Has your seedling started to grow some true leaves?
Then it’s time to start hardening off and prepping those sunflowers for a life outside. Last year, many of you experienced the wrath of slugs and other pests when moving your sunflowers outside. Fran and Danny share their best practices, but don’t always see eye-to-eye:
Hardening off is an important process for physically preparing your sunflowers for the outside world. A plant that hasn’t adjusted can experience transplant shock if it is moved outside too fast.
Hardening off is easy. You’ll put your sunflower outside during the day and back inside overnight. You can start putting it outside from mid-late May, after the final frost because sunflowers don’t like frost.
If you notice any damage on the leaves e.g. blackened edges, the plant may be suffering from the cold or sun exposure. Make sure you keep it warm and indoors when the temperature drops.
Did you know there are hundreds of gardening communities across the UK to grow as a gardener? Find the ones near you:
Treat yourself for all your hard work with a cup of tea and your favourite TV gardener. You can get more of Danny Clarke in the Instant Gardener, be inspired as Charlie Dimmock and the Rich Brothers transform gardens in Garden Rescue or learn about the rich history of garden design with Monty Don around the world. Catch all your favourite shows on the Together TV streaming platform and even tune in live from your phone, tablet or computer!
Check out the Sunflower grower Gallery | Go to the My Sunflower Challenge Homepage
