How to Grow Safflower Seed in Pots

Safflowers are grown as a commercial crop for their oil-filled seeds, but they also provide a colorful summer annual to home gardens. The bright orange and yellow flowers bloom during the warm season. After the plants finish flowering, they produce seeds that attract birds to the garden. Start the seeds indoors in pots, four to six weeks before the last spring frost for garden transplanting in summer. They also grow well as potted outdoor plants for the entire season. Safflowers have long taproots that don't tolerate damage, so start seeds in plantable peat pots to minimize this danger.

Peat pots
Potting soil
Plastic bag
Small shears

Instructions

- 1
  Fill the peat pots with a moistened potting mix. If growing the seeds for potted plants, use a permanent 8-inch diameter pot for each plant.
- 2
  Sow two seeds per pot or three seeds in a permanent pot. Plant the seeds 1 inch deep in the soil.
- 3
  Cover the pots with a plastic bag to retain the moisture during germination. Keep the plants in a warm, 60 to 65 degree Fahrenheit location. Safflower will not germinate if temperatures are below 40 F.
- 4
  Remove the plastic when the seeds sprout in eight to 15 days. Move the pots to a sunny, warm location, such as a south window.
- 5
  Water the soil when the surface feels dry. Avoid wetting the safflower seedling foliage when watering.
- 6
  Thin the plants to one per pot once they develop their second set of leaves. Cut off the extra seedlings at soil level with small shears.

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