Sunflowers are herbaceous plants with beautiful yellowish leaves and colorful adornment.
Growing sunflowers in the ground or pot follow a similar pattern or growth stages.
Each of these stages requires different care and attention.
In order to get the best results, it’s important to know what each one entails and how to take care of your sunflower during each stage.
Here are the 4 important stages of growing sunflower:
Stage 1: Planting the Sunflower Seed
When planting sunflowers, be sure to plant the seeds in a sunny spot. The best time to plant sunflower seeds is in the springtime when the weather is warm.
Sunflower plants need plenty of sunlight and water to grow big and strong. Sunflower seeds need light to germinate, so do not bury them too deep.
Simply sow the seeds on the surface of the soil and then cover them with a thin layer of soil. Water the seeds regularly, making sure the soil remains moist but not wet.
In about two weeks, you will start to see the young sunflowers emerging from the soil. Be sure to keep watering them regularly; otherwise, they may die.
Once the plants have grown a few inches tall, it is safe to begin fertilizing them with diluted liquid fertilizer. Sunflowers love nitrogen, so look for an all-purpose fertilizer that is high in nitrogen.
Shake the liquid into the soil around each plant, keeping it at least 2 feet away from the stalk of your plant.
Stage 2: Sunflower Seed Germination
After the sunflower seeds are planted, the next step is germination. Germination is the process of seedling emerging from the seed.
Sunflower seeds typically take about 7-10 days to germinate, but this can vary depending on the type of sunflower, the soil temperature, and how deep the seeds are planted.
The first sign of germination is when the seed coat splits open and the root emerges. The root will grow down into the soil, while the stem will grow up into the air. Once the root has anchored itself in the soil, then leaves will start to grow.
It’s important to keep the soil around young sunflowers moist during germination, but not too wet, or else the roots can rot. After the seedlings have emerged, they will need to be watered regularly so the soil remains moist.
The sunflowers should also be fertilized about once a month to help them grow strong and healthy.
Sunflower germination is a process that can take anywhere from 7-10 days, depending on a number of factors. The first sign of germination is when the seed coat splits open and the root emerges.
The root will grow down into the soil, while the stem will grow up into the air. Once the root has anchored itself in the soil, then leaves will start to grow. It’s important to keep the soil around young sunflowers moist during germination, but not too wet, or else the roots can rot.
After the seedlings have emerged, they will need to be watered regularly so the soil remains moist. The sunflowers should also be fertilized about once a month to help them grow strong and healthy.
Sunflower germination is a process that can take anywhere from 7-10 days, depending on a number of factors.
Step 3: Seedling of Sunflower
The sunflower seedling stage is the earliest stage of a sunflower’s life. During this stage, the seedling will grow and develop its roots, stems, leaves, and flowers.
It is important to provide the seedling with plenty of water and sunlight during this stage in order to help it grow properly.
If you are growing sunflowers from seeds, you will need to start by planting them in soil. The best time to plant them is in the spring when the weather is warm and there is plenty of sunlight.
You should plant the seeds about 1 inch deep into the soil, and then water them well. Be sure to keep the soil moist but not wet, as too much moisture can cause the seeds to rot.
In addition to water and sunlight, the seedling also needs nutrients from the soil in order to grow strong and healthy.
You can provide these nutrients by adding compost or other organic matter to the soil before you plant the seeds. This will help ensure that the plant has all the nutrients it needs to thrive.
The sunflower seedling stage is an important part of the plant’s life, and it is crucial to provide the seedling with plenty of water, sunlight, and nutrients in order for it to grow properly.
Stage 4: Growing a Bud
One of the most important stages in sunflower growth is the Bud stage. During this stage, the plant is preparing to flower and produce seeds.
The Bud stage typically lasts around two weeks, and it’s important to ensure that the plant gets enough water and nutrients during this time.
One way to tell that sunflower is in the Bud stage is by looking at the head of the plant. The head will start to grow larger, and you may be able to see the beginnings of the flower petals.
The buds will also start to turn yellow or brown as they mature.
It’s important to keep an eye on your sunflowers during the Bud stage, especially if you’re growing them for seed production. You’ll need to keep up adequate watering and nutrient levels, as well as provide pollination.
During this stage, it’s important not to overwater or overfertilize your plants. Sunflowers that are overwatered during the Bud stage may experience problems like mold or mildew formation due to excess moisture in their buds.
If you’re fertilizing, make sure you use a balanced formula of 10-10-10 or lower. Excess nitrogen can cause the buds to grow too fast and may delay flowering.
