What Is Eating My Sunflower Leaves? [Top Pests And How To Stop Them]

Whether you have a helianthus garden for harvesting or pure personal use , there ’s no denying the stunner these plants can add to your garden .

However , it can be hard to enjoy these industrial plant when you ’re distract by torn leaves , holes , and cut stems .

Pests can wreak havoc on your sunflowers , and whether they are causing detrimental damage or simply creating unsightly wounds on your leaves , getting rid of them should become your top priority .

We have researched the lawsuit and cures for this concerning issue .

If you notice your sunflower leaf are taking a beating , these are some of the insects and wildlife that can be causing the damage :

It seems like a lot can be doing wrong to your sunflowers . Still , gratefully most of these can be fixed fairly well .

To learn more about these pests and how to manage the trouble , keep reading ! We ’ve research and compiled the best and easiest ways to get your sunflower garden back from those ravaging your leaf .

What Is Eating Your Sunflower Leaves

Cutworms

Most commonly , cutworm are nighttime leaf eaters that are hard to key out because they enshroud in the dirt during the day .

cutworm are the larva of browned moth , and they will chew through the leaves and stems of your sunflower flora .

Since these plague are hard to take in as they blend in with the ground during the solar day and eat at dark , the best way to get rid of them is by pull in the grease dangerous for them .

For this , you canuse Diatomaceous Earth ( DE ) .

This finepowderis made from dried , exclusive - cell alga found near water bed and has many welfare , from water filtration to feed enhancement . food for thought - grade alternative can even be mix in the food of family pets to deter flea .

Although DE is beneficial to some , it is deadly to others . When sprinkled around the grease of your garden bed , this pulverisation will bond to pests and dry out their kayoed shell , belt down them .

As cutworms live in the filth , this should eliminate your consequence if you keep up with DE applications after heavy rainfalls .

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Deer

cervid dearest sunflower . Thankfully , there are safe slipway to keep these guy cable out of your sunflowers that wo n’t harm them or your plants .

A long - go solution to keeping deer from your sunflowers is tobuild a fencing ; however , this can be unappealing .

Deer will jumpstart most fences unless they are tall enough to keep them out , and that can make having a sunflower garden of burnished , beautiful works life hard to see .

show more : How To in effect Use Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent

Adding unpleasant smellsaround your helianthus is a way of life to keep cervid away without having to block the view of your gorgeous sunflowers .

This means hard and sometimes putrid flavor , like eggs , chili peppers , and even dead fish heads ( granted , these will become rich fertilizer as they collapse down ) .

If you do n’t bear in mind adding to your garden , you’re able to also create a barrier of strong - smelling marigold or lavender plantsor deterring plants with thorns to keep deer at bay tree .

Read more : Why Deer Do n’t eat up Lavender [ And How To Protect Your Other plant ]

Rabbits

Rabbits love sunflowers , vegetables , and many other garden plants , realize them a cuss to most gardener .

As cunning as these little animals are , they can make for havoc on your sunflowers . Thankfully , there are ways to keep them at bay without harm them .

There arecertain smells you’re able to spatter or spray around your gardenthat will help keep cony aside .

Chili gunpowder can be sprinkled around the bed of your garden . This smell will ram rabbit away , and if one does happen to get a taste , they belike wo n’t come back around that smell again .

Sprinkling blood meal , an inert powder made from rakehell , will keep coney at embayment and is a great garden fertilizer .

With all of these options , it ’s authoritative to remember that pelting and plant lacrimation will dilute or eliminate these handicap , so reapplying is a must to keep these garden blighter aside for good .

A more lasting elbow room to keep rabbits from your garden is by building a low border fencing . This fencing necessitate to be 2 - 3 feet gamy and can be as simple as seize poulet wire to wooden garden stake .

Although this is the most effective way to keep rabbits out of your garden , be certain to choose a chicken wire or other fencing material material that is small enough to not only keep coney from push through gaps but also too small for a cony to get catch in .

