They were planted in some dollar store potting mix and sit by the balcony door that gets mid day and evening sun, always lots of light during the day.
by joho_the_king
They were planted in some dollar store potting mix and sit by the balcony door that gets mid day and evening sun, always lots of light during the day.
by joho_the_king
19 Comments
They’re ready to go outside and be planted in the sun!
Sunflowers are huge, so their roots underground will be huge too. They cannot survive in small pots. Their length tells me they need more direct sun and they need to be planted where their roots can find nutrients, deeply in the soil
Stretching for light so they’re leggy. Should put a grow light very close to them in the future. Also, I’ve always planted them directly into the ground when the weather was good
It’s called etiolazation. It’s stretching and very thin stems caused by the plant being grown in relative darkness and it is stretching to search for light. They’re super chlorotic because the plant doesn’t invest energy in making chlorophyll since it’s being grown in the dark.
At this point, they’re so stretched they may never become healthy or attractive plants. Might be easier to start over.
Remember, almost all plants grow outdoors in pretty bright light.
Too far from light source – also since they stretched for light it’s best to add supports of some type (pipe cleaners etc)
Dude just put the seed right in the ground in absolutely full sunlight.
These are leggy af and done for. If they grow into tall happy healthy plants id be surprised.
Yeet em, start over in the ground.
Sunflowers grow so fast under the right conditions and need so much sun, it’s really not worth starting them indoors…ditto for zinnias, cosmos, and similar flowers. I’d recommend starting over with seeds planted directly in the ground when your frost date has passed and your soil has had some time to warm up.
I thought we would have enough light to start them inside before moving them to large pots to live on our balcony. Guess I was wrong on that one.
Will start over with them in the big pots on the balcony.
Any recommendations for the best way to do the soil in the pots to help them grow well?
Started too early indoors. A lot of people get really excited to plant ahead. Sunflowers need a lot of light and a lot of warmth. Though I understand the intention, these plants have sort of been set up for failure. If you were to put them straight out in the sun, they’d probably burn up. I would research the concept of “hardening off”.
Some people have said to plant straight in the ground— that doesn’t work for me when it comes to sunflower seeds because of squirrels and birds. It does work for me to start sunflowers in seed trays, but to be mindful of when I decide to start them. Starting them later will set you up for better success than starting them earlier. I also always move the trays around according to the temperature. Here in southern Appalachia, right now, it’s hot and sunny during the day and cold and night and in the morning— so, I have the seed trays out in full sun during the day and I bring them in at night. This mimics their natural growing needs. I would still do a new tray if I were you, but Instead of throwing the old seeds out, I would experiment with “hardening off” those seedlings. This process is most important for your own observation of thr plants. Getting to understand the needs of the plants V your needs of the plants really helps to up the gardening game. Good luck!
Starved for light
Because the sunflower 🌻 needs sun 🌞.
They don’t have light. You should start the seeds in the ground outside in full sun. Sunflowers do not transplant well because of their deep taproots
They like direct sunlight. They are searching for it.
Sunflowers need full sun. Plus most have a large tap root, so need a large deep pot or direct sow in ground.
wow
They’re full sun plants. They should have just being sowed directly into the ground. They etiolated due to not enough light. Inside light is nothing like outdoors, and if it had no view of the sky immediately beside the window, even worse
The soil is wet and the environment is dark and the terra cotta pots is junk
plant them in-ground gardening in sunshine warmth before their dead
lots of sunshine outdoors and then you can be watering them regularly
Sunflowers have great roots for breaking up clay soil, natural aeration. I plant and mark with a painted stick, because sometimes the squirrels eat them up, and the sticks help me track my success rate!
In need of more sunlight (longer exposure to the sun)
Not enuf light.