by Jennifer Poindexter
What is your pet peak ? I have many , but one of my favorites to grow is a sunflower . They amount in many form which diverge in colour and size of it . When growing just about any plant you pick up a few lesson the hard way . However , every error happens for a grounds .
In my case , the lesson I ’ve pick up from error grow sunflower are now move to benefit you so you do n’t have to see them for yourself . I ’m sharing the coarse error many gardeners make when raise this flower .
If you ’re interested in growing sunflowers and require to ensure you avoid as many mistake as possible , here ’s what you should bonk .
1. Planting Without Sun
You might imagine that most masses would plant sunflower in the sunshine . Yet , some properties do n’t receive enough Christ Within .
However , some gardeners implant the sunflower seeds anyway and hope for the best . Do n’t do this , or you ’ll run into this error .
How to Avoid this error :
you may avoid this error by only planting sunflowers in full sun . It might think you have to cut the limbs back on a few trees to create a well - lit grow space .
sunflower ask a minimum of six hour of full sunlight . Without this amount of sun , they in all probability wo n’t thrive .
2. Ignoring Pests and Diseases
You should never brush aside pests or disease in your garden . The understanding being is they can easily take over your grow space .
Without anything halt them , pests will use up your helianthus harvest home and disease will break anything that ’s left behind .
you may disregard this mistake by walk through your garden daily . depend for signs of pests or disease . If you notice them , plow them accordingly .
Common pests and disease , for sunflower , include aphids , wilt disease , and mildew . All of these issues can be do by with an insecticide , fungicide , or solarization .
3. Ignoring Weeds
grass are another particular that you ca n’t give to ignore when garden . Weeds cause your plant to vie for nutrients .
They also create a home for disease and insects to hide . When you remove the weeds , you remove many of these threats .
you may boil down the green goddess , surrounding sunflowers , by adding a bed of mulch around the home of your plants .
This will provide a protective barrier . If weeds still manage to kill through the mulch , you should rend them by hand to keep everything under ascendency .
4. Not Providing Proper Care
All industrial plant need some character of maintenance . Without bring home the bacon canonical care , it ’s difficult for anything to thrive . helianthus are no exception .
Therefore , be intimate what type of care they require prior to planting . Once you ’ve planted them , ensure they welcome what they need .
This error can be avoided by water your sunflowers on a regular basis . The mysterious lacrimation method acting will advance deep roots and healthier plant life .
You should tally a dull - dismission fertilizer to the soil prior to planting . sunflower feed heavily , so ascertain the necessary nutrients are available to them throughout the spring up season .
5. Planting Too Early
Sunflowers are typically thought of as a summer flower . Therefore , they ca n’t handle cold temperatures or rough grow conditions .
Keep this in mind when decide when to plant helianthus . screw what the plants call for prior to sowing the semen .
Not only are sunflower sunshine - loving works , but they love warmth as well . For this reason , they should n’t be institute until the conditions warms up and project to appease this way .
When the temperature are systematically 70 - degree Fahrenheit and higher , it ’s secure to add these flowers to your grow blank space .
6. Not Providing Enough Space
There is a right fashion and a incorrect way to plant most flower . They must be establish at a specific depth and given fair to middling blank between plants .
By not embed seeds at the right depth , they may not germinate , or they could waste . Improper spatial arrangement can lead to disease and infirm plants .
Sunflowers should be planted one inch beneath the open of the land . Once the seeds have pullulate , they should be thinned .
gravid sunflower varieties should be provided three groundwork of blank between plant . small sunflower variety should be given one metrical foot of space between each plant life .
7. Not Providing Protection
There are some plant which have more enemy than others . helianthus are one of these plants . Not only are they threatened by typical garden pests , but they have predators from above as well .
Plus , helianthus must be protect from the elements . Warm weather bring violent storm , and they can bring lots of legal injury to your sunflower . give out to protect your sunflowers could be you .
When protecting sunflowers from doll , you should consider localize telegram cloth over the seeds and seedling . This will make it harder for the skirt to dig them up or have damage to them .
protect sunflowers from the wind will call for staking the tall plants or growing them next to a edifice which can provide support and protection . Take these excess step to see to it your helianthus are give every opportunity to flourish .
8. Limiting Their Growing Conditions
Another misunderstanding when growing helianthus is assuming they ’re not the plant for you . When you limit their growing abilities , you could miss out .
As many mass are deciding to grow more in less place , we ’re learning there are many way to go up horticulture . Do n’t put sunflowers in a corner . They might surprise you .
you’re able to deflect underestimating helianthus by learning the many ways they can be produce . Sunflowers do well in traditional inground peak bottom .
However , smaller variety can be grown in containers . you’re able to acquire both large and small varieties in raised bottom . If you have a cheery spot , there might be a sunflower right for your growing area .
9. Not Harvesting and Storing Properly
This was my biggest mistake the first class I raise sunflowers . I saw where mass hang their harvested sunflower head in their chicken coop .
It was a delicious treat for their chicken and seemed feasible . When I harvest my sunflowers , I had too many to feed my crybaby at once . I decided to salvage the helianthus heads in my stem cellar . I thought if I pay heed them , they might last a trivial longer .
That was a mistake and many of my sunflower oral sex rotted . secure you know how to harvest your sunflowers and write them .
Whenharvesting helianthus , use a sharp pair of shears . This should neatly snip the head from the angry walk of the plant .
Once the nous are removed , hold them over a five - gallon bucket , and shake , to murder the seed . Dry the semen and make unnecessary them in an airtight container until former use .
If you ’d care to save smaller helianthus variety show , for a bouquet , crop them further down the plant life to control there ’s still a fore for the prime arrangement .
aim the flush in water as soon as you’re able to . This should help them to stand firm and avoid any wilt which might pass off without water .
These are the mistakes many gardeners , myself included , have made when raising sunflowers . With practice session , you learn what work and what does n’t .
However , if you may learn from the mistakes of those before you , it saves you clip and wasted endeavor . Hopefully , these tips will aid you to grow beautiful sunflowers in your different growing expanse .
More About Growing Sunflowers
https://extension.umn.edu/flowers/sunflowers
https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g4290
