Sunflower help please.

Melonade

Hi,

We (me and my son) have 1 single sunflower thats open now and the bee's are making the most of it :T so I'm really pleased Anyways I've noticed that were the leaves are growing from the stalk that there are small buds that look like tiny new sunflowers. Is this normal and can I leave them?

At our old house this never happened and we had 5 sunflowers. We don't have room for anymore and the only place I have would mean they'd be facing the fence

Thanks

Lotus-eater

Leave them I suppose, if they grow into new flowers won't you want that? And if they are growing on the same plant how does that affect the room you have?

Melonade

Sorry only half the story I also meant to ask will it stop growing in height now the flower is open? My son is keen for them to grow as big as the last ones... which I doubt. If not will the new buds slow the growth?

olly300

Melonade wrote: »

Sorry only half the story I also meant to ask will it stop growing in height now the flower is open? My son is keen for them to grow as big as the last ones... which I doubt. If not will the new buds slow the growth?

None of my sunflowers have ever increased in height once they have started flowering. (They have no need to as they have now got their next generation.)

Depending on what sort of sunflowers you are growing you can get one or more flowers.

Even on single headed types if the plant has mutated genes or the stem is split for any reason i.e. a squirrel biting the top of the plant you can end up with a double flowered plant.

I would personally just sow more seeds in a well fertilized area. And probably grow a different variety as some of the smaller one are very cute.