To get your sunflowers to stand up straight, stake them. Growing sunflowers in containers, instead of the ground, can also keep them from getting very tall because the roots cannot spread out as much and this stunts the growth. You will have to cut the stems back to make them shorter during this process. Prune your plants, trimming away new growth, in late spring and in late summer. You can exercise some control over how tall your sunflowers get but it takes regular maintenance. Can you control the height of a sunflower? Sunflowers also get droopy toward the end of their life cycle, so this could merely be a part of their natural journey. Sunflowers that are not standing straight and tall may be suffering from dehydration because they aren't getting enough water. Water the flowers regularly to see if this perks them up a bit. These flowers like to get at least one inch of water every single week. Sunflowers like a lot of water, so it's possible your droopy plans just are not getting enough moisture. Younger sunflowers that are droopy, however, indicate that they aren't getting enough water. If mature sunflowers are drooping, this is really because the blossoms are so large and heavy and it's a natural occurrence with the plant. Keep Sunflowers from Falling Over FAQ How do you get sunflowers to stand up? Spread a large bank of compost manure around the base of the plant every few weeks, making sure to level the soil as much as possible so it won't wash away during a storm you don't want to expose the roots of the sunflower to the open air. Mounding promotes root growth and adds a lot of nutrients to the soil. If you don't want to dig a pit, simply place dirt around the sunflower on level ground. This secures the roots and helps prevent the sunflower from uprooting in strong winds.ĭig a pit at the beginning of the year when you start planting, and then continue to fill it up as the plant grows larger. Mounding is done by putting topsoil or composted manure around the sunflower. Also be sure you use a non-abrasive cord or string that won't cause damage to the stem of the sunflower.Īnother way to prevent a sunflower from falling over is to create a mound around the base of the plant. This will give the sunflower enough room to move around. Secure the flowers to the poles loosely, leaving a space that is a little bit larger than the width of the stem. Make sure you don't tie the sunflower too tightly, as this may cause damage by choking out the plant. Tying the sunflower to the stakes is an important step, but one that can't be started until your plants have begun to grow. Because the purpose of staking is to keep your sunflowers secure, it's very important to make sure the stake is firmly planted in the ground. Step 3 - Drive the Stakesĭrive each bamboo pole into the holes you've started, using a mallet if necessary to make sure it is at least a few feet into the ground. For giant sunflowers, consider using a full 12-foot bamboo rod with a very large diameter. For sunflowers, it's a good idea to use stakes that will end up being about half the size of the grown plant, so for smaller varieties of sunflower, which only grow six to eight feet, use stakes of about three or four feet. Bamboo stakes come in a wide range of sizes, from a few feet all the way up to 12-foot poles. Purchase the sunflower stakes from a garden center or nursery. If you dig or place stakes into the ground after the sunflowers have begun to grow, you risk damaging their root system. Prepare for these stakes by starting small holes along the length of your flowerbed, before planting the sunflowers themselves. To properly stake a sunflower, you need a large bamboo pole or rod driven into the ground to attach it to. A really bad storm can destroy a whole crop of sunflowers if you aren't careful. If your sunflowers are located near a tree line, fence, or building, staking can also help in the event that these surrounding structures fall and cause damage during inclement weather.
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