Aster plants are the eye-catchers in summer on the balcony, terrace and of course in the garden. The care of the mostly quite large plants is easy. The following article explains how to sow the decorative sunflower.
In a nutshell
- need a full sun location
- grow in pots on a windowsill or in a greenhouse in winter
- Sow outdoors after the last ground frost
- Plant seeds between two and four centimeters
- protect from birds
Table of contents
- choose location
- Ideal time
- Sow outdoors
- Cultivation in the pot
- Cultivation in the bucket
- frequently asked Questions
choose location
So that the sunflowers (Helianthus) can also thrive well over the summer, the right location must be chosen before sowing. Sunflowers have the trait of following your head with the large bloom throughout the day of the sun. This means that in the evening they stand in a different direction with their large flower head than in the morning.
The location should have the following characteristics:
- full sun
- ideally sheltered from the wind
- large varieties require a lot of space above
- in a bucket on a south-facing balcony or terrace
Tip: The smaller varieties that do not just form a flower on the stem are ideal for the terrace or balcony. These are usually no higher than two meters and are not only available in yellow but also in orange.
Ideal time
Sunflower seeds can either be sown directly into the bed or grown in suit pots on the windowsill. Cultivation in the pot can already take place in the last winter months at the end of February/beginning of March. When sowing directly into the bed, the time should be chosen later:
- after there is no more ground frost
- different from region to region
- sowing in April is possible in mild regions
- it is ideal to wait for the ice saints
- Depending on the variety, sowing is possible until the end of June
A notice: The Ice Saints are the days in May when it gets significantly colder than it was before. Ground frost can also occur again during these days. The cold usually occurs between the 11th to 15. May up.
Sow outdoors
If you want to sow the sunflowers directly into the bed, you should proceed as follows:
- Prepare the bed by loosening the soil
- Remove weeds and large stones
- fold in some sand for permeability
- Stake rows 50 centimeters apart
- Make holes evenly spaced along the rows
- Stick the seeds about two to five centimeters into the soil
- close holes
- water well
- the next time always keep soil moist
In the period that follows, the growing, heavily consuming sunflowers should be given sufficient water Sufficient nutrients should also be provided in the form of liquid fertilizer to enable them to reach their expected size to reach. Also nettle manure is a good fertilizer.
Tip: With dark germs, it is advisable to put two to three seeds in each seed hole, as not every seed will germinate. If this is the case, must piqued and the sturdiest seedling from the seed hole are left in the ground.
Cultivation in the pot
Cultivation in the pot starts earlier. It must be noted that the seedlings and later small plants should remain in the house or greenhouse until mid or late May:
- small pots with a diameter of ten to twelve centimetres
- use potting soil
- two to three seeds in a pot
- two inches deep
- a constant temperature of 15 degrees Celsius is ideal
- Germination occurs within the next two weeks
- Remove weak seedlings from the pot
- place the strongest plant in the pot in a sunny spot
An indoor greenhouse, which can find a place in a stairwell or a bedroom, is also suitable for a constant temperature during germination in the house. It is important that the pots are not placed in the immediate vicinity of the warm heater.
A notice: Since sunflowers germinate in the dark, the pots do not need direct sunlight in the first few weeks before the seedling emerges. In the first few weeks, the temperature is therefore more important than the brightness.
Cultivation in the bucket
If the sunflowers are to be cultivated in a bucket on the terrace or balcony, then there are also two sowing options. The small plants are brought forward in the pot and later repotted in the selected larger containers. However, the seeds can be placed directly in the bucket:
- Lay drainage over the drain hole
- Fill in potting soil for potted plants
- smaller varieties can be used at a distance of 20 centimeters
- Poke holes two to five centimeters deep
- sow two to three seeds per hole
- fill up
- water well
- prick out when seedlings appear
- further procedure as with the bedding plants
frequently asked Questions
Sheep cold days are early to mid-June. Polar air also flows in here again. However, there is usually no more ground frost these days. It's just getting damp and cooler. The name goes back to the sensitivity of freshly shorn sheep to the cold, most of which have already been shorn for the summer.
So that the birds in search of food do not find the sunflower seeds that have just been sown, they should be planted deep enough in the ground. A close-meshed net at the beginning until germination over the bed offers additional protection. However, you are on the safe side if you first encourage the seeds to germinate and then distribute them in the bed.
Sunflowers can be very large and, depending on the variety, very expansive. It is important that the plants do not get in each other's way, but that they can also offer each other sufficient protection against twisting in strong winds. A distance of 50 centimeters all around is ideal.
