Grow Sunflowers for daughter’s wedding- Calgary, Ab

by Annette
(Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Sunflower 'Pro Cut Red'

I need 60 single stem sunflowers 4’-6’ varieties to grow in a small space. The varieties are pro-cut Red and Pro-cut orange from Sunflowerselections.com. My question is what is the maturity time? I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and thought the temperature may slow down the maturity. The wedding is Sept 17 and I would like to have them mature in time. When should I start seeding?

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Mar 13, 2022

Schedule for growing sunflowers
by: Jacki Cammidge, Certified Horticulturist

On the seed package, it will tell you how many days to maturity - for some varieties, this will mean how soon the seeds will mature in the case of edible sunflower seeds. For ornamental types, this won't be as long a time frame.

So generally, sunflowers prefer warm soil to start to grow in, so starting them before the end of April is not a good idea. The soil needs to be above 10 degrees Celcius, or the seeds will rot before they germinate. They should be seeded in the place they are to grow.

They prefer light soil, not compacted. It doesn't need to be enriched with lots of manure, they prefer it to be deeply dug, to give the long taproots somewhere to go. Keep in mind that the tall stems tend to make these plants top-heavy, so give them some protection from wind.

The Pro series of sunflowers take 50-60 days to mature, so count backwards from the date you'll want to have them ready to get the seeding date. With a September wedding, you'll have lots of time to get them growing and flowering. I might do a couple of seedings, just so you have a back up. They should be spaced at about 20 cm apart for best growth. You can start them indoors and transplant them too.

The website where you purchased your seeds from has an extensive library of articles, all designed to help you be successful with your sunflowers. Look under the 'Tips and Advice' tab.

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