In order for sunflowers to bloom beautifully, follow these tips.
Sunflowers are one-of-a-kind beautiful flowers and are a favorite for flower lovers. How to plant sunflowers seeds are actually not easy. Therefore, there must be special care so that these brightly colored flowers thrive.
With its large shape and yellowish-orange color, this flower not only attracts the attention of humans but also birds and insects.
Sunflower is a type of heliotropic plant, which means that the growth of the flower follows the movement of the sun.
Most sunflowers are very tough and easy to grow as long as the soil is not waterlogged. Most are heat tolerant and suitable for growing in dry areas.
If you plan to plant sunflowers, understand the following tips so that sunflowers grow well, OK!
Tips for How to Plant Sunflower Seeds
In caring for any type of plant, the thing that needs to be owned is the planting medium.
Planting media is an important element to support the growth of plant roots.
It also functions in maintaining humidity and providing enough air.
Generally, the planting medium that is often used for farming is soil. Come on, follow the steps on how to plant sunflower seeds at home.
1. Select an Outdoor Location
We start from choosing the location where it grows to the steps of how to grow sunflowers.
This flower is a type of plant that requires sunlight.
Therefore, the best place to plant it is outdoors, where the soil is rich.
Not infrequently some people try to plant it in pots. This is actually not a problem.
In general, small types of sunflowers can be planted in pots measuring 30-40 centimeters.
However, if you want sunflowers to grow lush and tall, it is best to plant them in the ground.
Here are some tips that need to be done:
- Sunflowers grow best in locations with direct sunlight (6-8 hours per day). This is because they need prolonged heat in order to flower properly.
- Sunflowers have long roots that need to be stretched out, so these plants prefer well-drained, loose, well-draining soil.
- Dig 60-90 cm deep to make sure the soil is not too compacted.
- While growing sunflowers is not very demanding, they thrive in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH 6.0-7.5).
- Sunflowers are heavy feeders, so it is important to ensure the soil is rich in nutrients with organic matter or compost.
If possible, place the seeds in a place protected from strong winds, perhaps along a fence or near a structure.
2. Choosing Sunflower Seeds
The next step in how to grow sunflowers is choosing the right flower seeds.
You can get these seeds at plant stores or online, many of which are sold.
Some tips for choosing sunflower seeds are as follows:
- Buy sunflower seeds at a store that has good reviews.
- The seeds that can be planted are different from the seeds for snacks (usually the planting seeds are smaller).
- The seeds of each type of sunflower have different shapes and colors.
Apart from that, you can also do a planting test before actually choosing good flower seeds.
This is done by soaking the seeds in water for 5-10 minutes.
After that, seeds that are not good enough will float, and vice versa.
3. Determining Fertile Soil
If you choose how to plant sunflowers in the ground, pay attention to the important points below.
This is so that the selected soil supports the growth of flowers.
Make sure the planting area has adequate drainage, or build a simple planting box.
This planting box can be built with a length of 2.5 m and is made of wood to make it more durable when exposed to water.
You also need to check the appropriate soil pH for it.
How to grow sunflowers suits slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil, with a pH of 6.0-7.5.
Even so, not infrequently outside of that size, sunflowers can still thrive well.
4. How to Plant in the Ground
How to plant sunflowers ideally start from seeds that are planted directly into the ground.
Ideally, sunflower seeds can be planted at a soil temperature of 13-16 degrees Celsius.
How to plant it is as follows:
- Loosen the soil with a shovel and if the drainage doesn't look good, add 6-10 cm of compost.
- Dig a hole 2.5 cm deep with a distance of 45 cm between each seed for large sunflowers and 30 cm for medium-sized flowers.
- Plant a few seeds in each hole and cover it with soil again.
- Adjust the distance between each seed so that they don't interfere with other plants when it starts to bloom.
- Give a little organic fertilizer after the seeds have been successfully planted and spread it on the planting area so that the flower stems become strong.
- Moisten the soil with water, but make sure that the seeds are not soaked or flooded with water.
Apply a light fertilizer at the time of planting, this will encourage the growth of strong roots to protect the sunflower from strong winds.
5. How to Grow in Pots
Slightly different from how to plant sunflowers in pots.
First of all, choose the size of the pot according to the height of the sunflowers you want to plant, as well as the number of flowers you want in each pot.
If you want to plant seeds in pots, make sure the pots contain fertile compost.
For large types of sunflowers, you need a pot that can accommodate a minimum of 20 liters of planting media.
So, make sure the container or pot is sterile and clean. You should also make holes in the pot for drainage.
The steps in how to plant sunflowers in pots are as follows:
- Soil acidity with a pH between 5.5 and 7.5, and containing more than 3 percent organic matter. These numbers will be listed on each seed pack.
- It is not mandatory to add sand or gravel to the bottom of the pot. In fact, this can hinder the movement of water and prevent water from flowing out of the container properly.
- After that, plant each seed about 2.5 cm deep into the planting medium. If you want to plant more than one seed in a container, spread the seeds about 10-13 cm apart, then add a thin layer of compost over the seeds you have just sown.
- Make sure that each flower seedling has 10-13 cm of space around it.
- Don't place it too close to the edge of the container.
How long does it take for sunflowers to grow? From the time you put the seed in the ground until it blooms can be between 80 and 120 days, depending on the variety.
6. Caring for Sunflower Plants
The next way to plant sunflowers is care tips.
While the plant is still small, water around the root zone, about 7-10 cm from the plant. To protect the plant, it may be possible to place slugs or snail bait around the stems.
Once the plant is established, water is very rarely to encourage deep roots. Unless the weather is very wet or dry, water once a week with several buckets of water.
Save in giving fertilizer, because excessive fertilization can cause broken stems. You can add diluted fertilizer, but avoid getting fertilizer close to the base of the plant.
7. Repel Pests
Pests or insects are certainly one of our enemies in how to care for any plant.
Animals such as birds and squirrels will be attracted to sunflower seeds. If you plan to grow sunflowers using seeds, prevent pests or insects with traps.
Even so, many sunflowers are insect-free. A moth or wasp can sometimes lay eggs in flowers.
Worms sometimes invade plants with these yellow flowers.
Downy mildew, rust, and mildew can also affect plants. If fungal diseases are found early on the plants, spray them with a pesticide suitable for sunflowers.
8. Harvest Sunflowers
How to plant sunflowers does not just stop there. How about harvesting it?
When growing them outside or in the ground, give them water only occasionally.
Adjust the water supply depending on whether the weather is hot or rainy season.
During the rainy season, add a layer of mulch to the soil surface.
This is done to prevent weed growth and retain moisture.
For indoor sunflower growing, cut off the main stem just before the flower buds are more open.
Cut stems early in the morning. Harvesting flowers during the day can cause the flowers to wilt.
Handle sunflowers gently. The flowers should last at least a week in water at room temperature.
Set the sunflowers in a tall container with support to hold their heavy heads up, and change the water daily to keep them fresh.
That's it, tips for how to plant sunflower seeds that you can try. Happy gardening!