Tips for Growing Easy Sunflowers
Sunflowers can be excellent fun to grow. Given the right conditions they can grow quickly and provide excellent height and flower in late autumn.
Sunflowers are considered easy to grow and are often considered to be a good plant for children. (see: Growing sunflowers with children) However, to get the best out of sunflowers requires a few careful points.
Grow as a Fence. Sunflowers can make an excellent impromptu screen for late summer. The height can divide a garden creating a natural sense of rooms. – something top garden designers often go for.
- H. ‘Pastiche’: available in mixed shades of reds, and yellows. The flowers appear on multi-stemmed plants that make an effective multicoloured fence in late summer – from 1.2m to 1.5m (4ft to 5ft) high.
Proper Staking. Preventing sunflowers from falling over is one of the great challenges of growing them. Individually, you need a strong cane well dug into the soil. If you grow sunflowers in blocks it will be easier to provide staking for the group; they will give each other support as they grow.
Feeding. Sunflowers enjoy a rich well fed soil. If going for height, use a nitrogen based fertiliser, switching to potash (tomato food) as the buds begin to appear.
Watering. Sunflowers don’t like drying out and they can soon start to wither. Make sure they are well watered; each watering should aim to reach its roots, rather than just touching the surface.
Starting From Seed.
- Popping 2 or 3 seeds straight into well prepared ground in a sunny site will allow you to choose the strongest seedling and pinch out the others.
- Use copper grit or coffee grounds to protect seedlings from slugs.
- To get the best start for sunflowers sow 2cm deep just covering with soil and place in a 3 inch pot. When big enough you can plant out, hardening off if necessary. If you live in the colder regions delay planting the seeds.
- Do not start too early a cold spell can severely check a sunflower plant.
Best Location. Sunflowers like a sunny position and preferably not too windy.
Choose the right variety.
- If you want to grow a tall sunflower try a specific variety such as
- H. ‘Moonwalker’: grown for its yellow face with a chocolate-dark centre; reaches a height of 1.2m to 1.5m (4ft to 5ft).
- H. ‘Russian Giant’: If you are just interested in height and entering the record books.
- Sunflower Seeds at Thompson and Morgan
- Childrens sunflower – Russian Giant – only £0.99!
77 thoughts on “Tips for Growing Easy Sunflowers”
Just thought I’d let you know – I have succeeded, and got several sunflowers in flower! The slugs/snails ate the first shoots, but I persevered, and the bride is delighted, as am I. Thanks for your advice.
I have a four inch high sunflower seedling (russian giant) that has been eaten by marauding slugs to the point where it is nothing but stalk. The stalk itself is not fading away, but the two nubs of leaf that were left aren’t recovering either. I have it planted in a nice sunny position and I’m watering it well and giving it tomato fertilizer once a week, but it’s staying put, neither up nor down. Should I just give up? It was my last seedling! Any advice greatly appreciated!
Do not bother with fertilizer it is probably a goner already!
Hello,Was wondering if you could give me some advice on staking sunflowers?…I live in the U.K and have been growing a few sunflowers since April.Ive gone through the process of thinning them out and i am now left with two sunflowers.One of them is an Earthwalker and is about 5ft tall and has several flowers starting to grow.The other is an 8ft mother that has reached the top of its bamboo cane.Not quite sure what to do next as regards to staking the mother.Was thinking a bamboo cane was a bit weak,any advice on staking suggestions would be greatly apreciated.Great site by the way,Many thanks,Marky.
8 feet is a great feat! Well done
I wouldn’t bother staking it any higher this year as it will be about to flower and 10 feet stakes are hard to come by.
You can try guy ropes like you would a tent.
This may seem like a very stupid question but once the head appears does that mean the sunflower has grown in height as much as it will or can? We planted some out for the first time this year (different varities in a pack) from seed and I’m impressed with the results so far, so all in all, not bad for a first attempt!
They will grow a bit more depending on the variety. Glad you have done so well so far.
Hi all,
I have been growing sun flowers for a few seasons now with moderate results 5-6ft.
However this year I have a monster! Already 9ft tall and only just starting to flower.
The BIG difference between all other sunflowers I have grown is the gurth. The diamater of the stem is nearly 8 inchs!
anyone else got any monsters growing?
We have a sunflower competition at work and I wondered when the end date should be – i.e. when should the sunflowers finishes growing in height? We live in the Channel Islands.
Hi Donna,
Im no expert however..
If you are all growing the same variety in your competiton then the best time to declare the competition over and an overall winner would be when the majority of sunflowers are ready for harvesting.
You can harvest sunflower seeds as soon as the center flowers turn brown or the backs of the heads turn yellow. This of course is assuming all sun flowers where planted in the spring.
Or..
H=9ft
If you want to be realy accurate to determine the winner…
….TIMBER!!!
Hi I’ve been growing some sunflowers are there growing pretty quick.I was wondering when the stalk starts to thicken as there getting taller but also flimsy because of there stalks still thin and I’m having to tie them on to there support with me string most days.
Once a sunflower has flowered and died can i use the seeds to make more of them or are they just for the birds and other animals. Me and the kids would like to make more but i am not sure if i can do if from the seeds in the centre of the sunflowers please help.
Catherine and Chloe
Cath and Chloe,
My daughter grew a sunflower last year – I left it outside, and let the birds have ‘first dibs’ at the seeds. I was left with about a third of them. I then scraped themall into a plastic bag and planted them in the new year. Pretty much every one grew, and I gave quite a few away to teh creche etc, so go for it!
That said, the plants are growing very well but have not yet started to ‘head’. Is there a set time of year, and can I help them along?
Patience and sunshine are the best hope for good heads. Good luck!
im growing sunflowers with my children,we planted them about 5wks ago,an they have grown upto 3ft.but still no sign ov a flower bud,could someone please tell me if this is normal,as we love it,we have also just planted,potateos,carrots,broad beans,an they r coming on great,we any tips would be great thanx!! jackie!!
It is late flowering but do not give up hope!
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