Sunflower Plants

A full bloom sunflower brightens up any yard with a unique touch, that any other flower cannot match. With bright yellow colored petals, this sun-loving flowering plant truly justifies its name. According to taxonomy, sunflower belongs to the family Asteraceae, which includes common garden plants, like aster, daisy and gerbera. The genus name is Helianthus and species name varies according to the cultivar. For garden plantation, you can choose from annual and perennial sunflower plants.

How to Grow Sunflower Plants?

Sunflower plants are not only prized for their aesthetic value, but they also bear edible seeds which serve as vegetable oil sources. One impressive facts about sunflower is that a single bloom can yield up to 2,000 seeds. Whether you want to grow sunflower for ornamental purpose or seeds, you can accomplish easily with basic gardening skills. The following are easy sunflower planting tips, which you can implement in your gardening project.

Select Sunflower Variety
The most crucial step is selecting the correct variety for home plantation. You can research on sunflower cultivars with respect to their care and maintenance level. Also, take a note of the flower size, plant height and disease resistant. Popular sunflower varieties are Teddy Bear Dwarf (2 feet), Giant Gray Stripe (15 feet), Italian White (6 feet) and Orange Sun Bright (6 feet).

Ideal Planting Time
The best time for growing sunflowers is during spring. Nevertheless, the preferable growing period varies, depending on whether you are sowing seeds or planting sunflower seedlings directly. If you are interested in planting seeds, consider sprouting sunflower seeds indoors before arrival of heavy frosting. So, by the time they sprout and develop few leaves, the environmental condition will become warm.

Sow Sunflower Seeds
Although some sunflower plant varieties do perform well with direct sowing in garden soil, do not take risk. Instead you can prepare a seedbed indoors and sow seeds. Or an easy way is to sow seeds in pots filled with peat. In case, you are interested in outdoor sowing, prepare soil and lightly sprinkle sunflower seeds. Cover the area with a screen to conserve soil moisture and also, to avoid feeding by birds.

Transplant Sunflower Seedlings
Transplanting sunflower seedlings is best done after frosting is over. Even mild frost can cause damage to young plants. Also, careful handling of sunflower seedlings are expected, as they are fragile and prone to injury. For transplantation, loosen garden soil with a spade and add compost to increase fertility. Make planting holes large enough to hold root system of sunflower seedlings. Place the plants gently, maintaining a space of about 10 inch between two plants, and then, cover root with soil.

Sunflower Plant Care
After transplanting, water sunflower seedlings generously for the first few weeks. For optimal plant growth, it requires sunlight in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Regarding fertilization, you can purchase a fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the ratio 10:15:10. Add appropriate amount of this formulation near the sunflower plants (about 2-3 inch) away from the stem. Following this, water them to promote assimilation of nutrients. Tall sunflower varieties require staking to support the stem and protect from strong winds.

Harvesting the Plants
As you are growing sunflower plants in spring, most probably they will bloom in summer. Harvesting sunflower seeds should be followed after the flowers die, or when majority of the petals have dropped. You can check the fullness of the seeds by opening some. If they are full and the inside seeds touches the outer coat, they are ready for harvesting. For harvesting, cut the flower head with a sharp knife, making sure that you retain a few inches of the green stalk. Allow the flower heads to dry properly before extracting seeds.

Apply the above tips on how to grow sunflower from seeds and you will be surely amazed with the way your plants are growing. With healthy sunflower plants, you will notice birds visiting your yard. The plants do not have major disease problems, but check for unwanted feeding by squirrels and other invaders.