I
had not planned on growing sunflowers from birdseed but when I saw
that seedlings grew from fallen seeds I was excited. All of the
seedlings needed to be transplanted because they were growing too
close. I did transplant all seedlings into a sunny garden bed.
Sunflowers
grow best in a sunny location and in soil that is well-drained. I
found that the sunflowers are not particular about the type of soil as
flowers have grown in rocky dirt as well as rich organic soil. The
sunflower is a strong plant and as long as you give it what it
wants, sun, water, and protection from wildlife; birds, squirrels, and
deer then the sunflower will grow well.
How
to grow sunflowers
Since
I was planting birdseed I was not aware of the type of sunflower.
The birdseed could produce a large flower or medium size so to be
safe I did separate the seedling by planting them 2 feet apart.
I
dug a trench that was two inches deep then added the seedlings 2 feet
apart. Back-filled the trench and firm the soil around the
seedling stem.
The
seedlings were watered twice a day, morning and mid-afternoon so
that the soil never dried out. Once the sunflower was established (20
days) I watered it once daily as this plant is drought resistant.
To
help retain moisture I added cypress mulch around the sunflower
stems.
The
sunflower is a hardy and fast-growing flower on average the plant
matured and developed seeds in approximately 80 days.
The
birdseed produced flowers that were medium size but I did grow a few
rather large sunflowers that were three feet tall. The taller flowers
did need to be staked because the stems would break easily during a
rainstorm or on a windy day.
Throughout
the summer I would add new seedlings that grew from the birdseed as
a new row planting and by doing this I had continuous sunflower
blooms until the frost in the fall.
Enjoy
this end-of-summer blooms as cut flowers for a centerpiece or
harvest to enjoy the tasty seeds.
Pest
Control
The
sunflower is a magnet for birds, squirrels, and deer. The deer enjoy
eating the entire plant but really like the flower blooms. Squirrels
and birds love the seeds.
To
keep the deer away from sunflowers I installed a 6-foot chicken wire
fence around my sunflowers. To keep the birds and squirrels away I
kept the bird feeders filled with their favorite seeds. Of course, there were always a few birds
that preferred fresh seeds from the flower.
Here
are some products I created from photographs, watercolor
illustrations, and graphic designs of sunflowers.
