 |
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms |
|
|
|
Fact | Step by Step Guide | Species | Soil | Seed Germination | Fertilizing | Diseases & Pests
 |
Step By Step Guide On Growing Sunflowers |
 |
Choose a sheltered location that gets full sun all day long.
You will enjoy success with just about any soil that does not retain standing water. (Poor drainage will stunt growth.) Of course, more fertile soil will promote vigorous growth and meatier seeds, so consider adding compost and manure when you prepare the seedbed.
Fill a 5 to 10cm wide pot with seed raising mix, moisten the soil so that it feels like a wrung out sponge. Then plant 2 (or 3 seeds) in the pot, cover with water and spray or water gently. Place the pot in a bright, clear light but not where the soil will bake in the sun. Wait for the seedlings to appear.
The seeds will germinate best when the soil temperature is about 70 degrees F.
When the seeds have germinated pull out all but leave the strongest plant in each pot. Typically, the first seeds to germinate will be your strongest best thriving plants.
When the second set of leaves appear, feed the plants weekly with fertilizer, which will encourage good root development.
Keep the pots in a sunny, frost-free place until the sunflower seedlings have grown large enough to plants out. Make sure that the weather, and the soil, has warmed up outside.
Chose a place in the garden that is sunny and doesn't get too much wind. Dig a hole at least 50% bigger than your plant pot for each sunflower plant. Then carefully tip the new plants out, one by one, and place them in the planting hole.
The plant should be space at least 12 inches apart in rows that are 2 to 2 1/2 feet apart.
Hold the plants carefully so as not to damage them or shake the soil from their roots. Carefully fill around the plant with soil. Place a very tall bamboo or wooden stake behind the plant. Water gently.
Sunflowers can withstand hot dry weather but continue to water the plant, especially in dry weather, so that the soil remains moist.
In exposed positions, the plant will require support and this is best done by placing a good strong stake each end and one in the centre of row, and running a length of wire or thick string from stake to stake and tying the plants to this loosely.
Measure your sunflower plant each week to track how fast it grows, and then again when the flower appears.
Happpy Gardening!
| Sunflower Species | | Soil Considerations |
| Seed Germination | | Fertilizing | | Diseases and Pests |
