Fixing browk plants with selotape
Hi - has anyone ever fixed broken stems with sellotape? I was horrified this morning to find yet another one of my 5 ft, 4 month old sunflowers was snapped. This one was broken in the middle - it was due I think to a tight thread which I had forgotten to remove as the stem had grown fatter. I had removed it the previous day as it had been strangulating the plant. I think removing it exposed the deep cut and then it broke there.
[FYI The other one which died previous day had a clean cut right at the base and was totally detached - I think this was due to wind or another tight thread I'd forgotten to remove. This one couldn't be saved.]
The one this morning had a tiny piece still attached to the stem but was otherwise on it's side. So I got someone to hold it while I taped it up with heavy duty tape!! The leaves are still very droopy. I do not know if it will survive. Has anyone any experience of this? I have a £10 bet on with my dad that it will survive!! He thinks I was ridiculous to tape it!!
I also noticed a peony young shoot that was coming up was snapped. I also taped this one!! Think I had accidentally stepped on it and broken it.
Posts
Sorry the title should say 'broken' not browk, typo.
Worth a try, nothing to lose! Never tried it myself but wiukd be interested to see how it does.
Water and nutrients go up and down inside a plant stem. The chances of all the plumbing lining up inside are slim.
In the sticks near Peterborough
It's a matter of luck - I've done it with a few things such as daffodil heads and the sunflower I mentioned. I use masking tape and a solid stick to bind the break to. Will be interested to see how you do. One thing that can happen is that insects move in, which is not a good thing.
Okay I will let you know if it survives. It has a flower bud. I do wonder can the top bit of the stem re-attach to the lower piece.
Lessons to learn:
a) sunflowers are a lot of hard work
b)always remember to remove tight threads from stem as it grows or use rubber bands
c)don't grow sunflowers on the rockery where there is no structure to tie them to and they are totally exposed.
Good advice from Verdun there (welcome back by the way!
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There is still plenty of growing time left this year and you may find that by cutting the stem it sends up new shoots from the remaining leaf joints so you could end up with a shorter but multi-headed sunflower.
Where can I get soft twine from?
Don't laugh please but is this not adequate?!
Bob when you say there is plenty of time left, how long do these sunflowers typicallu go on growing for before flower appears? This malarkey has been going on for months!!
They only stop growing after flowering and the seeds start forming, or when the frost gets them. As there won't be any flowers if you cut it, they should geep growing until the first frost which, judging by last year, could be a long time coming!