Sunflowers

jillwoodhead72

Hi I have some massive sunflowers..the heads are only just starting out..the stems are thick and strong and show no signs of rot however the leaves are drooping and have a lace like hole pattern..I have sprayed them with bug killer and tried propping them up they are over 6 feet tall but look wilted

Fire

They need a good deal of water. They are thirsty plants. Try giving buckets of water and see if they unwilt.

jillwoodhead72

O right I have been watering them with a hose so quite difficult to see how much I've  watered them..do you think they may need more? It looks like the top leaves are fine and the lower you go the worse the wilting  gets..

bcpathome

Water is the answer

jillwoodhead72

I've heard over watering is a problem too...🤔

Fire

I'm not sure you could overwater a sunflower, esp if it's in a pot or raised bed etc

It wouldn't be happy as a bog plant, but short of that, you should be fine.

jillwoodhead72

We have just had some rain..seems to have done the trick!

Fire

Give it a good few buckets every few days.

jillwoodhead72

Ok will try that...it's been raining so that will help

Fairygirl

Glad the rain has perked them up. 
As they get bigger, they certainly need plenty of water, so as said already, it's quite hard to overwater them [ even if you were in a wetter part of the country ] especially if they're tight against a fence or wall where they can be in a rain shadow, and also the foliage can prevent water getting right into the base. 

PrettyFlyForACacti

I've been growing one too, planted it on 1st May and this is where we're at. Waiting for the flower seems never-ending though the bud is there!