Their roots are long, and these plants grow to a great height. That's why they need to be watered regularly and carefully. The watering routine can make or destroy the sunflower plant, so you must be very careful. There can be many reasons for the unusual signs of your sunflower plant.
Reasons For Sunflowers Drooping
Your sunflower can droop over due to many reasons, but the most common are
Water Conditions
The young plant is very delicate to handle. It takes approximately 80 days to attain maturity. It can get affected easily by water conditions like under-watering and over-watering. These two conditions are the most common causes of sunflower drooping.
Under-Watering
The mature plant can survive without water more than the younger plant. We need to water the mature sunflower plant twice or thrice a week. But the young plant needs proper care and attention regarding watering. It needs to be watered regularly. If the plant needs water, it will start showing you signs like leaves curling, fading, decolorization, etc.
Overwatering
People find it very difficult to differentiate between under-watering signs and over-watering signs. They are almost the same. But you'll know what the plant needs by putting your fingers in the soil. If you keep watering the already overwatered plant, then forget about the plant to nourish. It will get destroyed, the roots will rot, and the stems will be affected badly. And you don't want to do that.
Soil Condition
It might be possible that your sunflower plant is neither under-watered nor over-watered. But the soil is not enough for its roots. There's no space for the roots to grow, and that's why they are dropping.
Sunflowers have long roots, requiring a big space for the roots to grow. This problem mostly occurs when you put the sunflower plant in a small pot and expect it to grow like an outdoor plant. This condition is really bad for plant growth, and it makes your sunflower heads droop down.
Sunlight
Sunflowers are lovers of the sun. They need proper sunlight for their nourishment. If the plant does not receive enough sunlight, it will droop. They bloom due to the proper photosynthesis process, and it's impossible without proper sunlight. So it's good to put the sunflower plant in a location with enough sunlight. Otherwise, due to nutrition deficiency, it will start dropping.
Climate
Sunflowers love sunny weather. If the climate is cold, they won't nourish much. They need proper water and sunlight for their growth, and we must ensure that we provide that to them if we want to keep them alive.
Fungus
If the plant is overwatered, it will produce fungus around it. That is dangerous for the plant. The fungus occurs in moist places, and it can kill the plant. The soil temperature should be moderate for the plant, not too hot, not too cold. Otherwise, your sunflower seedlings will start dropping.
Not Enough Support
If the sunflower's heads are downwards, it doesn't always mean they have a disease or a water issue. When the plant becomes too long and the flower heads become too heavy, they'll start drooping and need to be stalked because of the weight.
Zoe Harvey
Fixing The Sunflower Drooping
Sunflowers seedlings can be drooped because of many reasons, and they can be fixed easily by
Optimization Of Water
Water is one of the main sources of nourishment for sunflowers. Check the soil with your finger if they look drooped to you. If the soil is dry, water them; if it seems extra moist, put the plant under sunlight. A good watering routine can solve the problem.
Optimization Of Sunlight
If the sunflower plant doesn't get enough sunlight, it will become bad because of a lack of nutrition. Try putting it under the sunlight; the issue will be resolved.
Optimization Of Temperature
Sunflower plant goes great with warm weather. If the plant is placed in cold weather, it may look drooped to you. Make sure it gets enough heat. By optimizing the temperature, your problem will be resolved. It can take some time to recover.
Optimization Of Soil
The soil can be optimized by using some fertilizers. You should know that the sunflower plant cannot grow in a small pot or place. Its roots need larger space because they are long. If your pot is small for the plant, you might have to replace it. The baby plant will take some time to adjust in the new pot but don't worry; time and proper care will resolve the issue. Be very gentle while doing that step. You don't want to damage the roots.
Taking Care Of Roots
If your pot seedlings look drooped, you might have overwatered the plant. To solve it, you should
- Please put your hands in the damp soil and rub it gently to remove the seedlings from it.
- Put the seedlings under sunlight for a quick dry
- Take a suitable pot containing a well-drained soil
- Re-pot the plant
It won't be easy to dry if your ground sunflower plant is damaged due to overwatering.
Fungus Treatment
Our sunflowers look drooped because they may have some disease. It's very difficult to treat them and resolve this issue. You can try spraying your seedlings with an antifungal spray. If the condition gets worse, then it means the fungus has killed the plant already. You might have to get a new sunflower plant for your garden.
Zoe Harvey
Conclusion
You have to take care of the sunflower plant like a sensitive baby. They can get affected easily by strong winds and excessive moisture. Don't try to play with seedlings' roots while transferring them into another pot. It will be dead if the roots get damaged. Maybe your soil isn't right, you aren't using sterilized equipment for gardening, the ventilation is not good, you're using the wrong fertilizers, or the water condition is bad. You have to analyze it yourself so that you can treat it properly. We hope the information was helpful.
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