should do with/about them. I'd hate to have lavished all that love and attention - not to mention the slug pellets and water - on them, only to miss the flippin' flowers!

    So my first question is - anyone know when they should start flowering?

    And secondly - anyone know of an effective watering system that could be rigged up to keep the pot ones moist? It's a big enough pot, which I could maybe drag in under a wall where it would be in the shade, but I can't get it outside where my neighbours could water it.

    I've heard of people doing things with 2 litre drinks bottles - do these work and how would I go about it? Has anyone any other ideas?

    Thanks in advance!


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    #2
    pwurple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,449 ✭✭✭✭pwurple


    When they flower.... Starting now up until end of august maybe, depends when you planted them. Mine are not open yet, but have the big buds, i've seen a couple around that are open already.

    Any room to plant those in a bed somewhere? That's the best solution really.

    You can do fancy things with timers and drip hoses for watering, but it sounds like overkill for a few pots and a holiday.

    Two litres of water won't do those plants for a week I'd say. You could put the pots in a big bucket of water, but you risk waterlogging.

    Planting them out or a neighbour would be your best bet.


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    #3
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,915 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    pwurple wrote: »
    When they flower.... Starting now up until end of august maybe, depends when you planted them. Mine are not open yet, but have the big buds, i've seen a couple around that are open already.

    Any room to plant those in a bed somewhere? That's the best solution really.

    You can do fancy things with timers and drip hoses for watering, but it sounds like overkill for a few pots and a holiday.

    Two litres of water won't do those plants for a week I'd say. You could put the pots in a big bucket of water, but you risk waterlogging.

    Planting them out or a neighbour would be your best bet.

    Cheers for that. I mightn't mind so much if I can see the flowers for a week or two before I go away!

    I might look at moving them to the raised bed where the other ones are - but that's so clogged up with other stuff it'd be hard to find room to squeeze them in. But yeah, really I know that's the only option.

    Coincidentally I saw these are on sale in Aldi on Thursday https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thursday-17th-july/products-detail-page/ps/p/water-globes-1/?pk_campaign=ie_product_newsletter&pk_kwd=2014-07-14_16-41 . But could they sustain the water needs of five or six huge sunflower plants in one pot for a whole week? Probably not!


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