Please help... my seedings are eaten

[sownds_garden]

Hi all,


I'm new to gardening

My sunflower seedlings started to show up from soil... But they are alrady eaten by worms. I'm not sure what kind of a worm that was.. when I saw , I picked the worm and put in the hot water eventually died.. I'm very worried if my seedlings will grow even after the true leaves were eaten by worms,..


Kindly advice me how to control these pests and help me to grow sunflowers ..

I appreciate your help.

Thanks in advance.

[shadylane]

Hello and welcome
Sow seeds again.. I have found that loss of little sprouts first leaves just turn into green stems. It's been weeks and still nothing, my case with a sweet pepper. So sow them again after applying blood meal a organic nitrogen to the soil. Sunflowers are heavy feeders of nitrogen and will deplete the soil of it if you intend to plant again another time in the same area. Then spread out wood ashes which is a source of potash, along and around your seeds.This will stop most creepy crawly pests. You may need to re-apply this when rains occur.

[rainbowgardener]

diatomaceous earth put on the ground around the seedlings when they emerge, will also stop any crawling pest.

What did the "worm" look like? (size, color, markings, etc)

[imafan26]

I start the sunflowers in pots. I have to cover the pots to keep the birds from eating the seeds, then after they sprout and have true leaves I plant them out into the garden. In fact, I just planted some last Friday.

[RamblingRiver]

You should consider purchasing a soil block maker like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004I10AL ... seed+block and start your seedlings off in a controlled environment for the first 4-6 weeks. They'll not only thrive better but they'll germinate better and not leave any gaps or holes to fill in your garden plot. Plus they'll be able to withstand pest occasionally munching on a leaf or two after they are past that crucial growing phase.