Growing Sunflower Plants

These gorgeous sunny and bright colored flowers can brighten up any day! With the kind of varieties of sunflowers that are seen today, one can have a field day having them at home! The stem of the sunflower plant can grow up to a height of 3 meters. This flower is very useful to us in many ways. If growing plants is more than just a hobby to you then take a look at some tips on growing sunflower plants mentioned below which can help you have these happy and bright flowers, right in your own backyard!

Things to consider while Growing Sunflower Plants:
First you need to consider the location for growing sunflower plants. You must ensure that the particular area gets ample sunlight. Before you begin planting these, consider the amount of sunlight and the direction of the wind. Sunflowers need the full strength of the sun so choose an area that gets steady sunlight for at least 6 hours.

Always ensure you plant the sunflowers seeds at least one inch deep into the soil. You must also keep a distance of 6 inches between each seed. Avoid planting sunflowers just before the winter season. If you have to plant them in pots, ensure that you keep these pots on a windowsill that gets plenty of sunlight.

Check out the germination of the seed before growing sunflower plants. Once you have purchased the seed packet, you must remember not all seeds are equal. Therefore you can wrap them in a moist paper towel for a few days and check out which seeds germinate first. You can then choose and plant the sprouted seeds.

You also need to consider the soil for growing sunflower plants. Experts believe that sunflowers prefer soils that drain well. Soils that contain a lot of mulch also help in growing sunflower plants. Mixing some manure a few days before planting the seeds in the soil will help you grow these with ease. It is said that these plants can be grown in a variety of soils. This non-fussy plant therefore can be grown without worrying too much about the soil required for their growth.

Sunflower plants need plenty of water as well. Ensure you water your sunflower plants on a daily basis to prevent them getting withered in the sun. This is also the basic reason why you must use a well-drained soil. Seedlings should be watered deeply for the initial months. This needs to be done so that they develop healthy roots.

While growing sunflower plants you may at times need to keep a check on the height of the stems. Sometimes, these plants may grow really tall which would depend upon the variety you have used. Therefore, you might need to tie it up with the help of a string so that the stem does not snap off by a sudden gust of wind. If you are keen of having the tall variety, then plant them next to a fence, which can give it some support as it grows.

Always remember while growing sunflower plants that you need to think about other plants in the garden as well. Tall sunflower plants can block the sunlight and the wind for other plants. This can be useful if you have planted varieties that require less sunlight and the shade provided by the sunflowers can be a blessing in disguise.

While growing sunflower plants, you may come across the problem of weeds. You will need to be especially careful when these plants are still in their initial stages of growth.

Another factor you would need to consider while growing sunflower plants are certain diseases that can harm your plant. Fungi cause certain diseases that can affect sunflower plants to a great extent. Downy mildew is one such disease, which is a kind of fungi that grows beneath the leaves. This can also cause the stem to blacken. Keep a daily check to keep beetles away. These are known to eat into the plant, damaging it in the process. Insects can pose to be a problem while growing sunflower plants. In that case, the most useful insect would be the bee; because they help in the process of cross-pollination. Some of the common insects found in sunflower plants are the sunflower midges, sunflower beetles, sunflower bud moth, gray sunflower seed weevil, sunflower stem weevil etc. Birds are bound to steal the seeds of this plant. Therefore if you wish to protect the seeds, you would need to use some cheesecloth as a protective cover for the flower heads.

You would need to check the flower head to know when the harvest would begin. Here, the florets in the center should be shriveled. The heads should be turned to the bottom side. There would also be some lemon yellow color on the backside. Cut the seed and keep some of the stem attached to it. Hang this in a safe place away from insects and also keep it in a ventilated area. Use cheesecloth to cover it so that it can hold seeds that tend to fall down.

Growing sunflower plants can be a relaxing and also a very fruitful hobby. Use these tips to grow healthy sunflower plants and watch your backyard transform from a normal garden into an amazingly beautiful haven!