Keep the soil moist, but not soaking wet, until the sprouts emerge from the soil. While the sprouts are still small and fragile, water 3 to 4 inches (7.5 to 10 cm) away from the plant, to encourage root growth without washing the plants away. Birds, squirrels, and snails love sunflower seeds, and may dig them up even before the sprouts have emerged. Cover the ground with netting to make this more difficult without blocking sprouts. Place snail bait or snail repellent in a circle to form a barrier around your planting area. If deer are in your area, encircle the plants with chicken wire once they start growing leaves. You can use a 36 inch (91 cm) piece of chicken wire to surround the leaves and use a few 6 ft. (1.8 m) bamboo poles or wooden stakes to raise the chicken wire as the sunflowers grow. This should protect them from deer. Once the plants have formed stems and an established root system, reduce the watering frequency to once a week. Water generously during the weekly session, and increase the amount of water in dry weather. Sunflowers require more water than most other annual flowers. The period before and after your plant grows flower buds is a critical time and not getting enough water may damage it. Continue to water the your sunflowers weekly once the flower buds start to form. Once the flowers are about 3 in (7.5 cm) tall, remove the smaller, weaker flowers until the remainder are spaced at least 1 ft (30 cm) apart. This will give the larger, healthier sunflowers more space and nutrients, resulting in taller stalks and larger blooms. Skip this step if you want small blooms to arrange in bouquets, or if you planted at this spacing to begin with. If you are growing sunflowers for your own enjoyment, fertilization is not recommended, since they grow well without it and can suffer if overfed. If you are trying to grow extra-tall sunflowers, or growing them as a crop, dilute the fertilizer in water and pour into a "moat" around the plant, well away from the base. A balanced or nitrogen-rich fertilizer are likely the best options. Another option is a one time application of slow-release fertilizer, worked into the soil. Plants over 3 ft (0.9 m) may need to be supported with stakes, as do varieties that produce multiple branches. Tie the stalk loosely to the stake using cloth or other soft material. . Sunflower blooms often last 30–45 days. Toward the end of this period, the green back of the flower head will begin to turn brown. If you want to gather seeds for roasting, or for next year's planting, cover the flowers with paper bags to protect them from birds. Cut off the flowers once fully dry. If left alone, the flowers will drop seeds for next year's crop. Harvesting them yourself guarantees protection from pests, however.
حافظ على رطوبة التربة حول النباتات الصغيرة. احمِّ النباتات من الآفات. اروِ النباتات الناضحة أسبوعيًا. قلِّم النباتات (اختياري). أضف سمادًا قليلًا للنبات أو لا تُضفه على الإطلاق. ادعم النباتات إذا لزم الأمر. احصد البذور (اختياري).