kitschkitty
Mama Doe
I read this a while ago and have been thinking I really should try growing some...
Sunny Sunflowers
I have never had to actually plant a sunflower because the odd seeds that were not consumed by my bunnies during winter ended up somewhere amid the garden mulch and inevitably sprouts up in summer. If a seedling grows where it is not appropriate (e.g. too close to a lettuce) it is easily moved to another roomier part of the garden. All seedlings are best transplanted in the coolest part of the day and well watered immediately to overcome the shock.
To do really well sunflowers need fertile soil and generous watering otherwise they will probably grow into spindly specimens. Sunflowers grow as tall as a person and when in flower they are a cheerful sight to behold. The whole plant can be supplied as rabbit food; I mean everything, leaves, stalks chopped into short lengths (e.g. 15 to 25 cms for easy handling), flower petals and flower heads. Flowers are fed to bunnies’ whether mature or not. If room is limited in your garden grow sunflowers as a pot plant, either started from a seed or as a young plant purchased from the local nursery or garden centre. Re-potting may be necessary to give the flower room to grow and when doing so use a quality organic potting mix. Sunflower seeds are remarkably rich in vitamins and minerals and have a high twenty-four gram protein content. For that reason no more than a daily teaspoon of seed should be added to the feed bowl. The rest of the plant is perfectly safe and can be fed generously. Like a dog with a bone, all hard fibrous parts of plants will keep your bunny busy and ensure his teeth are neatly filed.
Case Story
I used to dry most of the huge flowers and later tediously try to remove stubborn seeds but decided it was too much hard work. Now I harvest the immature flower heads before the seeds are hard and dry and just before the wild birds pick them to pieces. The heads are torn into meal size portions and bunnies enjoy eating these segments as well as the fresh seeds. Sometimes I pick smaller side shooting seedless flowers for a bright and cheerful flower arrangement. As the bouquet start to wilt I trim and discard the yucky ends that were immersed in the water and feed the rest to my buns.