How can I look after my baby sunflower?
Asked by
downtide (
23815
)
May 16th, 2012
My office is having a sunflower-growing contest, and I am now the proud owner of a four-inch sapling. The trouble is I have no idea how to look after it. It will need to be grown indoors until it’s too big to be eaten by squirrels. I have a nice sunny south-facing window. I know it will need a bigger pot but how big will it need? How much water? Do I need plant food of some sort to add to the compost? I seem to recall reading that used coffee grinds are good for roses, do they help other plants too?
I’m not expecting to win the contest at all, I just don’t want to kill it through ignorance
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9 Answers
Number 1 rule is don’t over water.
Sunflowers are easy to please! They like, in this order:
LOTS of sun!
Direct sun at least 8 hours a day for maximum growth.
Should be able to grow HUGE in a 5 gallon container.
Fertilize a LOT, while it’s growing, every week with miracle grow water, a couple of tablespoons per gallon, follow the box directions.
Miracle grow is good, and for maximum happiness plant it in a mix of half soil half cow manure.
Water on a regular basis but let it dry out some between waterings.
If the temps are 80 degrees or less water every 3–4 days depending on how much drainage is going on in the pot.
If the temps are 90–100+ water daily.
Test by pushing your finger several inches down into the soil.
If it is damp at the 3 inch mark, it is not ready for watering again.
Transplant now to large container, no need to go up in increments like some plants.
Bigness also depends on the variety of sunflower you plant.
You may to stake it as it becomes big to prevent it leaning over and breaking the stalk.
Have fun! I love growing sunflowers!
@Coloma awesome, thank you!
For the record, the temperature will be lucky to reach 65 degrees, ever, and don’t get anywhere near 8 hours of sunshine a day. Nine days out of ten are cloudy and raining. (But at least the rest of the team are living in the same town so they have to put up with the same weather).
I can’t get cow manure but I might be able to get horse manure. Is that okay?
@downtide Don’t use fresh manure. Make sure it’s composted. Fresh can cause root burn.
Yes, use dried manure, not fresh, and, get a GROW LIGHT! Cheat a little, make your own sunshine! lol
Tell everybody else that fresh manure is the greatest; that your plant grew 2 inches overnight the first time you used it.
Gotta watch out for snails until it gets about a foot tall. Then when there are young seeds, gotta watch out for squirrels. They will jump onto the flower and overload/break the stem. Then they will stand on the ground, bite off the flower, and drag it away.
@RocketGuy I once witnessed a Gopher suck down a 3 foot tall Artichoke plant in less than an hour. Poof down the hole. lol
I got around the breaking problem by tying the flower to my fence. The stem is really strong, but very long, so makes a big lever arm. Clever these critters.
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