How to Plant and Grow Beautiful Sunflowers

Sunflowers stand out in any garden because of their height, color, and beauty. Their golden faces, like that of the sun, brighten up any area where they are planted or placed. Some people grow sunflowers for their beauty; others do so to get the nutritious seeds. While it's not hard to grow sunflowers, there are a few tidbits of knowledge that can really make a difference when planting its seeds.

Consult any gardening center or online gardening advice forum and you will find most of the same advice for growing sunflowers. One site that has been very helpful to me is: www.gardnersnet.com with advice from this site and from the wonderful gardeners I know I have come up with these tips to help you grow beautiful sunflowers.

Enrich the soil. The best soil for growing sunflowers is rich and fully drained. This type of high-grade soil is usually expensive so if you cannot afford it, you can use peat moss and humus to fortify your own garden or potting soil before you start planting.

Grow them outside. Unlike many plants that have to be first seeded in pots before transplanting outdoors, it's best to place sunflower seeds where you want to plant them from the onset. However, if you want to have them ready at the first sign of spring, you can plant them in a pot during the last two or three weeks of winter. When planting the seeds for transplant, put two seeds in one pot, and then transplant the stronger plant after the seedlings are about 3-4 weeks old. One key fact to remember is that sunflowers turn toward the East when they bloom so keep that in mind when choosing a spot in your garden to plant them.

Protect the little ones. Be sure to cover the seeds if you plant outside. This will prevent birds and small rodents from eating them before they've had a chance to grow.

Plenty of space is needed. Because sunflowers usually grow to be very tall, you should be sure to plant them with at least 12-36 inches apart and 0.5 to 1.0 inches deep depending on the size of that particular variety.

Water is essential. It is very important to give the seeds constant watering for at least the first 10 weeks of their lives. They should also be well watered when they are about to bloom ¡V usually during weeks 11 through 13. Water helps to strengthen their roots and keep them firmly planted in the ground even if they grow to be 6ft tall.

Weed regularly. When the baby sunflowers start sprouting, be sure to remove all the weeds that are around them. This is very important as the weeds will stunt their growth and may even kill them. Once they have reached maturity; that is, 70-90 days after planting, you don't have to worry much about getting rid of weeds as they can no longer cause your beautiful flowers any harm.

Watch their beauty unfold before your eyes. Now you can put down the watering can and watch the fruit of your patient labor. The beautiful golden sunflowers will open up to face their namesake. They will stay beautiful for several weeks so you can take picture after picture after picture.