Sunflower

Sunflower is a herbaceous plant, there are also semi-shrub varieties. The sunflower can be grown as an annual crop, as well as a perennial one. Shoots grow either straight or creeping. In their length, the stems can reach from ten to thirty centimeters. Leaves also come in different shapes. Inflorescences are tassel-shaped, flowers can be white, orange, pinkish. But most often there are flowers of yellow color. The Sunflower fruit is shaped like a box with one or three nests. It contains seeds inside.

Sunflower: growing from seeds

Flower Sunflower: photo of a perennial plant

Sunflower seeds are usually sown directly into open ground. But sometimes it is still more convenient to grow seedlings first. After the plants get a little stronger and grow up, they are moved to a permanent habitat on the site. As a rule, planting seeds for seedlings is carried out in early March. It is most convenient to use peat pots for this purpose; tablets are also suitable. The sunflower root system is in contact with beneficial fungal organisms that contribute to the normal growth and development of the plant as a whole. When a plant is transplanted to a new place or dives into other planting containers, there is always a risk that the layer with the fungi necessary for the plant will collapse. This can cause various diseases, and even fraught with the death of the plant. For this reason, experienced gardeners do not recommend diving, replanting, or propagating the plant by dividing the mother plant.

It is necessary to place two to three seeds in one planting container. They need to be laid out on top of the ground. At the same time, the soil should have a loose structure, and also be slightly moistened. A thin layer of sand should be poured over the seeds of the Sunflower. Vermiculite can be used for the same purpose. After that, the crops are covered with polyethylene on top, glass is also suitable. Then the crops must be moved to a well-lit place. In this case, the light should be bright, but diffused. In this case, the temperature regime of the air should vary from eighteen to twenty-four degrees. The sprouts can hatch after seven days, or they can stay up to thirty days. When the plant has appeared, it is necessary to remove the covering layer and move the plantings to a room where the air temperature will be fifteen to sixteen degrees. In order for young plants to develop and grow correctly, you need to ensure that daily temperature fluctuations do not exceed four to five degrees. When the seedlings of the Sunflower more or less get stronger, thinning is carried out. To this end, you need to choose the weakest plants, and cut them off at ground level with scissors. At the same time, only one, the strongest plant will remain in each pot. There is nothing difficult in caring for seedlings, you need to regularly water the plants, and also loosen the soil near the plants with care.

Sunflower: planting in the open field

Flower Sunflower: photo of a perennial plant

Typically, Sunflower seedlings are planted in May 15th or early June. Before transplanting seedlings into open ground, it must be hardened for some time without fail. This process lasts about one and a half to two weeks. For this purpose, the plants must be taken out daily to fresh air.The time spent on the street seedlings should be increased gradually. First, the landings are taken out into the street for literally a few hours. At the end of the hardening period, the plants will get stronger, get used to outdoor conditions and can safely spend whole days outside. First, in order to harden the seedlings, you need to choose a place that will have reliable protection from gusty and through winds, as well as from precipitation.

There is nothing difficult in growing Sunflower. Before planting plants on the site, you need to find the right place for this. The best place is the earth, which will be sufficiently actively illuminated by the sun. The soil must be neutral or alkaline. The content of sand and fine gravel in the soil is also recommended. This culture also shows good results on loam. If you have this particular type of soil, then before planting the plants, you need to add a certain amount of dolomite flour.

A certain distance between plants must be observed between the holes for planting, it must be at least thirty centimeters. This is due to the fact that in a fairly short time the sunflower grows quite actively in different directions. The hole should have such a depth that a peat cup with a seedling plant can easily enter into it. Before planting seedlings, they need to be well watered, and then they are immersed in the holes that need to be prepared in advance. All empty space is filled with soil, layer by layer it must be tamped. While the plants are young and have just undergone a transplant, they need to be watered with plenty of water.

Sunflower flower: outdoor care

Flower Sunflower: photo of a perennial plant

In order for the perennial Sunflower to grow and develop well in your garden, you need to properly care for the plants. Periodically, you need to water the plants, remove weeds from the site, and trim. It is imperative to pick flowers that have begun to wither. In order for oxygen to flow to the root system, it is systematically necessary to loosen the soil near the bushes. Periodically, you need to make additional feeding. If you are growing a plant as a perennial crop, then preparing for the winter period is an indispensable step in growing a sunflower.

