How to grow sunflowers in pots? A planting tutorial for beginners that anyone can follow at a glance

All you folks who want to get into gardening, offer up your first time and grow a sunflower~ Sunflowers are gradually loved by everyone for their sunny posture and delicate beauty, especially potted sunflowers, which we generally call dwarf sunflowers or ornamental sunflowers. Because their growth period is relatively short, they usually bloom in about 50 days. Plus they have many branches and can continuously produce many bright and beautiful sunflower blooms, making them perfect for potted display!

Because sunflowers have a short growing period and are not afraid of high temperatures, they can be sown in the three seasons other than winter. The specific suitable growing temperature needs to be above 15 degrees at night and preferably above 20 degrees during the day. Therefore, in the Yangtze River Delta region, they can be sown from April to September and bloom the same year. Next, we have compiled a potted sunflower tutorial based on the experience of various netizens. Everyone is advised to save it~

Must-plant for beginners: How to grow potted sunflowers

Sunflower seeds are large achenes and plump. The seeds have strong viability and stress resistance, and can be sown using seedling blocks, ordinary peat, or even ordinary garden soil, with no special seedling treatment needed. When sowing, insert the pointed end of the sunflower seed vertically downward into the sowing medium, and cover with about 1 to 2 cm of soil. Keep the medium moist before emergence. They generally emerge in 3 to 7 days. Seed germination requires shading, and proper soil covering helps them shed their seed caps on their own during germination.

Sowing

1. Before sowing, the seeds need to be pre-germinated. A more practical method is paper towel germination: soak a paper towel in water and cover the seeds with it, and they will sprout in about 2 days. Of course, you can also use the soaking method; generally soaking overnight is about enough

2. Potted sunflower seeds are relatively small and have relatively weak soil-piercing ability, so do not sow too deep, generally about 1 cm is enough.

3. After sowing, cover with soil and press lightly. If raising seedlings in winter or spring, you can cover with film to keep warm and shorten the emergence time.

After the seeds germinate and emerge, keep the medium moist and place them in a bright, sunny place for management. Keep the environment and medium moist; they can accept relatively strong sunlight, and insufficient light will cause leggy growth.

If the seedlings are sown too densely, thin them out. Use a toothpick, tweezers, or other fine object to carefully loosen the medium, take out the seedlings that need to be removed, and transplant them into small pots. During this period, any damage to the root system will not affect later plant growth.

Transplanting

After the seedlings grow 4 to 6 true leaves, transplant them. Use a pot with a 14 cm diameter (No. 5 medium pot), with a planting mix of 70% nutrient soil + 30% vermiculite, and 30 grams of decomposed chicken manure as base fertilizer. If using seedling blocks, you can directly bury the whole thing in the pot. For seedlings temporarily planted in small pots, carefully take out the seedlings with soil and plant them with the soil into the new pot. Water thoroughly.

After transplanting, leave them in a shaded, ventilated place for one day, then they can be managed under full sun. Water thoroughly every morning; sunflowers grow fast and have high water demand. The more leaves they have, the faster water is consumed.

Fertilizer and water

Apply fertilizer once a week during the seedling stage. After the plant top begins to form buds, it enters the most vigorous growth period of a sunflower's life. On sunny days, water thoroughly twice a day, morning and evening; on cloudy and rainy days, water thoroughly once in the morning. Apply fertilizer once every 5 to 7 days. When watering or when it rains, avoid water accumulating on the top flower buds.

About 50 days after sowing, you can enjoy the flowers~