After Sunflowers Sprout, What Should Be Done With Them?

Sunflowers are a versatile plant that can be cared for throughout their life cycle, including during their flowering stage. They are fairly drought-tolerant but require frequent watering to create strong roots and prevent toppling in windy weather. After flowering, it is essential to deadhead them by removing the spent flower heads and trimming away any dead leaves or wilted petals to promote new growth and tidiness.

After flowering, sunflowers can be harvested for themselves and shared with birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. To care for sunflowers, plant them 1 inch deep after the last frost, in loamy soil with good drainage and full sun. Keep the soil moist while establishing the plant, but let the soil dry out between planting stages.

When planting, keep an eye on the area to ensure no new sunflowers start to sprout. If they do, you can easily pull them out and start the process over again. Leave the heads on the plant for as long as possible, compost them, and watch for volunteer sunflowers next year in areas where the seeds fell. Sunflowers reseed freely, so it is important to keep them in their permanent location when planting.

After flowering, leave the faded flowerhead intact so that birds can feast on the seeds. Keep sunflower seedlings warm and well watered, and repot them into the next size larger pot each month. Cut them off, place them in a protected place away from rodents, and dry them for a couple of weeks. Use them for bird seed over the winter, and plant multiple seeds in one spot to ensure they will grow and thin the blooms later on. Water the freshly planted seeds regularly.