- 1). Prepare the area where you want the screen. Cultivate the soil with the garden spade, working it down to a depth of about 4 to 6 inches. Improve the soil structure and composition by adding about 2 inches of aged compost over the top of the soil. Work the compost and soil thoroughly and rake the ground smooth.
- 2). Create two rows for the sunflower screen. Make a back row for the mammoth sunflowers and make a front row about 12 inches in front of the back row.
- 3). Place the mammoth sunflower seeds along the back row, spacing the seeds every 6 inches. Place the dwarf sunflower seeds along the front row, spacing them every 4 to 6 inches. Cover the seeds with 1/2 inch of soil and pat the soil down firmly.
- 4). Stretch the window screen over the rows to protect the sunflower seeds from birds and rodents that might disturb them. Anchor the screen along the edges with the rocks.
- 5). Water the sunflower seeds thoroughly. Keep the soil evenly moist while the sunflowers germinate -- up to two weeks.
- 6). Watch the planting area for germinated seeds. When you see the seedlings emerge, remove the window screen. Continue watering the soil to keep it evenly moist.
- 7). Thin the sunflowers when they reach heights of about 4 inches. Pull the weakest seedlings to leave the mammoths growing every 18 inches and the dwarfs growing every 6 to 12 inches along the rows.
- 8). Fertilize the sunflowers about once a month after thinning. Mix the fertilizer with water according to package recommendations. Pour the fertilizer over the soil carefully.
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