Question
hi, i was wondering if you could tell me what's wrong with my sunflowers....they are planted in the garden in a large glass planter, a bit like a huge fishtank.  The inside of the planter is lined to prevent sun damage to the roots and they are in highly nutritious compost.  However the leaves seem to be brown and curling on the edges and dying.  The leaves also look ragged on the edges of some of the plants. Please help! thank you

Answer
Gemma

Cheers!  

The fish tank is your problem.  Roots need air.  Unless you have proper drainage the soil will become stale and this will invite fungus and or pathogens.  All of these nastie critters will feed on the root systems of plants.

If you cant drill holes in the tank I would recommend transplanting the sunflowers in to a place that drains well and let them dry out a bit.  The symptoms you speak of sound like overwatering.

Good Luck Gemma!

James