With its golden petals it is a real sun. The sunflower lights up our landscape all summer, but did you know that you can also grow it at home? On a balcony or in the garden, a simple seed is enough to radiate your summer. You can read how that works in this article.
Unlike perennial flowers, the sunflower is an annual flower, meaning it must be planted every year to see it bloom on sunny days. It takes one to two months to reach adult size (40 to 50 cm high).
sunflower in the ground
Sowing is done from April under shelter and can be carried out in the ground from May to June. Make sure your soil is well-drained and that your seeds get maximum sun where you plant them. It is known, the sunflower needs a lot of light!
In the ground, the seeds are sown in bags, that is, several seeds are placed in the same hole. To do this, start by turning the soil well to loosen it. Form a 3 cm deep groove in which you dig holes every 20 cm. Place four or five seeds in it and cover with soil and water.
Plant a sunflower in a pot
Sunflowers also do well in pots. To do this, you just need to think about giving it the space it needs to bloom on your balcony or terrace. Choose a terracotta pot with a diameter of 30 cm, it is more porous than plastic. Fill your pot with potting soil and dig a small hole in the center where you will place four or five seeds. Cover them with soil and water.
to water
Whether in the ground or in a pot, watering your sunflower well at the beginning of its growth is essential. A light rain shower once the soil has dried will suffice, but make sure it doesn’t drown.
maintenance
When the first three or four leaves have appeared, keep only the strongest and cut off the others. Then let nature take its course! When the stem starts to grow well, you can add a stick to your potted sunflower so that it can develop well without being affected by gusts of wind.
Did you like this article? Also find out how to grow a melon from seed.