For a cute dosage of rabbit , you should check out this storey : Bunnies In Bloom : When Mother Nature Hops Into Your Garden Plans

Birds

If you have birds chomping at your helianthus leaves , chances are they are finch . These diminutive razz love with child , leafy plants and will devour helianthus leaves .

hoot are harder to keep out of garden , but you cancreate movement and light to scare off them off , at least some of the time .

burnished ribbon or mirrored current of air chimes draw to flora and hung around the garden will make light and move in the air current to avail keep some of these birds out of your garden .

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or else , if you just want to protect your sunflower , you could implant other appealing plant , like boodle , around the garden to give your sunflower leave a higher chance of surviving these foliage - eat finch .

Aphids & Weevils

If you see black glitch on your sunflowers , you are most likely seeing one of two bug — aphids or helianthus weevil .

Aphids are flyspeck black bug that radical on the underside of plant leaves . These dirt ball have specialised mouths made specifically for bite and sucking the fluids from parting .

Aphids interfere with transport nutrients through the plant life , so they have to be managed to protect your sunflowers .

To safely control aphids , and other plague , without risking the elimination of healthy worm , you canspray your sunflowers with neem oil color .

This instinctive insect powder not only destruct pestis but can also protect your plants from fungous disease .

helianthus weevils , or black stem weevils , are small contraband bug with protrude drumhead and pinchers . These bugs make damage to sunflowers by weakening the stems or completely detaching the forefront of the sunflower .

Although some forms of weevil can be harmless , they should be removed if they are damage your plant life .

To keep aside weevils and other small land plague without chemicals , you candust the bed of your garden with Diatomaceous Earth . Neem oilwill also figure out for weevil .

Ants

ant are draw to sunflowers largely because of the nectar they produce . If ants become too much of an issuing , various pestis control methods can be used .

You canuse Vaseline and newspaper to create a traparound your sunflower to catch the emmet invade your plants .

Cut a ring of newspaper that outfit around the stem of the plant , making it at least six inches wide .

Then , spread Vaseline over the upturned side . emmet will get trapped in the Vaseline when they attempt to travel to and from your sunflowers to their nest .

For a humane room to rid your flora of ants , ants hate certain smellsenough to keep them aside . odor like cinnamon and mint at the base of your plants will function as a deterrent for emmet .

When using cinnamon , you’re able to sprinkle the spiciness on the land around the base of your sunflowers .

learn more about cinnamon in garden maintenance : Pro - Level Gardening Tip : Use Cinnamon As A Natural Fungicide

For muckle , you may embed peppermint plant life around the flowers to produce a constant barrier that ants will avoid .

If you do n’t want to lend more plants to your garden , you could apply peppermint petroleum or sprinkle mint leaves on the ground around your sunflowers .

There are " intellectual nourishment " creations that ants will consume that will kill them . Mixing bread and cornmealand sprinkling it around the soil of your helianthus will excrete the ants .

Citrus oil , either assimilate or touched by ants , will eliminate them as well . This is a lifelike option that will cause no harm to your plants .

How do you treat sunflower pests?

When you have pests , whether the ones mentioned above or otherwise , you may take precautions with garden - secure insecticides and homemade insecticides .

You canmix 1 1/2 teaspoon of dish liquid ecstasy per quart of waterand spray this on your plant for a homemade option . This will work to get rid of some cuss and keep them forth .

For a full coverage pestilence spraying , you may use any of these pest sprayer that are dependable for your garden and sunflowers .

In Closing

Sunflowers are majestic and beautiful additions to home gardens , undecided fields , and profitable harvests . But pests can put a damper on their growth and even kill them .

Taking fear of unwanted pests and wildlife is detrimental to ingest a healthy garden , and thankfully most are easy to deter from your sunflowers .

Looking for info on maturate large sunflowers ? watch out this beginners guide :

How To produce Mammoth Sunflowers [ Garden Guide For Beginners ]

If you ’re own aphid issues with other plant , head over to this post to see how to treat your roses :

How Often Should You Spray Roses For Aphids ?