Have you noticed your sunflower change since you fed it some fertiliser?
Last week we shared that fertiliser can help your sunflowers grow stronger, but staking is also very important as the sunflower grows.
Danny and Lisa are back to show you how to stake your sunflower:
As the sunflower gets taller, it can get wobbly. You may want to support it against something sturdy, this is called a stake. You can tie your sunflower to a bamboo stick, a robust stick or even a fence.
You’ll need a piece of twine or string; loosely loop it around your stake and sunflower in a figure of eight motion. The twine shouldn’t be too tight in the figure of eight, as the stem will still expand as the plant continues to grow after staking. So if the twine is tied too tight, it may hurt the plant/restrict growth. The figure of eight motion will create a cushion between the stake and plant because we need to protect the stem from damage caused by friction.
We hope this will help keep your sunflower upright! Have the sunflowers you gave to friends and family also grown as tall as yours?
Don’t have any bamboo sticks lying around? Ask to borrow some from your local gardening community and let them know about your growing sunflower. They’ll no doubt have more tips for nurturing it. Find you closest one with the map below:
You’re doing an incredible job; go ahead and tick week 9 off your calendar.
Keep up the great work!
Are you giving your garden a makeover this summer? Take a peek into Britain's Best Back Gardens with Alan Titchmarsh on Together TV's channel. Check our TV guide for timings.
If you wanted to rewatch Danny's tutorial of fertilising your sunflower, click here >>
