Sunflowers will grow bigger and taller than ever before with 1 simple tweak

A gardening expert has revealed the simple way to make sunflowers grow bigger and taller than ever before with one simple method. Sunflowers are a staple in many British gardens and you will have found these giant plants in gardens across the UK for generations. Sunflowers are relatively straight-forward plants to grow but there are a few ways you can make them even bigger and taller than you have already got them.

One expert, Dr. Tom Heaton, shared his advice with Renee's Garden and revealed how important the type of fertiliser you use is. Fertiliser comes in all kinds of varieties, all serving different purposes and suited to different types of plants. For flowers, fruits, vegetables and other crops, different fertilisers with varying levels of nutrients are available. For sunflowers, there is one kind that Dr Tom says is the very best.

Tom revealed that a slow-release granular fertiliser is the best for sunflowers. These fertilisers contain trace minerals and should be planted about eight inches deep into the soil.

While Tom uses Osmocote, Renee prefers to make her own organic blend, as she raises rabbits in her garden. She mixes in a bucketful of composted rabbit manure plus a balanced slow-release granular fish fertilizer.

You can also add an organic amendment containing trace minerals such as greensand or dried seaweed, Renee says. The pair also advise people who want to grow sunflowers in their gardens to do so in the ground.

If you start to grow sunflowers in pots, they can become stunted. This is because their roots grow quite fast, and the pot won't be big enough for them. It is best to sow seeds straight into the ground.

When your plant is growing, it is important to water it around the roots in the soil. What's great about sunflowers is that they don't require any pruning, making it an easier plant for you to grow. You just need to make sure you are watering it and feeding it enough of the correct fertiliser.

Sunflowers typically flower in summer, but you will also get foliage in spring and autumn.