Most Common Sunflower Pests & Diseases

You have problems with sunflower pests or diseases in your garden or on your balcony?

Stick with me since I will show you simple but yet effective ways how to get rid of sunflower pests and plant diseases in the following chapters!

Table of Contents

Sunflower Pests

Pest	How to control it
Cutworms	Cutworms often try to feed on sunflowers. Hence, make sure to get information on how to get rid of cutworms in your garden.
Aphids	Aphids may also populate sunflowers. Fortunately, there are easy ways how to control aphids.
Maggots	Maggots can be another issue when growing sunflowers. Thus, also get some tips and tricks on how to get rid of maggots in your garden.
Caterpillars & Loopers	Caterpillars and loopers are also quite common when growing sunflowers at home. Hence, make sure to inform yourself on how to get rid of caterpillars and loopers.
Lygus bugs	Although rather are, lygus bugs may also try to feed on sunflowers. You can get rid of lygus bugs using pesticides or insecticidal soap.
Sunflower beetles	Sunflower beetles are also pretty common and you can get rid of them using insecticidal soap or neem oil.
Moths	Moths may also feed on sunflower plants. You can get rid of moths using pesticides or insecticidal soap from the garden center.
Weevils	Weevils may also do great damage to sunflower plants. You can deter them using diatomite or pesticides.
Wireworms	Wireworms may also be annoying companions when growing sunflowers in your garden. You can get rid of them using diatomite or insecticidal soap.
Grasshoppers	Grasshoppers may also feed on sunflower plants. You can get rid of them by spraying your plants with garlic solution or powdering them with flour.

Disease	How to control it
Mold	Mold may do great damage to sunflowers. Hence, inform yourself on how to get rid of plant mold.
Plant rust	Rust is also quite common on sunflowers. Fortunately, there are easy ways how to get rid of plant rust.
Damping-off	Damping-off may also occur if seed and seedlings don’t get optimal germination conditions. Hence, improve lighting and soil conditions to avoid damping-off of sunflowers.
Leaf spot	Leaf spot is another common plant disease when growing sunflowers. Hence, also get some information on how to avoid leaf spot on garden plants.
Blight	Blight may also do great damage to sunflowers. Hence, you should also inform yourself about how to control blight.
Powdery mildew	Powdery mildew is another common disease when growing sunflowers at home. Fortunately, there are easy ways how to get rid of powdery mildew in your garden.
Verticillium wilt	Verticillium wilt is a serious plant disease. Once you spot verticillium wilt, it is often too late and you should just remove infested plants to avoid the spread of this disease in your garden.
Head rot	Head rot often occurs when your plants don’t get sufficient nutrients. Hence, you should fertilize the soil if you spot head rot on sunflower plants.

As you can see, there are many easy ways to control sunflower pests and diseases.

If you want to learn more about growing sunflowers in general, you should also have a look at my sunflower grower’s guide and at my growing sunflower FAQ section.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus

Own experience.