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Seed Germination
The first stage of life for the sunflower is germination. This takes between two to twelve days. When the seed is given sunshine and water, a sprout will come up towards the top of the soil. -
Seedling
The seedling stage is when the seed begins to form small leaves. They are very small. This stage only lasts about to two weeks after the sprout pops through the ground. -
Vegetative
During the vegetative stage, the sunflower stem has bigger leaves and the stem is growing larger and taller. This is when the main growth occurs. -
Bud Stage
The bud stage is when the bud begins to show at the top of the stem. Once this happens, the leaves and bud move to follow the course of the sun throughout the day. (Hence the name "SUN" flower) -
Flowering
Once the bud begins to open up, the flower will remain facing east. The opening of the bud (flowering) can take up to seven days. -
Ripening
The final stage of the sunflower is the ripening stage! The sunflower plant seeds fall and become in planted into the ground. At this time, the back of the sunflowers head, petals, and leaves begin to turn a bright yellow and then brown.
