In the kindergarten it is often common for different flowers and vegetables to be sown. If there is still birdseed from the winter, you can simply pull the beautiful sunflowers out of the sunflower seeds.
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draw sunflowers
You don’t have to have a large garden to grow sunflowers ( Helianthus annuus ). The decorative flowers also grow in a pot or on a small area. The only important things are the right location and the right time for sowing. Then the sunflowers grow almost all by themselves with a little water and the children can watch. In this way, the instructions below can be followed and the children will see the success of their efforts in the summer. The seeds for this can be obtained as follows:
- from leftover bird seed
- select all sunflower seeds
- prepare for sowing as usual
- alternatively seed mixture from the trade
The right moment
When the seeds go into the ground depends on whether the sunflowers are to be cultivated in a container or directly in the garden bed. In this way, seeds can be sown early in the year if the container can remain in a warm and bright room for the first few weeks before being taken outside. When sowing in the garden bed, it should be noted that the temperatures, especially on the ground, have already risen a little. Therefore, the following times are ideal for sowing:
- in the pot from February
- Place the pot on a bright window sill
- outside on warm days
- in the garden bed at the end of March or April
- Soil heat should be around 8° Celsius
- protect with fleece on cold days/nights
Prepare sowing
So that the sunflower seeds can be sown, they should be dry. Nut dumpling kernels are therefore not so well suited because they were usually held together with fat in the dumpling. As a result, fat could have gotten into the kernels and caused them to stick together. Sunflower seeds from bird seed from the bag are well suited for growing the flowers. These are usually already dry enough. Further preparation of the seeds before sowing is not necessary.
Aussäen
If the seeds are sown, the bed, alternatively the pot, should be prepared accordingly.
Since the sunflowers will later need enough space, it depends on the size of the container how many flowers should be sown here. So you can put two to three seeds in a bucket with a circumference of about one meter. However, the ideal is to only grow one plant in each pot. In the bed, the following should be observed when sowing:
- about 75 cm between rows
- Spacing of the seeds in the rows about 45 cm
- Stick the seeds deep in the ground
- about four to six centimeters
soil condition
The decorative sunflower needs a lot of nutrients right from the start of sowing. This way the plant as well as the flower head get nice and big. Therefore, the garden soil must be well prepared before sowing according to the following instructions:
- Create drainage to prevent waterlogging
- especially important in the vessel
- mix sandy soil with compost and horn shavings
- sandy soil lacks nutrients
- Mix normal garden soil with compost as well
- ideally four weeks before sowing
- Compost can decompose in this way
- Nutrients are available as soon as the seed is sown
- normal potting soil can also be used in the container
location
As the name of the plant suggests, it needs to be sunny. But that’s not the only requirement that puts the decorative sunflower in the ideal location. It should also look like this:
- sheltered from the wind
- very tall sunflowers can break
- in front of a high fence
- in front of a wall
- always on the south side
- alternatively tie to a trellis
maintenance
Care begins after sowing. The children in the kindergarten can also be well involved in this. Because the seeds and later the plants need a lot of water to thrive and grow well. Therefore, care should be taken to the following:
- Water daily on warm sunny days
- right in the morning when kindergarten starts
- Also check potted plants on rainy days
- often not enough rainwater gets in here
- Also check the soil on the windowsill every day
- if leaves and flowers hang, watering is necessary
- fertilize once or twice a week
- Add liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water
- Make nettle manure yourself with the children
It is important that the sunflower gets a lot of everything. In this case, the motto is, a lot helps a lot. This applies to both fertilizer and watering.
