Sunflower cut in half - Ask Extension
Hello,
Do you have any idea what could have caused this sunflower plant to be cut in half? Apparently nothing was eaten, because the top half is on...
Knowledgebase
Sunflower cut in half #870599
Asked May 29, 2024, 1:51 PM EDT
Hello,
Do you have any idea what could have caused this sunflower plant to be cut in half? Apparently nothing was eaten, because the top half is on the ground next to it and the two smaller plants were not impacted. (I put chunks of Irish Spring Soap next to the plants to hopefully repel rabbits and groundhogs.)
Thank you.
Lorain County Ohio
Expert Response
It's heartbreaking to see such damage to your young sunflower plants. In all likelihood the damage is caused by cutworms, which live in the soil and emerge at night. You might be able to dig them out of the soil surrounding your plants to get rid of them, but a far easier method would be to put chicken grit (found at an animal feed store) or diatomaceous earth on top of the soil that surrounds the plant to protect it. See https://garden.org>thread>view>what's-eating-my-sunflowers.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Thank you, Lori! I’ll check into chicken grit.
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 4, 2024, at 9:53 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Hope it works for you. L.
