Lockdown activities

Father's Day Activity

How to plant sunflower seeds

Planting sunflower seeds is really quick and easy.

Start off by filling your plant pots with compost, until they’re about two thirds full.

Use your finger to poke a little hole into the middle of the compost.

Next, drop one seed into each hole.

                   It really doesn’t matter if they end up putting more than one seed in each pot; in                       fact, you can show what a difference this has on the size of the plant later

Top up each pot with compost, and label it.

Now it’s time to give your pots a good drink!

How long does it take to grow a sunflower?

Your sunflower seeds should germinate and start to grow within 1-2 weeks.

How to care for sunflowers in pots

If there’s still a chance of overnight frost outdoors, you need to give your pots a bit of protection or the seeds won’t germinate and grow well. A sunny windowsill is perfect, you can also put them in a greenhouse or cold frame. Move your pots outdoors when the risk of frost has gone.

If you’re growing sunflowers in a pot in late spring, it’s usually fine to leave them outside.

Wherever you put your pots, check the compost regularly, and water them if it feels dry.                            You’re aiming to keep the compost moist, not really soggy.

If you’ve got your sunflower seedlings on a windowsill, you may need to turn the pots around every now            and then, to stop the seedlings leaning towards the light.

As your sunflowers grow taller, you will probably need to support the stems with canes. Simply push the cane into the compost, and use a small length of string to tie the stem to the cane. Don’t tie your string too tight, because the stem will get thicker as the plant grows.

You can transfer your sunflower plants to bigger pots as they grow. Choose a suitably sized pot and add some compost to the bottom. Then take your plant and pop it into the new one, and fill up any gaps around the sides and top with more compost. Finish off by watering your plant. (The pots will allow the roots to grow through into your new compost.)