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Sunflower seed heads for wildlife

msqingxiaomsqingxiao Posts: 482
in Wildlife gardening
We grew sunflower "red sun" this year and it developed multiple flower heads. We left them on the stems till now, but it doesn't seem to have interested much wildlife. We have to pull the plants up now and wonder what to do with the flower heads so that they don't go to waste? Thanks!

Posts

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Can you tie them in bundles (just the head and a bit of the stem) and hang them from a tree?  For the birds and hopefully not the mice/rats.  
    Utah, USA.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    It’s probably just too early for the birds. They don’t usually start on our seedheads (of any plants) or windfall apples until we are properly into Winter. I would do as Blue Onion suggests or simply store them somewhere until the cold weather sets in.
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • SherwoodArrowSherwoodArrow Posts: 284
    I took my sunflowers down yesterday, some of the seeds heads have been eaten by the birds but not all of them. I cut all the heads off and put them on the floor. I did this yesterday afternoon, I looked out this morning and could see lots of sparrows jumping around eating the seeds. 🙂
    Nottinghamshire.
    Failure is always an option.

  • msqingxiaomsqingxiao Posts: 482
    Thank you all for the advice! The flower heads have mostly disintegrated now so can't hang them. Will put some seeds in a tray out there and see what happens, and save the rest for later in the winter as suggested  :)
  • myclayjunglemyclayjungle Posts: 162
    I noticed last year that all my sunflower heads were disappearing, one by one, like someone was cutting them off below the flower.  I realised it was a squirrel when I saw it carrying the flower along the fence!  This year, only 2 were taken the rest seemed to dry out and die on the plant.  I put some on the bird feeder, but they aren't interested!  I'll try again in winter.
    Coastal Suffolk/Essex Border- Clay soil
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