How to grow sunflowers strong and not too long (what to do if they grow too long but don't bloom)

How to prevent sunflowers from growing too tall

「1」Maintain sufficient light and pay attention to water control

The main reason for the excessive growth of succulent plants is long-term lack of sunlight and excessive watering. Therefore, in daily management of sunflowers, in addition to allowing them to receive sufficient light, the frequency of watering should also be controlled. Watering should not be too casual and should be done when the soil is basically dry.

In an open-air environment, you should consider the recent weather conditions and there is no need to water as long as the soil is not dry.

「2」Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer application

Sunflowers are very hard-flowering plants, so it is not advisable to apply too much nitrogen fertilizer to prevent the branches from growing too vigorously, which will make them grow too long. You can mainly use water-soluble fertilizers or granular slow-release fertilizers rich in phosphorus and potassium elements, and pay attention to applying thin fertilizers frequently.

「3」Prune appropriately after blooming

Sunflowers are very resistant to pruning. After the excessive growth and the end of the first flowering period, they can be pruned on a large scale to cut off some excessively long branches, weak branches and dead flowers. This will help dwarf the plant and promote new branching.

After pruning, adding a little phosphorus and potassium fertilizer every week will soon make it bloom again. In addition, the pruned branches can be easily grafted, and pruning can also turn one pot into multiple pots.

If you don’t want to cut the overgrown sunflowers, you can also use them to grow lollipop sunflowers

In recent years, with the rise of various fancy lollipop seedlings, sunflowers have also joined the camp. The leggy sunflowers that are reluctant to be pruned are just right for growing as lollipops.

The production process is also quite simple: just add a sunflower lollipop stand, tie the overgrown sunflower branches to the stand with gardening straps, and finally plant them in a pot of appropriately sized.

When the branches cover the entire support, it creates a sense of layering and is very ornamental, which is worth a try!