Sunflower Dying/Died

[Lim Eugene]

Hi there

I started out with 10 sunflowers sprouting nicely but had to eliminate 3 of them as they were kinda short compared to the rest. 2 more died from my attempt to transplant or relocate them, so that left me with 5 more healthy growing sunflowers.

One by one all of them just died although they were growing nicely at first. It all started with the leaves turning brown and dropping off and then the main flower just blackened from the inside out. I will attach a picture

Both cases happened in 2 different pots but were placed side by side so that rules out soil problem. They had plenty of sun as i live in the tropics so sun is not an issue. Neem oil spray doesn't seem to work either as initially my Jasmine is suffering from ants and aphids problem and I may have placed them side by side

I would like to know what disease is attacking it before i start another batch of new seeds i just bought. Neem oil doesn't work as I know it works on a variety of pests.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Seems like blossom end rot, where calcium is low or missing.

 

[Lim Eugene]

Seems like blossom end rot, where calcium is low or missing.

Hmm.. can't find anything on blossom end rot for sunflowers. A simple google reveals this problem to be more on fruiting plants like tomatoes. Will keep your suggestions in mind next round

 

[LIcenter]

I was always told sunflowers do not transplant well. Hit or miss if you will, with the higher percentage being on the miss side. Sunflowers also have long taproots, which makes me think your pots are not big/deep enough to keep them going. Another thing is they don't like wet feet, so only water when the soil feels completely dry. Don't forget, they also need a good 6-8 hours worth of full sun to grow to their max potential.

 

[Lim Eugene]

I was always told sunflowers do not transplant well. Hit or miss if you will, with the higher percentage being on the miss side. Sunflowers also have long taproots, which makes me think your pots are not big/deep enough to keep them going. Another thing is they don't like wet feet, so only water when the soil feels completely dry. Don't forget, they also need a good 6-8 hours worth of full sun to grow to their max potential.

Indeed.. found it the hard way when 2 of them died a few days later after transplant. My pots are at least a feet high. When i removed the last sunflower (the best growing out of my current batch), its roots weren't even half way down.

I may have over watered them frequently as I treat them just like any other plants. As for sunshine, do they need direct sunlight. I live in the tropics where the sun is 'super charged' during the day. I was afraid the super charged sun will kill it