I have always loved sunflowers but have never grown them. Anything I should know first? AR

Sunflowers are a great addition to any garden. Birds will love them, and they can serve as a food source for both animals and people.

The flower head on sunflowers is actually a concentration of hundreds of tiny flowers we call florets. Sunflower seeds are individual fruits that forms on the head of the sunflower and the large yellow petals that surround the flower head are interestingly colorful protective leaves.

While it’s logical to assume the sunflower gets its name from the bright yellow leaves on the stereotypical sunflower, it more likely called a sunflower for the way the flower head tracks the sun during the day. This tracking allows the plant to absorb as much sunlight as possible through a process called heliotropism.

We’ve had a cool spring, but now would be a good time to plant sunflower seeds since they prefer soil temps of at least 60 degrees for germination. For best results you’ll want a location with full sun.

Plant your sunflower seeds about 6 inches apart at a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Depending on which ones germinate, thin them to about one plant every 12 to 15 inches. If you are planting a lot of sunflowers in rows, allow 2 to 3 feet between rows. Sunflowers are not high maintenance, but you will need to keep them irrigated

There are a few insects that might find your sunflowers tasty such as leaf-footed bugs, stink bugs, or aphids. Because of this, sunflowers are often grown as a “trap crop” to lure unwanted insects away from the vegetables in your garden. Sunflowers will also serve as an attractor of beneficial insects.

Sunflowers can occasionally exhibit symptoms of powdery mildew or rust but if your plants are healthy, they will likely do fine. If not, you can apply copper fungicide or neem oil. Be sure to test the neem oil on a small area first because heat in combination with horticultural oils can damage plants.

If you are growing your sunflowers with the intention of eating the seeds, you can expect maturity in the early fall. You will begin to see signs of maturity when the back side of the flower head begins to turn from green to more of a yellowish brown. The flower head will also begin to point toward the ground. When this happens, you will notice that the tiny little flowers have dried and fallen out, leaving the mature seeds exposed.

To harvest these seeds, cut off the seed heads leaving about a foot of attached stalk then hang them in a well-ventilated, warm, dry place for several weeks. When appropriately dried, you can rub the seeds of with your hands or by brushing flower seed heads together to release the seeds.

While most of us think of sunflowers as yellow, there are a lot of varieties ranging from yellow to orange to brownish-orange and most everything in between. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org.

Photo courtesy of Todd Johnson