# Sunflowers?



## John R C (Mar 15, 2011)

One of my clover plots(my first one about 4yrs old) seems to have too much nitrogen build up which is causing grass to choke out the clover. I've sprayed with roundup and am thinking about discing and seeding with black oil sunflowers to utilize the nitrogen from the clover before reseeding this fall with clover. Do bees use sunflower nectar/pollen? The other alternative is grain sorghum, and I know bees cannot use it. I might also mix a little brassicas into the clover this fall to use up any nitrogen left over so my clover gets a good head start on the grasses.


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

John R C said:


> One of my clover plots(my first one about 4yrs old) seems to have too much nitrogen build up which is causing grass to choke out the clover. I've sprayed with roundup and am thinking about discing and seeding with black oil sunflowers to utilize the nitrogen from the clover before reseeding this fall with clover. Do bees use sunflower nectar/pollen? The other alternative is grain sorghum, and I know bees cannot use it. I might also mix a little brassicas into the clover this fall to use up any nitrogen left over so my clover gets a good head start on the grasses.


Yes, honeybees will work sunflowers.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Totally. Sunflowers are strong pollen forage and decent nectar. You could also consider successive flushes of buckwheat (strong nectar) tilled back in before seed sets, it'll improve the soil and cause a lot fewer volunteers next year.


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

The best sunflowers that I have found for honeybees is the annual Lemon Queen sunflower. The perennial sunflower by the same name is not so good.


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