How to Grow Sunflowers

With it's bright and lovely blooms that go from mid-summer to early fall, sunflowers welcome “summer” like no other plants, and it is a better way to celebrate that, by growing some yourself.

~~W(caps)~~ith it's bright and lovely blooms that go from mid-summer to early fall, sunflowers welcome “summer” like no other plants, and it is a better way to celebrate that, by growing some yourself.

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About Sunflowers

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant with a large daisy-like flower face. Its scientific name comes from the Greek words helios (“sun”) and anthos (“flower”). Sunflowers trace their history to plants found at archeological sites dating from 3,000 BC. Sunflowers were first purposely cultivated by Native Americans in the Southwest or Mississippi River valley area as a source of medicine, fiber, seeds, and oil. When the European settlers arrived, they recognized it's value, and they sent the seeds back to Europe.

How to Grow Sunflowers

Growing sunflowers is an easy and a funny way to add a burst of color to your garden. Keep reading, and you will learn how to grow sunflowers, the simple way! Everything from planting, caring tips, cutting flowers and harvesting the seeds.

There are many varieties of sunflowers available today, so there’s always one that fits your garden, you can choose your favorite variety that fit your garden from ➡️ HERE!

When to Grow Sunflowers?

Sunflowers can be started indoors in individual peat pots, but it is easiest to sow the seeds directly into the soil after all danger of spring frost is past. If your growing season is short, you can safely plant the seeds up to 2 weeks before the last expected spring frost. If your growing season is long, it is best to wait until the soil temperature reaches about 60 degrees to plant outdoors.

If your growing season is long, it is best to wait until the soil temperature reaches about 60 degrees to plant outdoors.

Choosing & Preparing The Planting Site

Sunflower require long, and hot summers to flower well!

First, find a sunny spot. Sunflowers grow best in locations with direct sunlight, about 8 hours per day.

Choose a location with well-draining soil.

Check for deep soil drainage. Sunflowers grow long taproots, and may rot if the soil is waterlogged.

Sunflowers are heavy feeders, the soil needs to be rich with organic matter or well aged manure. I always work well aged chicken manure, about 8 inches deep into the soil, before planting.

Sunflowers thrive in slightly acidic to somewhat alkaline soil (pH 6.0 to 7.5).

Sunflowers need to be planted in a spot that is sheltered from strong winds, along a fence will be good.

How To plant Sunflower Seeds

Space the seeds about 6 inches apart in a shallow trench between 1 and 2 inches deep.

Cover them with soil.

Water well and keep the soil moist.

The seeds will sprout in 7 to 14 days.

Keep the soil around young plants moist, but not soaking wet, until the sprouts emerge from the soil.

When the first true leaves appear, thin plants to about 2 feet apart.

Sunflowers will mature and develop seeds in 80 to 120 days.

You can plant a new row every 2 to 3 weeks to enjoy continuous lovely blooms until the first frost.

While sunflowers sprouts are still small and fragile, water 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) away from the plant, to encourage root growth.

If you want to grow a smaller variety for bouquets, you can space plants much closer together. Dwarf sunflowers are just as gorgeous as their taller counterparts, and they also produce seeds, but they aren't as enjoyable as the larger variety. I always love growing teddy bear sunflowers.

This variety is a great choice for cut flowers as the stems are strong and straight. Teddy Bear Sunflowers are attractive to bees and butterflies, and the petals are completely edible. They grow in a wide variety of soil types, but always require full sun and a lot of water, especially in hot summer days!

🛒 Teddy Bear Sunflower Seeds 🛒

Caring For Sunflowers

Protect the new plants from pests. Birds, and squirrels, as they enjoy sunflower seeds, and may dig them up even before the sprouts have emerged. You can cover the ground with netting to prevent that.
Water around the root zone, about 3 to 4 inches from the plant.
Once the plant is established, water deeply though infrequently to encourage deep rooting.

Tall sunflower species require support. You can use bamboo stakes, they are a good choice for any plant that has a strong, single stem and needs to be supported for a short period of time.

Tall sunflower species require support. You can use bamboo stakes, they are a good choice for any plant that has a strong, single stem and needs to be supported for a short period of time.

Sunflowers do not require fertilizing. They can easily grow up to 6 feet in just few months!

Sunflower Diseases:

Sunflowers can be infected with fungal diseases such as mildews and rusts.

Downy Mildew causes mottling and pale areas on upper leaf surfaces and a fuzzy mold growth on their undersides. Eventually these leaves wither and die. Always the oldest leaves are usually infected first, but don't worry, downy mildew will not kill a mature plant.

Rust appears on upper leaf surfaces first as yellow or white spots that turn brown or black. The disease may spread to stems and flowers, causing distorted growth.

What to do!

Spraying with a general garden fungicide can protect healthy foliage.

Remove and destroy seriously infected plants.

Keep the area weed free.

Cutting Sunflowers For Bouquets

You can cut the main stem just before its flower to encourage side blooms.

Cut stems early in the morning. As harvesting the flowers during the middle of the day may lead to flower wilting.

Sunflowers flowers should last at least a week in water at room temperature.

Change the water every day to keep them fresh.

Harvesting Sunflower Seeds

When the season is over, you can harvest sunflower seeds for a tasty snack, to feed the birds in the next winter, or to plant next season.

Let the flowers dry until the back of the head turns brown, the foliage turns yellow, the petals die down, and the seeds look plump.

With a pruner, cut the head off the plant about 5 inches below the flower head.

To remove the seeds, simply rub your hand over the seeded area and pull them off the plant.

Expert Tips

Sunflowers do not require fertilizing. They can easily grow up to 6 feet in just few months! So it's better to add some slow-acting granular organic fertilizer to especially poor, thin soil, to have strong plants, and larger beautiful flowers.