What to do with Dead Sunflower Heads? 6 Clever Ideas for You

Sunflowers are some of the most beautiful and brightest flowers that you can have in your garden. Unfortunately, the time comes when every sunflower meets its untimely demise. Just as with any other flower, sunflowers don’t last forever. For the record, they usually last for about three weeks before they start to die.

However, just because your sunflower heads are dying doesn’t mean that they become completely useless. You might be asking yourself what to do with sunflowers when they die and there’s plenty of ideas.

Anything and everything that can be reused, repurposed, and recycled should be, and this includes dead sunflower heads.

You might think that dead sunflower heads aren’t good for much other than lining the bottom of a compost heap, but this is not the case.

There are actually many cool things you can do with dead sunflower heads, and today we’re going to talk about six of them. So if you’re wondering what to do with dead sunflower heads, read on and you might be surprised as to all of the neat purposes they can be used for.

What to do With a Sunflower When it Dies – Key Takeaways

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Here’s a quick look at six of the things that you can do with your sunflower heads when they die.

1.   Use as seeds for the following year

2.   Use as fertilizer in gardens and compost

3.   Use seeds as snacks

4.   Use seeds as food for animals

5.   Make sunflower oil

6.   Use for artistic projects

How Long do Sunflowers Live?

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Most varieties of sunflowers will bloom after roughly 60 days of planting, whereas others might take up to twice as long. Generally, late summer or early fall seasons are when sunflowers bloom. 

When a sunflower blooms, it usually lasts for anywhere between 18 and 21 days before it starts to die. Sunflowers don’t really grow back once they die. Therefore, removing the dead head of a sunflower is required so that the same plant can then produce a new flower. Either way, you’ll be wondering what to do with dead sunflower heads.

Should You Deadhead Sunflowers?

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Whether or not deadheading sunflowers is necessary is questionable. There are two sides to this story. On one hand, seeing as how sunflowers will not grow new flowers if you do not cut the heads off, deadheading is necessary if you want that same plant to produce another flower. If you don’t cut that head off, that plant will not produce another flower.

It is also a good idea to cut off the sunflower heads and to collect the seeds before birds and other animals eat the seeds. If you plan on deadheading your sunflower heads, doing so before the seeds are fully developed, and once the petals are just beginning to dry out, is recommended.

On the other hand, if you plan on using the sunflower seeds for seeding, letting them dry in the sunflower head while the head is still on the stalk is recommended. Once the flower head is totally dry, the seeds will be ready for harvest. However, if you leave them too long, you risk animals eating the seeds or them going bad due to weather and environmental conditions.

When Should I Deadhead Sunflowers?

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Deadheading a sunflower at the right time is crucial. If you have a lot of sunflowers, we recommend not leaving everything until the end – cutting off all of the sunflower heads at once will mean a lot of work for you.

If you have some sunflowers that are already dead halfway through the season, and you deadhead them, new flower heads could grow back, therefore offering you double the bloom.

Here’s some signs that your sunflower heads are ready to be deadheaded:

• If you see that the flower is sagging and the flower head is drooping
• If about 60% of the petals have fallen off
• If the color is fading
• If it’s no longer attracting pollinators
• If the stem is degrading

How to Remove Dead Sunflower Heads

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Removing the heads of sunflowers is not very hard. It is best to use garden shears or sterilized scissors. If you want to avoid any kind of infection or major damage to the plant due to bacteria, sterilizing the blades first is vital.

With your sharp and sterilized blades, cut off the sunflower head about 6 inches below the head. Make sure that you hold the stem and the sunflower with one hand while you cut it with the other. You don’t want it dropping down to the ground once cut, as this may cause damage.

What to do with Sunflowers When They Die

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Now we want to address the main topic of the day, all of the neat things that you can do with dead sunflower heads. You might think that dead sunflower heads are completely useless, but this just isn’t the case. Let’s take a look!

1. Use Seeds as Snacks

First on the list of what to do with dead sunflower heads is to eat the sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds have many healthy substances in them like vitamin B6, vitamin E, plus tons of minerals and beneficial amino acids. Sunflower seeds are quite healthy and make a great snack, or addition to salads, soups or other dishes.

