Oh that's terrible news. My guess is to keep them in the shade and keep them watered. I know you just transplanted them, but maybe the clay pot is soaking up too much of it's water? And maybe retraining too much heat from the sun? Perhaps a plastic container would have been better? I sure hope they survive for you!
Barb is hoping for them to survive also. Don't let them be in the sun for a few days and keep them wet, not dry. Will say a little plantie prayer for them tonight. Barb in Pa.
OK, they are back to normal again. Actually they started to recover as soon as the sun went down. Clay pots however are very popular over here as they actually keep the soil cool. They are somewhat porous, so when the water evaporates through their outer skin, the temperature of the soil is brought down by a few degrees. Plastic ones don't do that, which is why they are not popular over here. In fact they have a reputation for burning your plants in this type of weather... Over at the Karachi University's plant nursery (outside their Botanical Garden, near their department of Botany) - See Google Maps link: http://maps.google.com/?ll=24.933008,67.12308&spn=0.00286,0.003449&t=h&z=18 These Sunflowers were kept under full sunlight. However they were placed very close together. So each plant I guess only had about 20% of itself exposed to the sun. I however put them in bigger pots, and made sure that they had freedom to grow in all direction - So they probably got 90% to 100% exposure to the sun. That I guess is the only explanation which I can think of. Now however they are in a place which is under the canopy of a Neem tree. So they'll only get about an hour of direct sunlight at best, and most of the time, they'll be enjoying the breeze in shade. Sunflower Madness 9 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Actually the principle of a clay pot (or any other container made from earthenware) of keeping things cool is as old as time itself! Before refrigeration technology became common - In my part of the world, people always stored their drinking water in a large "matka". Which basically is nothing but a large container of water, made from clay, with a tap at the bottom (exactly like the modern day water dispensers we today have everywhere). This is what the "matka" looks like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rajaislam/4046523325/ The "matka" however is never glazed, as glazing will not allow the water to evaporate through the outer skin (and so the cooling effect will not take place). Now this may be a bit off topic, but this page explains the whole principle in some more detail: http://www.brinq.com/workshop/archives/2005/01/08/keeping-it-cool-clay-pot-refrigeration In short, clay pots keep the soil cool, and so the plants (in my hot weather conditions) still get to enjoy a somewhat friendly environment! Your little plantie prayer seems to have worked! As today they did not show any signs of weakness! They did get about one and a half hour of direct sunlight - This picture below was taken at the peak of our daytime heatwave. And so as can be seen, they are now doing fine in this partial shade of the Neem tree! After the seeds come, I think I will have to make a Shade House on my rooftop (for such delicate plants). Honeybees however have now really taken a very strong liking to these 2 Sunflowers also! Sunflower Madness 10 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
OK, just posting here once more to share a latest picture. Yes, both plants are now doing great! And I expect to have some seeds soon! Sunflower Madness 11 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Yours look great. If I can find some good potting sol got some red sunflowers I got from Johnny Seed. The other sun flowers-birds have planted them from feeders.
Neither did I! But I respect you for the patience you've shown and finally got to fulfilling your 30-year old desire, SH And the outcome is stunning!! Ah, matka! Yup, some people in India still use them. I have got one in my backyard but have been sceptical in using them for gardening. With no holes in them, wonder whether anything would grow in? moderator's note: removed double posting see point 3.6 of usage rules
Well, plants which are tolerant of poor drainage conditions (like rice and bamboo) will do well in a matka. However if you've got a hand drill (which are very gentle as they are slow speed) - You can easily make a hole in the bottom and use it as a regular pot. But a really neat trick which people in the desert areas of Pakistan do, is to partially bury 3 matkas around a tree sapling (with only their necks being above the soil). When fulled with water and covered with a lid, the matkas slowly leach moisture into the soil - Thus keeping the roots of the sapling alive even through the worst of droughts!
