What is what to do when sunflowers die?

Once your sunflowers have reached the end of their life cycle, here's what you can do:

• Harvest the seeds: If you grew your sunflowers for their seeds, wait until the back of the head turns brown and the seeds are plump and somewhat loose. You can then harvest%20the%20seeds for eating or replanting.
• Leave the head for wildlife: Birds and other wildlife love sunflower seeds. Leaving the deadhead on the stalk provides a valuable food source, especially during the fall and winter months.
• Compost the stalk: After you've harvested the seeds or let the wildlife enjoy them, cut down the stalk. Chop it into smaller pieces to speed up decomposition and add it to your compost%20pile.
• Use as mulch: You can also chop up the dried stalk and use it as a coarse mulch around other plants in your garden.
• Till into the soil (cover crop): Cut the stalks and break them apart and till them into the soil as a green manure or cover crop to improve the soil structure and add organic matter.
• Check for diseases: Before composting, check the plant for signs of disease. If you find any, it's best to discard the plant material to avoid spreading the disease in your garden. Dispose of the diseased plant matter rather than composting it.