Staking Sunflowers?

Question

Woo Hoo my giant sunflowers are well on their way this year (last years didn't grow so well, so I picked a new spot). I am looking for suggestions as to how to successfully stake them. How tall should they be when you do it? What do you stake them too? (bamboo?) How loose do you tie them?

Answer 1

Yeah bamboo would work great for staking your sunflowers but really any stick would work as long as it is sturdy enough to hold them.  You can stake them whenever they need it and if they out grow their stake you can simply replace it with a bigger one.  You can tie them with any kind twine or something similar.  Just tie it tight enough so that the sunflower stalk is parallel to the stake but still has some breathing room.  If you are worried about the twine rubbing or injuring your plants then place a small piece of felt or foam between the stalk and the string.  You can't really go wrong, sunflowers are pretty hardy.  Good luck