Sunflowers are real beautiful flowers, looking bright and yellow. They are present in many different varieties, with some large varieties, going down all the way to some dwarf varieties. You put these plants in the garden, and they perk up the look of the entire garden. There are people who grow rows of sunflowers, standing tall with a number of them standing up to the wind and greeting people with their beautiful yellow face.
I typically start planting sunflower when winter has passed, growing them through seed. Seeds are planted in a small container in a bed of coco-peat (I normally don't use soil for planting purposes, using a bed of 2-3 inch deep cocopeat for planting seeds). The cocopeat does not provide any nutrition for the growing seeds (the seeds have their own growth reservoirs till the time that they will be transplanted), but does provide a light seedling mix.
Sunflowers thrive in full sun, so the start of summer is an ideal time to start planting the seeds. The potting mix should not get water-logged, but for growing sunflowers, you don't really need to fine-tune your potting mix like you need to do with some other plants and flowers. Just make sure that water does not stay in the pot, and when the plants are started, it can even tolerate some amount of drought. But, from what I have heard, if you want to have the best beautiful blooms, the sunflower requires deep watering before and after blooming.
If the soil is pretty poor, then adding some fertilizer or compost helps, but make sure that you do not overdo the addition of nitrogen rich additives as that encourages the growth of the plant and reduces the impetus to grow many flowers. When you have plants that grow high (above 3-4 feet), then you might need to add some sort of stake or support to ensure that they do not fall over due to wind. The sunflowers I have seen growing were sturdy to support themselves normally, but when there would be a strong wind, it was possible that the wind could knock them over.
Sunflowers are supposed to provide protection against pests, so it is a good idea to plant sunflowers with other plants to ensure protection against pests. The plants also attract bees and other insects that help in the pollination of other vegetables and flowers in the garden and decrease the need for having to do hand pollination. Many people also use the seeds from these sunflowers once they are dried, by mixing them with other nuts to provide a very nutritious snack.
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| A large sunflower looking beautiful / More photos / Print |
I typically start planting sunflower when winter has passed, growing them through seed. Seeds are planted in a small container in a bed of coco-peat (I normally don't use soil for planting purposes, using a bed of 2-3 inch deep cocopeat for planting seeds). The cocopeat does not provide any nutrition for the growing seeds (the seeds have their own growth reservoirs till the time that they will be transplanted), but does provide a light seedling mix.
Sunflowers thrive in full sun, so the start of summer is an ideal time to start planting the seeds. The potting mix should not get water-logged, but for growing sunflowers, you don't really need to fine-tune your potting mix like you need to do with some other plants and flowers. Just make sure that water does not stay in the pot, and when the plants are started, it can even tolerate some amount of drought. But, from what I have heard, if you want to have the best beautiful blooms, the sunflower requires deep watering before and after blooming.
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| Close up view of a sunflower / More prints / Print of this photo |
If the soil is pretty poor, then adding some fertilizer or compost helps, but make sure that you do not overdo the addition of nitrogen rich additives as that encourages the growth of the plant and reduces the impetus to grow many flowers. When you have plants that grow high (above 3-4 feet), then you might need to add some sort of stake or support to ensure that they do not fall over due to wind. The sunflowers I have seen growing were sturdy to support themselves normally, but when there would be a strong wind, it was possible that the wind could knock them over.
 |
| Side view of a sunflower flower / More photos / Print of photo |
Sunflowers are supposed to provide protection against pests, so it is a good idea to plant sunflowers with other plants to ensure protection against pests. The plants also attract bees and other insects that help in the pollination of other vegetables and flowers in the garden and decrease the need for having to do hand pollination. Many people also use the seeds from these sunflowers once they are dried, by mixing them with other nuts to provide a very nutritious snack.
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| A beautiful looking sunflower and one behind / More photos / Print of this photo |
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