If your sunflowers are growing tall and strong, they’re probably getting too big for their pots. Are you ready to repot them or plant them outside if you have the space? We call this transplanting. Danny’s back to show you how:
Transplanting to a bigger pot (minimum 12 inches/30 cm wide and has a drainage hole):
1. Fill your pot with multi-purpose compost mixed with some outside soil.
2. Dig a small hole, enough to fit your sunflower’s roots in (3 inches/15 cm deep). You don’t want to plant deeper than the original dimensions of the nursery pot.
3. Place your fingers over the nursery pot containing your sunflower seedling and turn upside down.
4. Remove the pot and let any excess soil fall off the sunflower's roots.
5. Carefully plant the roots into the pot leaving the green seedling above. If the hole you dug is too deep, just fill it back up with multipurpose compost.
6. Cover the roots with multipurpose compost and level it off.
7. Water!
Transplanting outside:
1. Choose a spot for your sunflower; somewhere sheltered that won’t experience strong winds.
2. Dig a small hole, enough to fit your sunflower’s roots in (3 inches/15 cm deep). You don’t want to plant deeper than the original dimensions of the nursery pot.
3. Place your fingers over the nursery pot containing your sunflower seedling and turn upside down.
4. Remove the pot and let any excess soil fall off the sunflower's roots.
5. Carefully plant the roots into the ground leaving the green seedling above ground. If your hole is too deep, fill it back up with the outside soil or compost.
6. Cover the roots with soil and level it off.
7. Water!
Get to know wildlife
Now your sunflowers plants are outside, they’ll join a community of wildlife living nearby and on your plants. The environmental education charity, Field Studies Council, have some posters that'll help you identify sunflower friends and foes.
Keeping your sunflowers protected
Slugs love nibbling on leaves, so to keep them at bay try wildlife friendly pellets (others can harm birds and hedgehogs), eggshells, grit or a plastic bottle collar to encircle the plant. Creating a physical barrier between slugs and plants.
Sunflower grower Nikki setting a great examples by using bottles
to stop the birds, squirrels and pests eating them.
Because you’ve been hardening them to survive outside, the move outside will allow them to flourish into huge radiant sunflowers.
Ended up with lots of re-potted sunflowers? Give them as gifts to friends and neighbours! Send us a pic of your sunflower gifts and let us know how you’re getting on.
Once you’ve transplanted all your plants, go ahead and tick off week 6 on your calendar.
We’re half way!
Catch Danny in The Instant Gardener on Together TV or tune into the nation’s favourite, Garden Rescue. Check our TV guide for times
Click here if you need a recap of Week 5's content 'Hardening Off'.
