As if one bright sunny warm color is not enough, sunflowers offer an exceptionally inviting warmth and beauty that can enter any space. Often conceived to be the perfect garden flower and meant only for outdoors, it has often brought to mind a question: can sunflowers be grown indoors? Simply put, the answer is yes, but this has to have the proper environment to bloom inside the house. It will cover the basics on how to grow sunflowers indoors, a variety suited for indoor culture, and the tips needed to help get these smiling flowers flourishing inside four walls of a house. Why Grow Sunflowers Indoors.
Introduction
Indoor sunflowers can simply brighten up any place. They can be viewed even in the smallest space or in the colder months because they give a glimpse to nature and vibrancy within the surrounding environment. growth of indoor sunflowers is also very rewarding and even therapeutic as an activity. Indoor sunflowers can have the same health and well-being as their outdoor siblings with proper sunlight, soil, and water.
Choosing The Right Variety of Sunflowers for Growing Indoors
Not all the varieties of the sunflowers are suitable to be grown indoors. So, you should go for a dwarf sunflower or one among the mini varieties that it is pretty easy to produce indoors. Some of them are:
Dwarf sunspot sunflowers:
A compact variety and grows into about 12-18 inches, so it perfectly fits in an indoor environment.
Pacino Sunflowers. They have yellow petals. These grow up to approx. 10-12 inches.
Teddy Bear Sunflowers. It looks similar to a ball of downy fur, as its shoots can grow as tall as around 24 inches and gives a mysterious look when kept in a room.
Choose the right variety to grow indoors to maximize success in growing them.
How to Grow Sunflowers Indoors
Planting
Use top-quality sunflower seeds, and you’re planting these in pots with good drainage. Terracotta is perfect since water will find its space out of the pot to evaporate. Use potting mix with nutrients in it and a good drain mix as well. Put the seed one inch down in the soil and cover.
Sunflowers need full sun to grow. Place your pots in a south-facing window or area that receives 6–8 hours of direct sunlight per day. If you have limited natural sunlight, you can supplement with grow lights.
Watering
Water the sunflower seedlings only when the soil feels moist and not waterlogged. For mature plants, water again when the top inch of the soil is dry. Do not overwater because this will kill the roots.
Temperature and Humidity
Sunflowers prefer warmer temperatures between 65-75°F. They can tolerate indoor humidity but should not be placed in bathrooms since the areas are too damp or humid.
Fertilizing
A balanced slow release fertilizer is supporting the indoor sunflowers. The plant may be getting fertilizers monthly so they are acquiring nutrients that make the flower bloom and grow.
Provide Support Where Stems Bend
Sunflowers are big even in variety form, which sometimes calls for supports if they already bent their stems. One way of using the plants as support would be providing plant stakes.
Advantages of Growing Sunflowers Indoors
Not only does indoor growing of sunflowers bring a splash of color and energy to your decor, but it can also bring a little more of the outdoors inside the house. Sunflowers have the ability to brighten up moods, purify air, and teach kids how to care for a plant. This, however, requires solving several common challenges.
On very rare occasions, adult-grown indoor sunflowers get issues like insufficient lighting, poor watering, or also infestation by pests. Some of the tips as concerned with the solution to all these are as follows:
Problems of Lighting: Use LED grow lights for sufficient lighting if there are not enough natural lights present.
Pest Control: Organic insecticidal soap against the various types of infestation by pests like an aphid.
Watering: Water only when you find the top inch soil dry since a condition as result of excess watering named rotting of roots will automatically occur.
Conclusion
Yes, sunflowers can be grown indoors. With proper care and conditions, these iconic blooms can thrive inside your home, adding natural beauty and vibrancy to any space. From selecting the best indoor sunflower varieties to creating an optimal environment, growing sunflowers indoors is a rewarding endeavor. So grab your seeds, set up a sunny spot, and watch your sunflowers brighten up your home!
I am Amelia, a professional who is powerfully driven by an extreme passion for the minute intricacies of flowers and trees. Through years of rigorous studies and practical exposure to botany and horticulture, I managed to nurture expertise that cuts across the scientific and aesthetic fronts of plant life.