Sunflowers

[Cavman]

Is it to late to plant sunflowers? Looking at doing a small ot of them for hunting .

 

[two70]

Sunflowers take about 75 days to maturity so no, but they won't be ready for the start of dove hunting season. FYI, if you're doing a small plot and have many deer, they can easily wipe them out long before they reach maturity without protection.

 

[Cavman]

Sunflowers take about 75 days to maturity so no, but they won't be ready for the start of dove hunting season. FYI, if you're doing a small plot and have many deer, they can easily wipe them out long before they reach maturity without protection.

Do deer like them at all?

 

[Ziggidy]

My dear wife hates them

 

[two70]

Do deer like them at all?

With deer, how much they use a particular food source always depends on what other food sources are available in your area at a given time but from what I've seen sunflowers are pretty high up the list of preferred foods when the plants are young and tender. Once the plants get older and tougher the deer will leave them alone until the seeds are ripe.

I've never been able to get sunflowers to maturity on my property. Even when planting blends, the deer will seek out sunflowers first. Sunflowers don't seem to tolerate browsing very well either.

 

[Cavman]

With deer, how much they use a particular food source always depends on what other food sources are available in your area at a given time but from what I've seen sunflowers are pretty high up the list of preferred foods when the plants are young and tender. Once the plants get older and tougher the deer will leave them alone until the seeds are ripe.

I've never been able to get sunflowers to maturity on my property. Even when planting blends, the deer will seek out sunflowers first. Sunflowers don't seem to tolerate browsing very well either.

Appreciate the info!

 

[cg21]

Don’t they have to hit maturity and also start to die off for the doves ?

 

[Bugzilla]

I have used Deer Off with good luck in keeping deer and rabbits from eating our hostas and small trees, even the ones on the edge of the woods. Not really inexpensive but you don’t need much. May be worth experimenting with, not knowing how big of a plot you are looking at.

 

[two70]

Don’t they have to hit maturity and also start to die off for the doves ?

The seeds only need to be mature if you mow/brushhog them. If you leave them alone, then the seeds would need time to loosen in the head.

 

[senork]

Deer wiping out the sunflowers in the designated dove fields is a real problem at the Winamac Fish and Wildlife Area. By Sept the sunflowers aren’t very plentiful.

 

[Leadeye]

Sunflowers are part of my food plots, but it's rare to see them flower. I just plant the bird seed grade.

 

[Cavman]

Sunflowers are part of my food plots, but it's rare to see them flower. I just plant the bird seed grade.

Do they not flower cause they're eaten quickly?

 

[JimH]

These were planted in early July last year,picture from September 25 th.

 

[Cavman]

These were planted in early July last year,picture from September 25 th.
View attachment 282576

Good looking patch!

 

[model1994]

got a few growing by the house, which are a variety supposed to be 20-25’ tall.

planting them as ornamentals is nice, but as two70 said for any kind of scale wildlife mgmt purposes you’ll have a hard time without deer deterrents. hell, even with wildlife-controls a good storm will lay them over before maturity, too, unless planted thick or beside wind stops like evergreen trees & buildings.

 

[JimH]

These were planted in early July last year,picture from September 25 th.
View attachment 282576

These are just regular bird seed (black oil sunflower)from Tractor Supply. Planted earlier this year,around April 20th and had the first bloom yesterday.

 

[snapping turtle]

If you are looking at a deer food plot then I would look at a blend that uses root crops. Radish sugar beet and regular beets seem to bring in the deer during the gun season after the main rut is over. The blends normally use clover oats winter wheat ect along with root crops like beets. Those deer will beat the snot out of sugar beets once most of the green forage is gone as long as they are not frozen in the soil. During the main rut food plots never seem to be great for me as the bucks seem to pester the deer out of them quickly.

If you are going for doves might I sudgest planting telephone poles and wire between them. Those doves will come from Miles around to set on those wires.

 

[Leadeye]

Do they not flower cause they're eaten quickly?

Yes, they are eaten quickly. Some get a chance to bloom, but not a lot.

 

[model1994]

hell, even with wildlife-controls a good storm will lay them over before maturity, too

from our minor, but windy, storm this morning.

 

[Gunmetalgray]

Now I know why Dad would plant them in a narrow protected space between his garage and fence.