How to Grow Peredovik Sunflowers

Prepare the area where you want to plant your Peredovik sunflowers. Use the hoe or garden cultivator to loosen the soil and destroy any weeds in the area. Because these plants need fertile soil to produce seeds, work compost into the soil as you till the dirt. For areas with clay soil, mix in sand as you work in the compost to improve drainage. If you are planting a large field of Peredovik sunflowers, use a tractor to till up the soil.

Plant the Peredovik seeds to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. If you want only a few plants in your garden, space the seeds 8 to 10 inches apart, placing three to five seeds per planting hole. If you are planting an entire field of sunflowers, spread the seeds at a rate of 30 to 40 lbs. per acre. For smaller fields, use 1 lb. of seed for every 1000 square feet.

Water the area thoroughly after you plant. Keep the area moist, but not wet, and the seeds will sprout within two weeks. If birds or squirrels are digging up your seeds, protect the area with bird netting or other barrier that allows light and moisture through to the soil.

Thin your seedlings if you are growing only a few plants in your yard. Once the seedlings reach 5 or 6 inches tall, trim back all but one seedling per hole. To avoid disturbing the roots of the seedling you want to keep, use small scissors to cut the stems of unwanted ones to ground level. Peredovik sunflowers grown for forage in fields do not need to be thinned.

Continue watering your sunflowers on a weekly basis with 1 inch of water. Feed the plants with a balanced fertilizer when they are 1 foot tall, again when the flower head develops and once more when seeds start to form. The Peredovik sunflowers will take 100 to 110 days to develop a full head of seeds.