To make the process of extracting the sunflower seeds from the heads easier, you can let the heads dry for a few days. This will make the seeds easier to remove. You can then use the palm of your hand to massage the sunflower in a circular motion, which should loosen most of the seeds. Any seeds that are not loose yet can be pulled out by hand.

Before anything else, you should wash the seeds, as there may be some dirt and debris over them. Take your clean sunflower seeds and put them in a pot with a little bit of water and salt. Simmer them for about 15 minutes and then drain the water. Take the cooked sunflower seeds and bake them in a single layer in a 400-degree oven for about 15 minutes, and add some more salt.

2. Use as Seeds for the Following Year

If nothing else, one of the easiest and most effective things that you can do with your sunflower heads is to harvest the seeds and plant them the following year. This is a cheap and easy way to greatly increase the amount of sunflowers you have in your garden.

All you have to do is cut off the sunflower heads, spread them out on a flat surface in a dry and somewhat bright area, and allow them to dry. Depending on the conditions, the heads should dry relatively quickly. Once they are dry, you should be able to easily remove the seeds.

You then want to take the seeds and put them on a tray in a relatively warm location, so the seeds can dry further. When the seeds are dry, you can place them in a paper bag, and store them in a dry and cool location. You can then plant them the following year.

3. Use as Fertilizer in Gardens and Compost

Many of us spend hundreds of dollars every year on fertilizers, manure, and other nutrients for our plants and gardens. If you have an abundance of sunflower heads available, and you don’t know what else to do with them, you may as well use them as fertilizer, and save some money in the process.

If you plan on doing this, you need to remove the seeds from the sunflower heads. If you leave the seeds in the sunflower heads, when you go to use your soil the next year to plant your flowers, the seeds might just grow into sunflowers, which you might not want. You can always feed them to the birds or use the seeds for any other purpose we talked about today. 

You can mix those sunflower heads in with your favorite soil that you use in your gardens. Over the course of the year, the sunflower heads will decompose and release their nutrients into the soil, therefore effectively acting as fertilizer, all without you having to spend money.

If you have your own compost heap, adding the sunflower heads into the compost heap is another option you have at your disposal. Even if you don’t want to add the sunflower heads directly into the soil and into your flower garden, you can always use the compost for whatever purpose you see fit.

4. Use Seeds as Food for Animals

You might not like the flavor of sunflower seeds, or you just might not want to go through the process of preparing them to eat. If so, your next best bet is to feed the seeds to animals, such as squirrels and birds. All of the proteins, fats, and other beneficial substances found in sunflower seeds are just as good for those birds and squirrels as they are for you.

Even better is the fact that you don’t need to roast or boil the seeds first. You can simply take those sunflower heads and place them in locations around your yard and home, and birds and squirrels will find them. If you want to make it easier for the animals, you can always remove the sunflower seeds from the sunflower heads first.

5. Make Sunflower Oil

OK, so this one is a little out there because making sunflower oil is no easy process. To make sunflower oil, you have to press the seeds to the point where the oil flows out. As you can imagine, you need an ungodly amount of seeds for this to be worthwhile.

However, if you happen to live in the countryside and have a large field with hundreds or even thousands of sunflowers, then this is technically an option at your disposal. If you make your own homemade sunflower oil, at least you know that it’s healthy and doesn’t contain any pesticides or chemicals. It’s also a good way to save money.

6. Use for Artistic Projects

If all else fails, and neither you nor the animals want to eat the sunflower seeds, you can always use them for artistic projects. This is such a simple way of figuring out what to do with dead sunflower heads. Children use many different items to make art, such as bees, macaroni, and yes, sunflowers too!

What to Do with Dead Sunflower Heads – Final Thoughts 

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The bottom line here is that when your sunflowers die, you don’t have to just watch them wither. As you can see, there are plenty of useful things you can do with dead sunflower heads and sunflower seeds. If you want to do the world around you a favor and save some money at the same time, then reusing or repurposing dead sunflower heads is a great way to start.

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