Your guide to growing stunning Sunflowers

British summer time is in full swing right now, so why not take the opportunity to grow your own fantastic Sunflowers in your own garden? Sunflowers have got to be one of the most easily recognisable flowers, growing tall, with large leaves and  a large , colourful , superb flower, they are the perfect compliment to the summer time and really brighten up the garden (no pun intended).

Although Sunflowers are relatively easy to grow and require little maintenance to survive, there are some guidelines which will help you to grow some strong, healthy, large sunflowers:

Location and planting:

  • ·Sunflower seeds can happily grow in most growing mediums, but it is important to make sure you choose a location in your garden that receives the most sunlight, to ensure the flower is getting all of the  light it needs to grow healthy and strong.
  • ·When you have found a suitably well-lit location to plant your Sunflower seeds, you should check that there are no weeds in the surrounding area of around at least 2 meters away from the sunflower, as weeds constrict flowers’ and other plants’ roots and can kill them.

Once these two points have been checked, you can then proceed to plant your seeds. Plant your seeds to a depth of at least 5 cm, and if you are intending on growing multiple sunflowers, sow the individual seeds around 3 feet apart, to ensure each flower has enough space in the soil for its roots to grow more, which will ultimately lead to bigger flowers.

Once planted, move onto the next step:

Watering:

After the initial planting of the seeds, give them a very generous watering until the soil is nearly soaked, but not too much that there is still water resting on the surface, this will help start the seed germinating, and will provide it with the vital nutrients it needs to grow through the soil as seedlings. Over the 10 days to around 2 weeks it usually takes for the seedlings to sprout, make sure that the soil never gets dry to the point it cracks, or is easy to take apart, Sunflower seeds need a lot of nutrients for them to grow, and cannot tolerate dry growth medium for long.

Usually sunflowers need watering every 2-3 days and a generous amount of water should be given.

Maintenance and additional tips:

Once you have noticed the flower seedlings growing out of the ground , which should consist of a small thin stem with two small round leaves, the flower will be at its most vulnerable and delicate stage, it is a good idea to use anti slug/snail pellets, as well as pet pellets which give off a smell that keeps dogs and cats away ( we can’t smell it, and they’re harmless for the pet if eaten).

Once your Sunflower is around 3 foot tall, it’s a good idea to use a stake to keep the plant held upright, and will help defend it from wind damage as well as promoting more vertical growth, this method is most beneficial in allowing your sunflowers to grow truly massive, it’s quite common for well grown sunflowers to reach heights of around 20 feet!

We hope you use these tips to take advantage of the summer time, and grow some great sunflowers!

Source: