[celtbhoy]

planted titans 2 wks ago but they just came through but never put up any greenery!

[Aunt Sally]

What... no leaves at all  :shock:

[celtbhoy]

no,they just 'grew' a stem and no leevs

[WG.]

Picture please CB

[celtbhoy]

sorry binned the lot :cry:

[WG.]

My theory is that summat ate the leaves.  Slug / snail / pigeon / pterodactyl ?

[Bigbadfrankie]

slugs beat ya to em

[Ice]

slugs beat ya to em

No BBF, he's in Ireland, definately a pterodactyl.

[Allotment Angel]

Our kids brought some sunflowers home from school last year that they'd grown, so I planted them in the allotment - only for them to be eaten by slugs + snails!   I was not very popular I can tell you.  This year I grew a few myself and waited until they were a foot and a half tall before risking them in the allotment.  I also surrounded them with slug pellets and it seems to have done the trick.  A few little nibbles to the bottom leaves but the plants are growing away really well

[gpark1uk]

As others have said - slugs. Had a similar experience recently. I bought a 3x3' coldframe and in my haste to put it out and clear some windowsill space, forgot to check it was level and slug free. A couple of days and some rain later and it was a mini slugtown. Slugs on pots, in pots, under pots, under the lip of trays, on plants, in every nook and cranny of the frame too. Slug poo everywhere & baby slugs growing in pots. A couple of sunflowers had their leaves stripped exactly as you describe. I've kept one as he seemed to be trying to squeeze out some new leaves but methinks he'll be the runt of the litter.

[bramble]

I usually plant out 6-10 sunflowers, but I get them quite big in pots at home first before planting them on the allotment. We have had some huge
flowers 10-12ft. I dry the flowers out in Oct and the kids love icking of the
seeds!

[slow_worm]

Our kids brought some sunflowers home from school last year that they'd grown, so I planted them in the allotment - only for them to be eaten by slugs + snails!   I was not very popular I can tell you.  This year I grew a few myself and waited until they were a foot and a half tall before risking them in the allotment.  I also surrounded them with slug pellets and it seems to have done the trick.  A few little nibbles to the bottom leaves but the plants are growing away really well

I have waited til  mine are 6 inches and surrounded them with anti-slug measures!  Slug mines, slug barbed wire, anti-slug missles etc.

[Bigbadfrankie]

my granson turned up last year with his Sunflower from school and it was long and spindly, it broke, I had to grow new before he returned. All went well.  :shock: