Here’s how to choose the right spot and the right place for your plants.
- Sunflowers are sun worshipers that grow best in spots that get six to eight hours of direct sun per day.
- They have long tap roots that need to go several feet into the ground, so sunflower plants prefer loose, well-drained, somewhat alkaline soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5.
- Sunflowers are heavy feeders, so they’ll be healthiest and generate the most blooms in nutrient-rich soil that has had compost or other organic matter mixed into it.
- Growing sunflowers in pots is possible if you choose a smaller variety, like “Short Stuff” or “Teddy Bear.” Be sure the pot is deep enough to accommodate their tap root.
- If you’re growing one of the giant varieties that top 10 feet in height, plant them in a sheltered location or along a fence so they’re protected from the wind. Otherwise, a gust of wind could tip them over.
- Plant seeds after the danger of spring frost has passed and the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees. This will be between March and May, depending on where you live.
- You can get starter plants at a nursery or home improvement store, but growing sunflower plants is easiest if you grow them from seed sown directly into the ground. More varieties of sunflowers are available to you if you grow from seed. Growing sunflowers from seed is super easy, too.
How to Plant Sunflower Seeds
- Plant the seeds no more than an inch deep and about 6 inches apart. Thin the seedlings once they hit 6 inches tall, leaving the strongest plants about 12 inches apart.
- For continuous blooms, stagger your planting, sowing a new row of seeds every two to three weeks, beginning in the spring. Succession planting, as this is called, will keep you supplied with continuous blooms until first frost.
- How long does it take for sunflowers to grow? From the time you put the seed in the soil to bloom ranges between 80 and 120 days, depending on the variety.
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