Does the bright face of a golden sunflower cheer you up? Did you plant hundreds of sunflower seeds, hoping to stay continuously cheerful, only to realize now you need to thin them out? Or maybe some just popped up in the wrong location. Never fear! You can safely move your beloved sunflowers to a more appropriate place and enjoy their beauty for the rest of the season.
There are over sixty varieties of sunflowers, each with specific growth and care needs. However, the basics are largely the same. After planting the seeds—whether indoors or outdoors—you may need to transplant or thin them out in the garden. The process will take some time, but it should result in undamaged sprouts or flowers in the end.
When Transplanting Seedlings
Seedlings are delicate until their stems thicken and develop into sturdy stalks. When moving them from an indoor germination flat to the outdoors, extra care is necessary. Choose a location that receives full sun or only partial shade for the best results. Do not plant outdoors until all danger of frost has passed, as cold weather can freeze the tender stems, causing them to die and fail to regrow.
Start by digging small holes where you want to move your seedlings. Ensure they are spaced far enough apart so their roots will have ample room to grow. You don’t want to have to re-transplant them in another month because they were spaced too closely. Dig holes about two or three inches deep. Loosen the soil around the hole to help the roots take hold on the sides and bottom.
Place the sunflower in the center of the hole and cover it with soil. Gently pat down the soil so it is firm enough to keep the sunflower in place. Water the area to help the roots recover and establish themselves after the transplant.
If your seedlings are small and don’t stand up on their own, consider using a stake. Metal or wooden stakes can be placed next to the seedling and tied with string. Popsicle sticks or wooden stakes, cut to the size of the seedling, work best. The stakes will also help protect the plants from damage caused by heavy rain or high winds.
Like all young sprouts, sunflowers will attract wildlife. Rabbits, in particular, love eating the tender green stems of sunflowers. It’s not uncommon for a beautiful row of sprouts to grow to six inches tall, only to be completely mowed down overnight by a hungry rabbit or deer. A fence made of wire or mesh can help keep them out, at least until the seedlings are tall enough to lose the rabbits’ interest. For deer, the fence would need to be at least eight feet tall, but even that isn’t guaranteed. Placing human or animal hair near the seedlings may also help repel wildlife.
When Transplanting Older Plants
When digging up an older sunflower, make sure to dig wide around the plant. If you dig too close to the stalk, you could damage the roots, preventing the plant from recovering. The farther out you dig, the more roots will remain intact. Dig straight down to avoid cutting the largest roots. If the soil is heavy, shake off the excess dirt before moving the plant to its new location.
Choose a location and dig a hole that’s six to eight inches deep, and wide enough to accommodate the plant’s roots. If the plant has a lot of roots, dig even deeper to provide them with adequate space to grow. Loosen the dirt around the hole so the roots have access to air and can easily latch on.
Place the plant in the center of the hole, cover it with dirt, and pack it down to secure the plant in place. Water the sunflower generously to help the roots recover from the trauma of being moved. A mature plant typically won’t need stakes if it is planted deep enough.
Care
Sunflowers generally don’t require fertilizer under normal growing conditions. However, if you have unusual soil, consider using fertilizer lightly. Sunflowers are hardy plants, but too much chemical interference can harm them.
Once the sunflower has bloomed, birds will start to notice and feed on the seeds in the center. Leave the sunflower up until the next planting season to provide birds with an abundant food supply throughout the winter. Once the seeds are gone, you can either cut the heads off or pull the entire stalk out of the ground. Then, begin your new crop for the next season!
8 Responses
Can I dig up sunflowers after they have gone to seed or gone dormit. If I harvest seed must I chill them for any length of time before planting? Should I add lime and or sand? Thanks Ed
I was growing a sunflower for the first time in a hot house to get it started. Soon it reached the roof of the hot house, (6 FEET)!! so without checking this article, I decided to move him outside.
I did exactly as stated, as I like to think I have a green thumb like my Dad did. I dug a nice deep wide hole in an outside location that gets lots of both sun and shade. I carefully dug down and around the roots and carefully carried him to his new home. I placed him gently in the hole and covered him with a nice big mound of dirt. But when I stood up to admire him, he had completely wilted, just that fast 🙁
I immediately gave him a nice big drink of water and thought he’d bounce back. I gave him another drink last night, and again this morning, but as of yet he hasn’t bounced back. Any suggestions please?
Did you ever figure it out? I dont want to ruin them
I’ve had sunflowers come back from completely snapped stems with a little bit of plant food and a whole lot of water. Not all the time, but that’s how I’ve managed to save a few.
I think you are giving it too much water.
I’ve just experienced a similar situation as Joni. I tried to transplant some your stalks (less than 1 feet) from a semi-shaded spot to full sun. I dug up the soil in the new location, but I think it has more clay than the other location, and I didn’t add any potting soil. The 3 plants are willting away! Very sad! 🙁
I have a sunflower that is 1 1/2 feet tall, 2 feet wide and in a large pot. It is infested with ants and the leaves are turning brown so I decided to transplant it to my garden. I read it could be from over or under watering and the roots could start to mold. I started it in the pot because we have unforgiving chipmunks that will not allow a sprout to grow in the ground. The pot I have I believe is large enough to support a large sunflower but I was worried it was going downhill.. Upon trying to remove it from the pot the top probably 8 or so inches separated from the rest of the root system which went all the way down to the bottom of the pot. The roots that tore off were all very small, hairlike in size but I am concerned too many of them were separated from the stalk. There is probably a foot wide, 8 or so inch deep roots connected to the stalk. I have put in the ground and added water with fertilizer mixed in. Is there anything else I can do to preserve the flower? I’m not concerned if the growth is stunted and it doesn’t get as tall as it would normally. I just want to prevent it from dying if possible.
Kamikaze gardener here – I transplanted about 10 sunflowers in different stages this year and have done so successfully.
I actually just pulled them out of the ground after I had watered, they came out with their root ball. Once, I put 6 in the wheelbarrow after I pulled them out, grabbed my spade and dirt and mulch and rolled them to the front yard.
The first time it took about 5 days for the sunflowers to completely perk up, the second time it only took 3 because I knew what I was doing and knew what to expect.
You have to expect that they will look like they have died. The answer to that is fertilizer of some sort (I used some diluted seaweed fertilizer and sprayed it on the sunflower) and water it 2 times a day: in the morning and in the evening. Give it a nice long drink.
I pretty much did what the article said, except on the second occasion, instead of digging up the root ball, I just pulled up the flower. Then I dug a hole in my bed, put the root ball in, add soil on top of that and topped it with some heavy mulch. In my case that mulch was 6 month old straw bale that was what I would call “seasoned.” I had prepared the straw for a straw bale garden which failed and so began mulching with it. I gave them a good long drink of water after they were planted.
Strangely, the first batch that were dug up were much more droopy and for longer than the ones that I just pulled up from the ground. 2 of the pulled up from the ground were fine by the end of the day, while 3 more took a couple more days.