Growing Advice
Did you plant 2 sunflower seeds in a Seed Survivor cup? Wondering how to take care of them now?
Most importantly, you will need the 4 key elements for growing a healthy plant:
SOIL & NUTRIENTS:
Your seeds were planted in nutrient-rich soil. Where do nutrients come from?
(Pssst…Click here if you can’t remember)
ROOTS: Hopefully you left room for the roots to grow. The further down the seeds are in the cup the longer it will take to see them sprout.
SOIL: Don’t squish, squeeze, or compact the soil. Your seeds need loose soil to germinate.
WATER:
Add enough clean water so the soil feels moist.
USE A SPOON: Water your plant using a large soup spoon. Roughly 1 spoonful to start.
Increase the amount as your sunflowers begin to grow.
Remember: too much water and the seeds will drown. Too little water and the seeds will dry up.
SUN:
Take off the lid and place your cup in a sunny window.
WHY: Plants use the sun’s energy to make their own food. This process is called photosynthesis.
TRANSPLANTING:
Keep the plants in the Seed Survivor cup until they are roughly 3 inches tall or the size of your hand. Then, transplant your sunflowers into larger pots or outside so they can continue to grow.
- Separate the roots with your hands, but be careful – the roots are fragile.
- Make sure your sunflower is planted in at least 2 feet of soil to grow healthy roots.
Remember: your plant needs protection. If you are planting your sunflower outside, plant it in an area that has lots of sunshine and protection from pests and weather.
EXTRA ADVICE :
- If the shell appears above the ground once your plant starts to grow, remove the shell from the bud. The plant won’t grow properly with the shell over it.
- You can gently tie a string from the stem to a straight stick (i.e. Popsicle stick) to keep your sunflower growing up right.
- Seeds may sprout as quickly as 3 days after planting and grow over 7 feet tall if properly cared for.
You can find even more growing advice here
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DID YOU KNOW…
Striped sunflower seeds are best for eating and black sunflower seeds are best for oil?
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5 Cool Things to do with your Giganteus Sunflower:
- Harvest the seeds and roast them for a nutritious snack
- Replant the seeds to grow more sunflowers
- Feed your pet (hamsters, rabbits and birds love to snack on sunflower seeds!)
- Cut off the flowers and put them in a vase
- Make an outdoor bird feeder *instructions here
Would you like to submit your own photos to show other kids the plants you grew? Or ask a professional Agronomist (plant expert) for advice?
Scroll down for more!
Featured Advice:
Holden, age 3, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Holden and his Mom, Tina, grew this Seed Survivor flower after visiting us at Aggie Days in Calgary. They said, “we transplanted it from the cup to outside when it was about 1foot tall.
We picked a sunny spot for the flower and helped it remain sturdy with a stake.
We watered every day or every second day and it took off!”
Akemi Moore, age 10, Modesto, California, USA
We put the pot under our glow light as soon as Akemi got home from school the day she had your class.Since Akemi planted 2 seeds in the pot and both sprouted, we kept the taller one and snipped the other.
We left it there until the height was about the same as the cup, and then planted it outside at the end of February (it warms up during the day in California even in February).
We watered it every day. When it grew about the height of our knee, we supported it with a stake with a twisty tie.We put water-soluble organic fertilizer every 2 weeks or so, and it grew and grew and grew!!!
Marco Sanchez, age 9, Hansen, Idaho, USA
Marco planted seeds during a Seed Survivor presentation at his school, Hansen Elementary. Marco should be very proud of his seeds that are growing healthy and strong! His Mom, Tina, told us this has been very therapeutic for him.
Thanks for sharing your picture, Marco and Tina!
Jaida Lacombe, age 5, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Jaida planted two seeds at Seed Survivor during the Calgary Stampede Aggie Days. After two months the sunflowers were bigger than her!
Jaida and her Mom, Sandi, offer advice once you’ve planted seeds in a cup filled with nutrient-rich soil: Keep the soil moist, put the seeds in a sunny window (they sprout in less than 72 hours) and after 2-3 weeks, depending on weather, transplant them outside in an area sheltered from the wind (and hungry bunnies – which have eaten Jaida’s sunflowers in the past!). Sandi and Jaida said they “appreciate the agriculture programs…as this is the only connection to agriculture that many kids in today’s world have.”
Taylor Grover, age 2, Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada
In May 2011, Lesley Ewoniak and her two year old daughter, Taylor Grover visited Seed Survivor in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. They planted a sunflower seed and took it home to grow in their garden.
Taylor watered it every day with her ducky watering can and Lesley said, “There were many times that I had to stop her since she would keep watering it the whole time we were in the garden!
Taylor was about 3 feet tall in the picture and it’s clear that her sunflower is a success!
