Do leaves size and number matter?

**horticultural_hobbit** · 15-05-2013, 08:48 PM

This could be down to varieties. There is a lot of variation between the leaves of my various Tom plants. As with the sunflowers too. Large sunflowers have slightly different leaves to smaller sunflowers.

**LincolnshireFloyd** · 16-05-2013, 12:59 PM

Originally posted by cielbleu View Post

Hi all, I am new comer of grow your own world with none experience of planting before. I have planted few sunflowers and tomatoes from seed 3 weeks ago, and all they come well so far. fingers crossed.

My question is, is there any relation between the leaves size of a plant and its health?

for example, I have three sunflower plants. same type, but each of their own leaves size are different. one have biggest leaves and have two set of true leaves, the others have smaller size but having three or four set of true leaves. They are about at the same height.

Same apply to my tomatoes plants. One have smaller leaves but more in number, the other have larger and fewer leaves.

I have very tight space for growing therefore I need to pick the best for growing and leave out the rest.

thank you in advance.

Hello, I'm puzzled by why you would want to grow sunflowers when you have limited space? The leaves will create a lot of shade.

Anyway in answer to your question, healthy plants are usually the ones with the nice looking leaves and it's a matter of judging how healthy a plant looks that counts. If the leaves are large but discoloured then choose one with smaller leaves but looks sturdy and strong. I'm sure there are probably exceptions to this rule but it's the one I use. Small weedy looking young plants can easily end up as small weedy looking mature plants.

**Paulieb** · 16-05-2013, 01:30 PM

Originally posted by cielbleu View Post

Hi all, I am new comer of grow your own world with none experience of planting before. I have planted few sunflowers and tomatoes from seed 3 weeks ago, and all they come well so far. fingers crossed.

My question is, is there any relation between the leaves size of a plant and its health?

for example, I have three sunflower plants. same type, but each of their own leaves size are different. one have biggest leaves and have two set of true leaves, the others have smaller size but having three or four set of true leaves. They are about at the same height.

Same apply to my tomatoes plants. One have smaller leaves but more in number, the other have larger and fewer leaves.

I have very tight space for growing therefore I need to pick the best for growing and leave out the rest.

thank you in advance.

Have they all been grown in the same conditions? Same amount of light, water.

If they are the same varieties, then perhaps one has grown taller due to having less light (shaded by the others) on a windowsill for example. Less light would cause a plant to grow taller to search for light and therefore be a different shape/size to the other plants.

Ideally you want steadily grown, short, stocky, strong plants with nice darkish green leaves. Not tall thin and leggy, pale green leaf plants?

A picture would maybe explain a lot if that were possible?

**cielbleu** · 16-05-2013, 04:36 PM

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I know the space is too small to grow a sunflower properly, but since I always longing to grow one if I have a chance, therefore it was the first thing in my mind when I decided to grow something in my backyard this year.

It was interesting to see that one plant have broader leaves and less in number and others have smaller in size and have more leaves. It also happens on my tomatoes plants but in less obvious way. They all are grow under same condition, same variety.

The sunflowers are about the same height, 22-23 cm, almost four weeks old.

I know it might not mean anything to health of a plant, it is just how the nature works, everyone is special.

thanks again. Happy growing.

**Two_Sheds** · 17-05-2013, 08:40 AM

They both look very healthy, but will outgrow your pea stick, and that tight string, very soon. Replace the pea stick with a proper 6ft bamboo cane, and tie the sunflowers loosely to it.

Also, make sure you have drainage holes in that tub they're in

**Veggielot** · 17-05-2013, 11:46 AM

Originally posted by cielbleu View Post

I know the space is too small to grow a sunflower properly, but since I always longing to grow one if I have a chance, therefore it was the first thing in my mind when I decided to grow something in my backyard this year.

It may not be the best use of space but growing something because you want to sounds good to me

.

**cielbleu** · 17-05-2013, 06:04 PM

Massive thanks for the tips and confirmation of their health. Yes there are holes in the tub.

It is amazing to see how fast sunflower can grow within few days. They made me thought there were something wrong with my toms during their first two weeks as they were just growing too slow and then I realised it was just the sunflower bursting too fast.

However, I have much less confident on feeding those sunflowers. I mixed fish blood and bone with new compost when I grew them four weeks ago. I am planning to top up once every 4 weeks (this weekend). I have tomorite for using on my toms when they are bigger. Do you guys think it would be beneficial to use it on the sunflowers every two weeks as well? or topping up FBB only would be enough? as I read somewhere sunflowers are hungry plants. I worry I might over/under feed them...

i also heard coffee grounds is another good feed to sunflowers.... (i guess as I am using FBB already, it won't be required.)

thanks again.

**Two_Sheds** · 19-05-2013, 09:17 AM

Sunflowers don't need any feeding at all

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