Rules for planting sunflowers from seeds

The cultivation of sunflower in their country house is familiar to many gardeners. This plant has gained popularity due to its good germination and productivity. Of course, like any other crop, sunflower requires care and certain conditions for growth. The strong taproot system of the plant ensures its resistance to drought.

The oilseed sunflower forms one apical basket with seeds. Gnawing, decorative and wild forms form several baskets. However, gardeners prefer to cultivate oilseed sunflower in their garden.

Sunflower is a very light-loving plant. Excessive thickening of the plantings can lead to the formation of small baskets and the stretching of the plant upward while thinning the trunk.

Growing conditions

Sunflower seeds begin to germinate at an air temperature of 6 degrees Celsius. However, with such a temperature regime, the first shoots should be expected no earlier than 15-20 days. The most optimal temperature for growing sunflower is 20-25 degrees. Also, this plant is resistant to frost: it can withstand temperatures below zero (up to -6 degrees Celsius).

The most optimal soils for sunflower growth include:

• black soil;
• gray forest soils;
• chestnut soils.

Sunflower cultivation is undesirable on acidic, saline and sandy soils. Also sunflower does not like clayey. The best precursors to the sunflower are corn, legumes and wheat. Poor yields are given by plants planted in beds where sugar beets previously grew. It is also undesirable to plant sunflower seeds for several years in a row in the country at the same place: it is advisable to take breaks of 3-4 years or change the planting location. This is due to the fact that the sunflower is extremely active in taking the nutrients it needs for growth from the soil. In addition, this culture is susceptible to various diseases. Therefore, interruptions in planting a plant in the same bed will help get rid of pathogens remaining in the soil if the plant has suffered from them.

How to plant correctly

Oilseed sunflower is an annual crop. It takes 70-150 days to ripen - it all depends on the place where the planting is carried out and the type of plant. Seeds should be planted in warm soil when the ground temperature rises to 8-12 degrees. Depending on the region in which the seeds are planted in the ground, it should be carried out from mid-April to early May.

Before you start planting, you should prepare the sunflower seeds for planting, after pickling them. As a seed dressing, you can use both store-bought dressing agents and those prepared by folk methods. Seed dressing is necessary to get rid of harmful microorganisms.

One of the popular recipes for dressing sunflower seeds. To prepare the product you will need:

• onion peel;
• about 100 g of garlic;
• 2 liters of boiling water.

Garlic should be minced and mixed with onion skins. Then pour boiling water over the mixture. When the seed mixture is infused during the day, it must be filtered through cheesecloth.

For processing, sunflower seeds should be left overnight before planting in the resulting mixture. In addition to treating microorganisms, this recipe has other positive effects.The mixture after planting the seeds in the ground, at first, will frighten off rodents and other pests that are not averse to eating these seeds.

The technology for growing sunflower is quite simple. In the open field, seeds are sown in rows. At the same time, they should be planted in the soil to a depth of 8 cm. In a row, the distance between the pits must be maintained, it depends on the variety of sunflower. So, large sunflower seeds should be planted at a distance of 75-90 cm from each other. Between the seeds of medium-sized sunflowers, the same distance can be reduced to half a meter. A large distance between the planted plants increases the likelihood that the sunflowers will have large seeds.

Advice

Sunflower in small areas can be planted in aisles, surrounded by cereals. After the seeds are planted, the plants must be cared for.

To determine if the sunflower seeds are ripe, you can sample the seeds from the top. The top with ripe seeds is cut off. When the tip is already cut off, but there are damp seeds in it, you can dry it by placing it in direct sunlight.

Sunflower fertilization

It is preferable to fertilize sunflower with nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers: they increase yields well. Nitrogen fertilizers can be applied to the soil during spring soil cultivation. Phosphate fertilizers are best applied to the soil when sowing sunflower seeds. In this case, phosphate fertilizer does not need to be poured into rows intended for planting seeds. It is best to add fertilizer to the side of the rows, deepening it into the soil by 2-3 cm.

The plant receives most of the nutrients from fertilizers before the onset of the flowering phase.

Culture care

Sunflower care should include three main activities.

• Watering.

For good yields, it is necessary to provide the sunflower with regular watering. You can water it once a day or a little less often. If the weather is dry or the plant is grown in a country house located in an area with a lack of moisture, then the care in the form of watering can be increased up to 2-3 times a day.

• Garter.

This plant only requires a garter if planted in an open area where the wind often blows. Without a garter, such a plant can bend or break.

• Pest control.

Not only gardeners themselves like to eat sunflower seeds. The previously described garlic tincture protects against rodents. Only seeds planted in the ground from birds will be able to protect the white threads stretched on small pegs. When the first shoots of birds appear for a short period, the garden with sunflowers will no longer be of interest. Already ripening seeds can be protected from birds by strips of foil or cloth strips. Old CDs can also be used: their shine in the sun can scare birds away.

Advice

For those who want to protect their crops from birds, there is another interesting way to help. On the pollinated sunflower bolls, it is necessary to put on gauze bags with a large weave. Thus, the bird will not be able to reach the seeds, and ventilation will be provided due to the holes in the gauze.

Sunflower varieties popular among gardeners

The following sunflower varieties have been popular among gardeners for many years.

• "Anyuta".

From the seeds of this variety, plants grow up to 2 m in height. The top of them, as a rule, is of medium size. This variety has resistance to many diseases of the crop, common in the southern zone of Russia and Ukraine.

• "Orpheus".

This variety is characterized by stable growth and good yields. Like Anyuta, it is resistant to a number of diseases.

• "Volcano".

It is a hybrid variety with high productivity. Recommended for planting in the Stavropol Territory.

• "Gourmet".

A variety with characteristic large seeds. The seed ripening period for this variety is 105-110 days.It is important that the plants of the "Lakomka" variety are wonderful melliferous plants.

Outcome

Growing a sunflower requires compliance with certain rules. However, by following them, you can get an excellent harvest in the form of self-grown seeds.

At low cost and if desired, you can provide yourself with homemade sunflower oil or fried seeds. Own seed harvest will supply the body with nutrients and vitamins.