How do u grow a sunflower without those stupid slugs EATING them??

Slug pellets would work better, but actually, this might have been a wasp - they like the cellulose in the stem and use it to create the "wood pulp" for their nests

I would be surprised at slugs eating through the stem of a sunflower - little to tough for their tastes. Bamboo is probably right and it is wasp damage

So sorry to see your work destroyed like that Bethyann If definitely slugs then pellets do work But wasps can be such a nuisance too as Bamboo said played havoc with a few plants in my garden especially the fruit trees..........I have a problem here with snails rather than slugs ruddy things get everywhere.

I grew sunflowers for my grandchildren some years ago - as one does! They seem to be doing fine and racing up...6-7 feet and the kids were enjoying the "competition" each time they came to visit - until one morning when I went out to find all the sunflowers with VERY drooping heads. When I climbed up (I'm only 5'2" !!) I found clusters of these wretched large shelled snails lurking behind the huge sunflower heads....the stems more or less eaten through. Grrrr! The kids were distraught and I was furious as I had put slug pellets down under slates at the bottom of each plant. A few weeks later I got my own back - I was having the wall where the plants had been "pointed" and we took fiendish delight in cementing hundreds of these massive snails in!!! I never did like escargots - with or without coquilles - I could have started a restaurant of course!!

Oh no - those poor snails - I hope you just mean the empty shells.

thankyou 4 all of ur replies . it has helped me and will help me 2 grow my new 1 that i am currently growing!!!! . But if it is wasps ... what do u use 2 keep them away??

Well, Bamboo...a lot of them would have been empty shells - but we weren't going to pick them all out to look first!
They had all been enjoying "breakfast in bed" at my expense for years and if you throw them over the wall - as we all know - they just "walk home" again!
I don't have enough thrushes to cope unfortunately - but must say every time I hear one bashing a snail shell I am mighty pleased as I hate using slug pellets.

As for how to keep the wasps off...how about a nice jar of old jam - placed a few yards away from the plants you want to save.....that way - the chances are the wasps will be "diverted" !! I have to do this every year - to stop the wasps etc coming into the house ....where my dogs would "have a go" and get stung. It works a treat for me. If you want to drown the wasps - make it a half and half mix of jam and water...but I don't like killing them off unless they are really causing mayhem...like when they swarmed on my gardener 2 years ago after she disturbed their nest... She was really ill ...ouch! I still didn't kill them - just didn't go to that part of the garden for a very long time!

Thankyou Alzheimer i will try that jammin solution !!!!!, i hope you never go into that part of the garden!!!!! Please could i have some more replies??

does the jammin wasp solution also work on the annoying little black flies too?

I WISH!!!!

hehe lol u could use a citronnella candle ( put it on your window , etc ) to keep them out of your house as they dislike the smell !!

*Citronella i meen , lol , hope this helps you out !!??

Wont stop black fly on your veggies - sorry! Beth why are you buying one SunFlower costing three quid when you could grown loads from seed?

It was on the markey and it DID HAVE a big flower on the top and was in a little pot and about 2feet tall , but the new one i am trying to grow is from seed any advice on that ??

Probably slightly late to grow from seed at least where we live... good luck!

thank you anyway