Most people believe they already know enough and don’t need to learn more about how to grow sunflowers. It is true that this plant is one of the easiest to care for and won’t give any issues until harvesting. But there are tips you should take notes to get these bright summer symbols.

5 Important Tips on How to Grow Sunflowers

  1. Choose Your Variant Carefully
    To many people, sunflowers are large flowers with yellow petals that grow over your head. But you should know that there are dwarf sunflowers that are only 2 feet tall.
    Compared to the giant ones that can be 15 feet tall, these dwarf sunflowers are cute and colorful for any garden. Another thing you should know is not all sunflowers have yellow petals. Some of them have red, pink, and even white petals. Learn about each variant before you choose one to plant in your garden.

  2. Secure the Planting Space
    As the name says, sunflowers require a lot of daily sunlight. It can grow its optimum when they have 6-8 hours of sun.
    Anyhow, make sure you have enough space for the variant you’re planting. Giant sunflowers need to be at least 2 feet apart. As for the dwarf variant, you can plant them in the containers.

  3. Know the Best Time to Plant
    Bright yellow sunflowers in full bloom are the epitome of summer. To have this plant matured in the summer, then you need to plant them at the very least in mid-spring.
    When you plant from seeds, the germination process can take up to 10 days. Most sunflowers need up to 90 days to mature and can stay blooming throughout the summer. Several sunflower variants also can stay blooming until fall when the daytime gets short.

  4. Watch for Insects and Pests
    Some pests can come for your sunflowers when they are still seedlings. That’s why you need to mulch the soil to protect them as well as keep the soil moist. The pests like insects and birds will return when the sunflowers are ready for harvesting.
    However, it doesn’t mean that you can be careless in taking care of the plant. You need to check them daily and use a water hose to mist the smaller pests away.

  5. Harvesting the Seeds
    Three easy ways to know when you can harvest the sunflower seeds. The first is to see if they start facing the ground. As they mature, the seeds will grow heavy and gravity pulls the flower to the ground. Another method is to see if the stalks are brown and notice if more birds and insects are flocking to the plant.
    When you see these signs, cover them with a paper bag or net to collect the seeds. It also works as a protection against birds and other pests.

Sunflower is one of the rare plants that embodies a whole season. It’s bright, vibrant, and also beginner-friendly. There is virtually minimum issue with growing them from seeds.
With the help of these tips on how to grow sunflowers, your garden size is no longer a problem. You also can plant several sunflowers with your children and let them take care of the plants and observe their growth.

Image source: pexels.com/Abigail Bellen