Sunflowers can add a bright and colorful hue to your garden. Easy to grow and beautiful to look at, these flowers do not require much maintenance as well. However, you certainly need to take a few, simple precautions, like choosing the right location, providing proper support and watering in adequate quantity, to ensure that they bloom properly. In case you are looking for some tips on growing sunflowers, this article is perfect for you. Go through the following lines and get complete information on how to grow sunflowers.
Growing Sunflowers
Preparation
- For growing sunflowers, you need to get the seeds from the local nursery. Wrap the seeds in a damp towel and check them everyday, to see whether they have sprouted or not. The seeds that sprout first is to be planted first.
- You need to select the best place for planting sunflowers, in terms of the amount of sunlight it gets on a daily basis. The place should receive abundant sunlight for a minimum of six hours in a day. Otherwise, your sunflowers will not be able to grow and bloom fully.
- While sunflowers can grow in almost every type of soil, they will bloom better if it is well drained and contains a lot of mulch. About two weeks before you plan to plant sunflowers in your garden, you can mix a bit of steer manure into the soil.
Planting
- The start of summers is the perfect time to plant sunflowers. This way, in the coming days, they will receive lots of sunlight, essential for their growth and survival. Never ever plant sunflowers when winters are about to begin, as this will make them devoid of adequate sunlight.
- After the season for growing sunflowers comes, it is the time to plant the sprouted sunflower seeds in the soil. Make sure that you place them an inch deep into the soil. At the same time, there should be a minimum of six-inch distance between two seeds.
- You will need to water sunflower seedlings deeply in the first few months. Even after the seeds grow and become plants, you will need to water them on a daily basis. This is because sunflowers face the sun directly and need to replenish their moisture content daily.
- After the sunflower seeds turn into plants, you will need to keep an eye on them. In case they belong to the tall variety, you will have to tie the stems with a string, in order to prevent them from snapping in the wind. In this context, planting them near a fence is a good idea.