How to Grow Red Sun Sunflowers Inside

Native to nearly all of North America, most sunflowers are massive, yellow, and resemble the sun. But there are numerous sunflower cultivars in various sizes and shades of red, orange and brown. "Red Sun" is a tricolored cultivar with a dark brown center surrounded by maroon petals with gold edges. If you don’t have room outside, you can grow Red Sun sunflowers indoors in a pot.

12-inch pot with tray
Coffee filter or paper towel
Potting mix
Compost
Stake
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Find an inside location with several hours of full sunlight, such as near a large window or glass door. All sunflowers, including the Red Sun variety, grow best in areas with sunlight all day long.
- 2
  Place a 12-inch pot on a drainage tray in its permanent location, so you don’t have to move it. Cover the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot with old coffee filters or paper towels.
- 3
  Fill the pot with a top-quality potting mix or a combination of potting mix and compost, for added nutrients. Place a stake inside the pot to support the plant, since the Red Sun grows 5 feet or more.
- 4
  Plant one to three Red Sun sunflower seeds 1 inch deep, evenly spaced around the pot. Dampen the soil, and maintain moist, but not soggy, soil until the Red Sun seedlings emerge in two to three weeks.
- 5
  Thin the plants to one per pot after they reach 4 inches tall. You can transplant the extra seedlings into separate pots, if you like.
- 6
  Check the soil regularly, and water the Red Sun when the soil dries 1 inch down. Add water until it drains out the bottom of the pot, then remove any excess water left in the drainage tray.
- 7
  Fertilize the sunflower with a balanced formula, such as 10-10-10, throughout the growing season as directed on the fertilizer label. Alternatively, you can use a slow-release fertilizer that last for several months.
- 8
  Turn the Red Sun sunflower often, if the sunlight is coming in from one side. This helps the plant grow straight.

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