In order for the Sunflower to delight you with lush flowering, the faded stems must be shortened by one third of the total length. Varieties of the Sunflower, which bloom with red flowers, must be carefully insulated before the winter period. This is due to the fact that such plants do not tolerate low temperatures very well. Many gardeners prefer to grow these varieties with red flowers as an annual crop. Sunflower varieties, which have yellow and orange flowers, are better tolerated at low temperatures. For this reason, these plants are often planted as perennials. If you have planted a sunflower on your site, in which the leaves have a silvery color, then also be prepared to provide the plant with reliable shelter in the winter. Preparation of plants for winter is carried out in late autumn. For this, you can use agrofibre. Straw is also suitable for covering the plants.

The sunflower tolerates dry weather very well, for this reason it is not necessary to water the plants too often and abundantly. If a large amount of precipitation falls in the summer, then watering such a plant will not be required at all. In the spring, as well as in the autumn, watering is also not needed for the sunflower. For prolonged dry periods in the summer, plants need to be supplied with water. This is done on a regular basis; you need to pour out a lot of water. It is worth remembering that the water used must be well settled and heated before use.

The Sunflower is fed in the event that there is a need for that. This procedure is done until the plants begin to bloom. For this purpose, it is recommended to use a liquid organic dressing. It is impossible to overdo it with nutrients, since plants will actively add to the green mass, the stems will also actively grow, and flowering may never come at all. If you planted the sunflower already in the nutritious soil, then you will not need to make additional fertilizing.

Long and heavy rainfall can harm the perennial Sunflower quite strongly. Plants that are wet for a long time tend to rot. This is fraught with the appearance of putrefactive processes. The risk of such a problem increases during the period when the snow begins to melt in the spring. If you see that some plants have begun to rot, then they are immediately removed from the root and destroyed away from the site. At the same time, the soil where these plants were grown must be treated with a diluted fungicide. Fundazol can cope with this task quite well. Due to non-observance of the rules for growing sunflower, powdery mildew can develop on plants. There is a chance here to save the plants. For this purpose, it is necessary to carry out the treatment with a diluted fungicidal agent.

As for harmful insects that are capable of providing considerable problems to the sunflower, most often such a culture annoys aphids and thrips. These insects love to feed on plant sap from leaves and stems. As a result of the work of these pests, the plant weakens and withers. To get rid of pests, you need to use insecticidal preparations of biological origin. These products can be purchased at garden stores. Before use, it is imperative to study the attached instructions.

Flower varieties

Flower Sunflower: photo of a perennial plant

In this part of our article, we will talk about the most common varieties of Sunflower that are planted by gardeners.

• Changeable sunflower.

The changeable sunflower is a perennial plant. No insulation is required in winter. The stems usually grow by twenty-five centimeters. The leaves are lanceolate. On the inside, the leaves are slightly pubescent. The flowers are painted white with a pinkish tint. In its size, the flowers grow to a maximum of twenty millimeters. The flowers of the Changeable Sunflower are grouped in curls. Such a plant blooms in late May - early June.

• Alpine sunflower.

The Alpine sunflower copes well with low temperatures, but experienced florists still recommend using a covering material in the winter. In its height, this variety reaches about ten centimeters. They form a lush green carpet with their crown. The flowers are yellow in color.

• Apennine sunflower.

This sunflower grows in the form of a semi-shrub, is grown as a perennial crop. It does not need additional insulation in winter. The homeland of such a sunflower is the south-west of Europe, as well as the territory of Asia Minor. Such a bush grows in height by about twenty - twenty-five centimeters. The foliage is in the shape of lancets. The seamy side of the sheet plates is covered with a small fluff. When the plant begins to bloom, a kind of tassels are formed, which consist of pink flowers. In their size, they reach a maximum of twenty millimeters.

• Coin-shaped sunflower.

Monet sunflower is a semi-shrub variety that branches quite actively. Under natural conditions, such a plant can be found in the Mediterranean, as well as in central Europe. In its height, the bush reaches about forty centimeters. The stems are covered with a small downy.The leaves have a lanceolate or oval shape. The outer surface is painted green, while the inner one has a grayish tint. The flowers of the Coin Sunflower have a yellow color, and grow in size by about twenty-five millimeters. The flowers are grouped in peculiar curls.

• Arctic sunflower.

A sunflower that is recognized as endangered. In its natural habitat, it can be found on the territory of Murmansk and its region. The Arctic sunflower is a perennial plant that grows in a semi-shrub form. The height of such a sunflower can vary from ten to forty centimeters. Shoot formation is quite active. Each inflorescence contains from three to six flowers, painted in a rich yellow color. In its size, the flower reaches about twenty-five millimeters.

• Hybrid sunflower.

The sunflower of this species includes varieties that were obtained by crossing the Apennine sunflower with Monetchaty. Flowers can be of different colors. There are orange, white, pink, red varieties.