Planting Sunflower seeds for a bright & cheery fall!

Nothing is more cheerful than a sunflower.

Sunflowers are forgiving. So if you planted them on the late side, they still bloom.

I’m just planting my sunflower seeds now, and they will still have time to bloom before we get that first frost late September – early October.

Actually, I purposely delayed planting my seeds in the landscaping. I want my big and bold blooms to surface right at fall to capture those back-to-school pictures.

Plus, one always needs a few sunflowers for the teacher on that first day of school.

Otherwise, the blooms come and fade, passing their prime before those first day shots!

First Step- Soak your seeds in fish emulsion

Increasing the germination rates of the seeds is always the goal. This is why I typically soak seeds for 24 hours in fish emulsion mixed with water before planting in the ground.

I find this process softens the seed coat and encourages faster germination.

The ratio isn’t an exact science, but it’s roughly three tablespoons of purified water with one teaspoon of fish emulsion.

Please note the difference between fish emulsion and fish oil. Fish emulsion is a liquid fertilizer made from fish. Fish oil is a specific oil extracted from fish. Both smell terrible but are useful!

So fish emulsion is liquid without being the slightest bit oily. Fish oil could hinder germination by creating a barrier on the seed surface. So make sure you are using the right product!

After the seeds sprout and small plants emerge, I continue to fertilize with fish emulsion weekly, which, over the years, I have found to be beneficial.

Not only does the fish emulsion provide nutrients to the plants and make them thrive, but it also seems to help suppress certain fungal diseases.

I mixed fish emulsion with water in milk jugs and applied it directly to the soil around the root, being careful not to wet the leaves.

Planting sunflower seeds over small sunflower plants…

Maybe you think it’s too late, and you want to try putting in a few plants instead of sunflower seeds. That’s an option and will work for some of the plants.

If you only want 1-5 plants, perhaps buying small plants in growers’ pots is the best option. But for numerous stalks and blooms, growing from seeds is always your best bet.

Sunflowers don’t transplant well. I had some random sunflowers sprout in a few empty pots this year- seven plants total. Two died, and the other five might make it.

What’s interesting and odd is that the ones I grew from seeds are quickly overtaking the transplanted sunflower plants.

Kind of proves that some plants truly do better grown from seed. This is partly because sunflowers have long taproots that grow quickly and become stunted if confined. Avoid those peat pots that dry out the quickest and block off root growth.

Seed or small plant, sunflowers do want that 6-8 hours of sunlight in well-draining soil. Bonus points for adding some aged manure and hummus.

Why fertilize sunflowers after planting sunflower seeds…

Another reason to use liquid fish emulsion on sunflowers is that they are heavy feeders!

Sunflowers require soil rich in nutrients, nitrogen, to support their fast growth and humongous size. Sunflowers appreciate weekly fertilization to maintain those gigantic flower heads.

Mine have gotten too big; they need to get trellised to prevent them from plopping over!

You also need to be mindful that wherever you choose to plant sunflowers, they quickly deplete the soil of nutrients, more so than other plants.

So planting sunflowers in the same spot as your tomatoes, also heavy feeders, is not a good idea. I don’t grow mine anywhere near where I grow my food.

This is why I plant my sunflower seeds in my front landscaping. Not only do I get to enjoy the mammoth blooms, but I hope my neighbors and those driving by enjoy the burst of yellow.

Planting sunflower seeds – proximity

While using the planting tips on the back of the seed packet is a great place to start, there are other considerations when planting sunflowers.

Think about how you want the flowers to look as a grouping.

Consider how you want the flowers to look in full bloom, roughly 100 days.  Close enough plantings so there aren’t huge gaps, but far enough to give them room to thrive.

That’s appropriately 12-18 inches apart. Seeds should sprout within 7-14 days, but I find that after day 9, I don’t see too many new seeds emerging.

It’s convenient to put a cheap wooden popsicle stick to indicate where you planted each seed. So if the seed doesn’t germinate, it can be replaced with another seed. Good thing seeds are still cheap!

This will prevent gaps when the sunflowers come to bloom. Plus, it seems to stagger the blooms more, ensuring each spot has a bright bloom!

When planting each seed, I keep a bag of rich and nutrient-dense potting soil on hand. Each seed gets buried about one inch deep.

What to do after sunflowers bloom

After sunflowers bloom, it seems like a bit of Jack and the Beanstalk in the garden. Huge stalks plopping over.

Decision time. It’s always smart to first deadhead them to encourage more blooms…but then what?

Option one: Since they are annuals and heavy feeders, pull them out by the roots, shake the dirt out well, and compost them.

Option two: Harvest the seeds and dispose of the stalks.

Option three: If planted in a field, leave them for the birds and other wildlife. I’ve discovered that even after the birds have eaten their fill, they seem to re-seed themselves in late spring the following year, and I get “free” sunflower plants.

It’s always possible to harvest the sunflowers to eat. But typically only the kernel is eaten and the shell discarded.

But sunflower seeds are cheap. So I leave ours for the birds and squirrels and buy them roasted and salted at Aldi.

10 Fascinating facts about sunflowers…

1. Young sunflowers track the sun’s movement (heliotropism), but mature ones generally face east.

2. Sunflowers are regularly classified into two categories: tall and dwarf. Despite popular belief that sunflower plants are giants, some don’t get taller than two feet. 

3. The tallest sunflower is over 30 feet.

4. A single sunflower head is made up of thousands of tiny flowers.

5. Sunflowers belong to the daisy family, Asteraceae.

6. Sunflowers can attract up to five times more pollinators because they warm up faster than westward facing plants.

7. The name sunflower comes from the Greek helios “sun” and anthos “flower.”

8. Not all sunflowers are yellow. Some are red and purple!

9. There Are More Than 70 Species Of Sunflowers.

10. The sunflower plant is native to North America and is now harvested around the world.

Finally….life is far from perfect. We all know this! If you don’t get a chance to plant sunflowers, it’s never a bad idea to check out Hobby Lobby to fill in the gaps.

Artificial flowers are becoming so lifelike, it’s tough to spot the difference. Especially if you are having the kids hold them in those back-to-school photos.