Do you grow sunflowers? I don’t have a designated spot to grow them; however, they grow in my yard. The birds plant them! The dried plants make wonderful and free sunflower head bird feeders.
They Just Pop Up
One year I was lazy and didn’t want to pull the plants growing under my feeder out. As the birds are eating seed out of one of my hanging feeders, some of the seed drops below the feeder. Throughout the growing season, sunflowers and safflowers both magically popped up. I left them to grow under the feeder.
The safflowers and sunflowers were pretty when they bloomed. Sunflowers are fairly hearty plants and I didn’t have to do anything for them to grow. As the growing season progressed I saw a few birds pecking at the seed heads of both plants. Then a lightbulb moment happened. I grabbed cheesecloth and some rubber bands and decided to do a little experiment.
Additional Reading:
What is safflower seed
Grow your own safflower seed
Birds that eat safflower seed
Additional Posts:
All About the American Goldfinch
Vintage American Goldfinch Birthday Card Design
Drying Seed Heads
I experimented with three drying options and they both worked perfectly.
Option One
Method one requires you to cut the seed heads off of the plant while they are green.
Leave a long stalk to bundle several heads with a thick rubber band and then hang them from the rafters in a cool, dry place with twine or from nails.
When the seed heads are dry, place them in a covered container.
If you don’t place them in a closed-top bin mice and squirrels will find them and you will have a huge mess. 🙁 And, that is spoken from experience
Option Two
The second method requires you to cut the seed heads off of the plant.
Leave a long stalk to bundle several heads with a thick rubber band and hang them from the rafters in a cool, dry place with twine or nails.
When the seed heads are dry, place them in a covered container.
Option Three
The third option is to enjoy the beautiful blooms of the sunflowers until the seed heads become heavy and slightly bow their heads.
Cover each head with cheesecloth and a rubberband to prevent the birds from peeking the seeds out.
When you see the sunflower heads bow, check if the seeds are fully developed by trying to rub off the dried flowers. Rubbing away the dried flowers will reveal the sunflower seeds.
Remove the dry flower blooms before storing them. If you don’t, it will create a mess you’ll have to clean up later. Cut off the seedheads and continue with option two above.
Additional Reading:
Birds that Eat Oranges
Birds that Eat Nyjer Thistle Seed
Dried Fruit Medley Bird Food Recipe
Keep Birdbaths Fresh & Clean
Hanging the Seed Heads
Cut the dried stalk off the feeder. Punch a hole near the top of the seed head by using a long nail and a hammer and string a piece of plastic-coated twine (we call it baler twine here) through the seedhead.
The plastic-coated twine allows the seedhead to naturally swing in the wind without cutting into the seedhead, or the tree or rubbing through if hung from the shepherd’s hook it’s tied to. As a bonus, it is strong and waterproof.
Now, I have free sunflower head bird feeders hanging around my yard starting in late fall and into the long, long, Wisconsin winter.
