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Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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Posted by DancingMoons 6 CT (My Page) on Wed, Sep 7, 05 at 9:22
I have decided to try to save some of my favorite sunflower seeds this year, I had to order these seeds to get them, and would rather not have to do that again...
I have "Vanilla Ice" sunflowers...
I just dont know how to go about it, before my birds get to them!!!
Any help would be great!
Thanks :)
Trish |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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When the seed heads begin to ripen, cover with a light, loose wooven fabric. You can use Remay if you can afford to spare it, but your best bet is sheer curtains. If you don't have any around the house try Goodwill or Salvation Army stores, or even the local dollar store. Just cut a piece big enough to cover the head and tie around the stem to keep it in place.
Harvest the flower head when it looks completely dead. Hang the seed heads in a warm dry place with lots of air circulation, you can leave the fabric on to catch seeds. When the flower head is good and dry, work the seeds off gently with you fingers and let them dry further on a big plate or tray for a week or so depending on size. Hope this helps, it works for me =)
GW |
RE: Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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| ALSO, SOMEONE TOLD ME ABOUT USING A PIECE OF PANTY HOSE OR OLD NYLONS. JUST CUT TO FIT OVER THE SUNFLOWER AND THE AIR AND SUN CAN GET TO THE SEED BUT THE BIRDS CAN`T. WORKS GREAT !! |
RE: Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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| Generally speaking, when the backside of the flower head turns yellow, the seeds are ripe. But even when I leave them to turn brown on the stem, the birds usually leave me a scant few seeds. I know it's frustrating, but one of the major reasons I grow them in the first place is to attract American Gold Finches, so some major seed sacrifice is warranted, I think. Bill, who has collected only a couple of dozen seeds from my Mexican Sunflowers so far, dang those pesky finches! |
RE: Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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| I have already removed the seeds from the head of my sunflowers as some were falling . Have ALOT. Can I just put them in a paper bag in the dark where it's dry till spring for storage even though they are no longer on the head? Does anyone know ? |
RE: Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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Jalmil,
Some of my seeds turned moldy when I left them in a bag and stored them in my humid garage. They did better when I had them inside in air conditioning.
I too have struggled with feeding my bird friends and saving my seeds. I started putting heads out for them in a hanging planter (makeshift bird feeder). I worry that if I cut the sunflower head off too soon, the seeds will have not completely filled out...
Rite |
RE: Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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So am I right in thinking the seeds should fall out of the head on their own (I shouldn't have to pull them out?)
(Sorry for the stupid question, but, well, I'm stupid when it comes to this seed saving thing...lol.) |
RE: Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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| They don't always fall out. You have to work at it most of the time and pick them out. |
RE: Help with saving Sunflower seeds
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| I also feed goldfinches. I pull the whole plants out of the ground and tie them to a post.It allows the less mature seeds to finish ripening, and gives the finches plenty of perches and hiding spaces. I have also used the panty hose method to keep the birds from stealing seeds in years past, and it works well, but now I just plant more. Happy Birding-cny planter |
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