Growing Sunflower for Flowers and Seeds

Growing Sunflower for Flowers and Seeds Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) or Helianthus as the correct plant name is an annual plant which derives their name from two Greek words, “helios” means the sun, and “anthos” means flower, hence, the name sunflower. They belong to the Asteraceae family with a unique characteristics of an aggregate of two different types of flowers, namely ray and disk flowers, which look like a single blossom. They are a native to the American continents.  Before this was domesticated, sunflowers were spread throughout the North and Central American continents growing wild. The use of sunflower for human consumption is known as early as the 29th century. The natives use sunflowers for ornamental and ceremonial use, as well as for food and flavoring. The seeds were prepared by grinding them to make flour, and sometimes mixed with beans, squash and corn to make a meal. Usually they pressed the seeds for oil and cracked open for the kernels.  Another use of sunflower seeds was to produce a purple dye used for decoration, face and body painting and on cloth. They also made oil out of sunflower seeds for both skin and hair care, and even the dried plant stalks were used as materials to construct building. Sunflowers consists of many types. Basically, they are separated by their sizes, such as giant type which grows to a height of over ten feet and miniature type that grows from two to four feet tall. The miniature type is gaining popularity in Asia as border plants. The mid-sized type are planted by gardeners to attract birds and some insects for pollination to other companion crops. Methods to grow sunflower Soil requirements. Sunflowers thrives best with a soil rich in organic materials especially if you’re growing the giant type. Being a deep rooted plant, they don’t withstand with a sandy soil since they’re easily uprooted by strong wind. Sunlight. To get good flower formation, you should plant them in an open field with sufficient sunlight distribution during the day. They may tolerate in shaded areas, however, there should be at least 4 – 6 hours of sunlight a day. Planting. The seeds should be sown directly to the field with the following spacing requirements: Giant type, 3 feet apart in rows 3-4 feet apart; Intermediate type, 2 feet apart in rows 3 feet apart; and Miniature type, 1 foot apart in rows 3 feet apart. Fertilizer needs. To promote a bigger size flowers, you should apply Phosphorous and Potassium fertilizers before the start of flowering stage. Pest and disease control. Being a hardy plant, sunflowers have no serious problem with insect pests. Only the birds and squirrels are sometimes the one that invades the flowers. Likewise, no disease has been found attacking sunflowers. Harvesting. For seed purposes, sunflowers are ready for harvest 80 -120 days after planting or sowing. There are also some specific time of maturity for variety you bought based on the labels specifications. The exact time for the seeds to be harvested is when the flower starts to die back and all the petals have fallen down. Cut the dried heads, leaving a few inches of the stalk, tie the stalks together then hang them in a shaded and ventilated space. Once they’re dried after a month, extract the seeds by rubbing the two loosed heads together to let the seeds comes out. For flower use as craft projects and  flower arrangements and bouquets, simply cut the flowers before they dried out and dry them for  a couple of weeks. Happy gardening!