Hey, Ptah! (Or any gardeners out there) I have a question for you. About sunflowers.

[Kali]

This is Watson:




When he isn't having a steak bone, he has mixed parrot food up there and consequently we have lots of interesting seed plants sprout beneath the area. This year we had two beautiful:




But all the seeds are empty. Any idea why?

[Call Me Wesley]

1. Birds?

I usually leave the sunflowers up for them, and the seeds are gone in no time. :hi:

[Kali]

2. Heh - no I could tell the difference.

No, the heads made beautiful seeds - or should I say shells - they are all empty. The dry head is full of intact grey and white striped seeds, but when you crack them open there is just an empty little sliver of tissue, nothing edible.

[Call Me Wesley]

6. Not pollenated?

You also might have planted/grown a hybrid that is sterile. :hi:

[Kali]

8. Oh definitely sterile!

[zanne]

3. We get alot of sunflowers from last year's birdseed...

Maybe it's because they're "second generation" or something, but they're usually either short, tall or skinny or have empty seeds. Some plants are bred that way. In other words, with flowers, if you save the seed from them and plant the seed the next season, you might get the flowers but they'll look different. I once tried it with some petunias, and I got very tiny petunias in an entirely different color from the originals.

PS I had to edit to add that I have a big crush on Watson. What a beautiful boy!

[Kali]

9. Thanks - he is quite a character.

[BrotherBuzz]

4. Your volunteer plants are hybrid sunflowers and need...

a male plant nearby to pollinate. We may have increased production with these hybrids, but they can't survive without humans helpings them along. Mother Nature will relegate them to the dung heap if given a chance.

[Kali]

5. I figured it was something like that, but it seemed kind of weird

that they came out almost perfect otherwise. Usually those volunteers are really stunted or different, OR they are fine. (I have some seeds from a watermelon that are now third generation.)

[BrotherBuzz]

7. I trust your watermelon is not the 'seedless' variety

;)

[sarge43]

10. I second or third the sterile answer.

By the way, my blue and gold, Captain, now has the hots for Watson. He's beautiful.