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How to Germinate Sunflowers With Paper Towels

Germination occurs when a seed coating splits open and a sprout emerges. Most seeds require moisture and warm temperatures in order to germinate, and while many plants will germinate in the soil, some plants and flowers are best germinated before planting. To successfully grow sunflowers from seeds, germinate the sunflower seeds first with a few paper towels. This process is simple and straightforward and requires only a couple of weeks and a little bit of attention.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper towels
  • Water
  • Spray bottle
  • Plate
  • Sunflower seeds
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fold two paper towels in half. Fold them both in half again, resulting in two paper towel squares that are one-fourth of the size of the original paper towels.

    • 2

      Put fresh water into a spray bottle and secure the lid. Place one folded paper towel square on a clean plate and spray it several times with the water.

    • 3

      Arrange raw sunflower seeds on the damp paper towel, with 1/2-inch of space between each sunflower seed.

    • 4

      Place the second paper towel square on top of the sunflower seeds. Spray with the water bottle until it is damp.

    • 5

      Wait two days, then spray the top paper towel square with water again. Continue spraying the top paper towel with water every other day until the seeds begin to sprout. This should take anywhere from one to two weeks.

    • 6

      Plant the sunflower seeds that have a green sprout 1/4-inch deep in soil that has been enriched with compost.