It distresses me to read you have borers in some of the sunflowers. I really want to grow sunflowers but I’ve already had borers destroy squash plants. What is the point of planting sunflowers if borers are going to destroy them. I wonder if they do the same thing to the different sunflower that grows tubers to eat like potatoes? I think I’ll try just the tuber ones and see if they live.
So far, they are living. I found fresh bore-holes on the ones that have developed and are presently doing well several weeks ago. At that time I gave the bore-holes some big squirts of neem oil, and that seems to have controlled them in those plants. I did not discover the problem soon enough for the these others, however, and I’ll just keep tending them to see what happens, as they are yet living.
Several weeks ago, when Darlin decapitated one of the smaller sunflowers, it actually grew another seed head. I’m wondering if it might do it again. It’s pretty late, but what do I know?
The neem really seemed to drive off the squash bugs. The squashes haven’t been producing, but I have not seen any squash bugs on them! It is REALLY nasty stuff!
I’ll be interested in what you find out about how the sun choke tuber flowers thrive in your garden.