Dwarf Sunspot Sunflower Seeds

Sow Sunspot Sunflower seeds directly outdoors when soil temperature hits 65°F. Push each Dwarf Sunspot Sunflower seed half an inch into the soil, space them 12 to 18 inches apart, water once, and leave them alone. Sunspot Swarf Sunflower seeds germinate in 7 to 10 days. Indoor starts work if you have a short season, but only in peat or paper pots that go into the ground intact, because Sunflower taproots hate disturbance.

Heirloom Sunspot seeds need at least six hours of direct sun and eight is better. Flower can tolerate poor ground, but if you want the full 10-inch bloom you need decent loam with a pH around 6.5 and steady moisture during bud formation. Avoid high-nitrogen feeds because they push leafy growth at the cost of flower size. Water deeply once a week during the first month and then ease off, since Dwarf Sunspot Sunflower roots can pull water from deep down once the plant has settled in.

There is no need to stake heirloom Dwarf Sunflower Sunspot. If you want a branching plant, then leave the side buds untouched. If you want one large central bloom then pinch all side buds once they appear. For the vase, cut flowers first thing in the morning when the petals have just started peeling back from the disc. For seed harvest, leave the heads alone until the back of the disc turns brown and the seeds rattle loose under your thumb, then cut the head with a foot of stem and slip a mesh bag over it to finish drying indoors.