What eats my Sun flower leaves? Help?

Question

I have wholes in the leaves of the sun flowers that I am growing? What is eating them? What natural remedies are out there that will be preventing from further damage? However, they seem to be striving and growing. HELP! I put some garlic cloves every where some one told me they keep away unwanted bugs.

Answer 1

try spraying with this . Mix equal parts dish liquid and listerine . It works but smells awfull the bug will hate it and the flowers will love it . good luck and happy gardening .

Answer 2

The sunflower head moth is the major insect pest. The moth attacks at flowering time with the larvae feeding on floral parts and tunneling through developing seed. Aphids and whiteflies also can be a problem.

How to Treat Sunflower Pests
Introduction
Sunflowers offer the gardener both beautiful yellow flowers and seeds that have many uses. However, people are not the only ones enjoying this plant. The gardener oftentimes must deal with a variety of pests from insects to animals and birds. Knowing what to look for is crucial in determining your course of action.
Difficulty: Moderate
Insect Pests


Step One
Know which harmful insects dine on sunflowers. The major culprits are sunflower beetles, cutworms, bud moths, maggots, thistle caterpillars and midges. Several mid-west universities, such as Kansa State University of Agriculture have extensive material online with photos of the insects that enjoy sunflowers.

Step Two
Watch for changes in your plants appearance. This is a good indication that a pest is lurking. Some will chew away at the leaves others at the flower. Bore marks in the seeds are another tell-tale sign

Step Three
Carry a jar with soapy water. You can easily knock off pests into the solution. This is a good method if the number of sunflowers you’re dealing with is low.

Step Four
Remember, not all insects are harmful. Wasps, praying mantises, spiders and lady bugs are good in the garden. Keep these out of the water!

Step Five
Take a dead or live insect to your local nursery for verification. At this point you might choose to buy an organic spray or insecticide to deal with the problem. If you choose to go this route in dealing with the problem make sure to follow directions closely.

Step Six
Monitor your sunflower throughout the growing season. Pests have a life cycle of their own. For example the cutworm will arrive in early spring while the midge in mid to late summer.
Tips & Warnings

* Certain hybrid seeds are resistant to various pests. Check with your local greenhouse or seed distributor for type and cost

Animal and Bird Pests
Steps

Step One
Notice if the newly planted sunflower seeds have been dug up. Mice can dig them out for food.

Step Two
Build a barrier around the planting area to keep these critters out.

Step Three
Watch for rabbits when the sunflower plant begins to grow. They might chew the stalk.

Step Four
Build a garden fence around the vulnerable plants if you are dealing with rabbits in your area.

Step Five
Scare the birds away if they are perched on the sunflower head. Not much else can be done. Blackbirds, red-winged blackbirds and grackles enjoy the seeds. Harassment techniques such as a loud noise or your presence have limited results.

Step Six
Keep the ground free of weeds that could attract birds to the sunflowers.

How to Troubleshoot Sunflower Growing Problems
Introduction
Growing sunflowers is very rewarding but special care is required to tackle problems as they arise. Learning how to troubleshoot theses problems and effectively treat them will help you maintain beautiful sunflowers for many seasons to come. Here are solutions to keep fungus, weeds, insects and birds from taking over your sunflower garden.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Things You'll Need

* Herbicides
* Pesticides
* Silk stockings
* Fungicide

Steps

Step One
Control weeds with herbicides from Lowe’s, Home Depot or a nursery. Although sunflowers are very strong plants, they are in danger the first weeks after planting if weeds overpower them.

Step Two
Buy an herbicide that is safe to use on sunflowers. Treflan, Prowl, Sonalan and Eptam are safe to use on sunflowers. A few weeds should just be pulled by hand.

Step Three
Destroy harmful insects like grasshoppers, caterpillars and moths. Moths develop larvae quickly and can cause some severe damage to the plant. Purchase organic pesticides to get rid of insects with proven brands like Asana, Warrior, Striker and Endosulfan.

Step Four
Protect your sunflowers from birds. As the sunflower matures some of the seeds will start to fall off and attract birds. Lure the birds away from your plants by sprinkling extra seeds away from the sunflowers. Try covering the head of the sunflower with silk stockings to collect the falling seeds where the birds can't get them.

Step Five
Stop the invasion of fungus in the sunflowers with fungicide patches. Excessive moisture sometimes causes harm to the seeds by developing fungi.

Step Six
Plant the sunflowers only every three to four years to control leaf diseases.
Tips & Warnings

* Follow proper sunflower growing procedures from the beginning to have a better chance to prevent these problems from ever occurring.