Stage 5: Flowering of Sunflower
The flowering stage is a time of great beauty and wonder. During this stage, the sunflower plant produces bright yellow flowers that can be seen for miles around.
The flowers are pollinated by bees and other insects, and the seeds they produce are harvested by farmers for use in food, animal feed, and many other products.
The flowering stage begins when the first flower buds appear on the plant. These buds grow larger as they mature, and eventually open up to reveal the brightly colored flowers inside. The flowers stay open for only a day or two before they begin to wilt and die.
Once the flowers have died, the seeds inside them will begin to ripen. The seeds are ready to harvest when their hulls begin to split open.
Farmers often wait for a light breeze before cutting the sunflowers from their stalks to avoid pulling seeds away from the plant before they are ripe.
Stage 6: Sunflower Pollination
The process of pollination is necessary for the reproduction of plants.
Pollen is transferred from the male organ or stamen of a flower to the female organ or pistil. This process allows the plant to produce fruit and seeds.
Sunflowers are pollinated by bees, butterflies, and other insects. During the pollination stage, the pollen sacs on the stamen release pollen.
The pollen is then transferred to the pistil, where it fertilizes the ovules. Fertilization occurs when the sperm from the pollen combines with the egg inside the ovule.
After fertilization, the ovules develop into seeds. The seeds are enclosed in a fruit that develops from the pistil. Sunflower fruits vary in size and shape, but most are about the size of a grape.
The pollination process is important for the reproduction of sunflowers and other plants. It allows the plant to produce fruit and seeds that can be used for food or planting. Pollination also helps to ensure the survival of the species.
Stage 7: Seed development
The development of a sunflower seed starts with the flower bud. Once fertilized, the flower bud turns into an immature developing fruit containing 2 seeds (sunflower seeds).
During the maturation of sunflowers, there is a distinct embryonic axis that forms on each side of the ovary.
The dorsal side forms the radicle and the ventral side forms the plumule. As maturation continues and water loss occurs, these new axes start to elongate pushing out new leaves and stem emerging from the soil surface of mature plants.
Stage 8: Harvesting Sunflower
Sunflowers are harvested by hand, but the sunflower harvest season usually occurs between August and September.
During this time, August or September, the stalks of the plant drop their leaves and the fields only have the main stem with a few branches and flower heads on top.
During this time, people head to the fields and use a tool known as a combine harvester to cut down all of the flower heads at once. These tools chop off each of these flower heads and deposit them in trucks that take them away for processing.
The bright yellow color of sunflower crops helps ensure that harvesting is more efficient because they can be easily seen in large fields when sunlight hits them through an open space in clouds.
Once harvested, the stem of the flower is usually discarded because it was only used for support during the growing process. The seeds are then removed from each individual head using a machine that cracks open all of these flower heads at once.
These machines will remove the seeds, but the shells containing them are not always easily removed by hand. At this point, individuals will begin removing shells manually to make sure that all usable seeds are able to be harvested.
After individual kernels have been separated from their shells, they go through one more cleaning phase before they can be packaged and sold to customers who want to use them in cooking or baking recipes.
At this time, some companies may choose to sell unprocessed sunflower seeds as well which can be consumed by humans or animals. These seeds contain a high amount of oil which is why they are often used in cooking. Some people may also choose to roast the seeds and eat them as a snack.
The entire sunflower harvesting process usually takes a few weeks to complete, but it is a very important step in ensuring that these crops can be used for various purposes.
Sunflower crops are often used to create biodiesel fuel, bird feed, and other products that require this type of seed. By understanding the harvesting process, people can appreciate how this crop is used to create various items that are beneficial to society.
Why Grow Sunflowers?
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), an important oilseed crop, is grown primarily for its edible seeds and also as a source of oil.
Sunflowers are herbaceous plants with a large inflorescence having yellow or red disk flowers and ray flowers that yield both pollen and nectar from which bees make honey.
The plant species originated in the Americas but has been introduced into Europe, Africa, Australia, and South-East Asia.
Sunflower seedlings emerge from the ground following winter dormancy when soil temperatures reach 5 to 10°C at a soil depth of 2 to 3 cm.
At this stage of development, the seedling is composed of three main parts: seed leaves or cotyledons attached to the embryonic root (radicle), the hypocotyl (stem), and the epicotyl (shoot). The cotyledons are modified leaves that store food for the developing seedling.
Like other plants, sunflowers go through different stages as they grow. The first stage is the seed stage, where the plant is just starting to grow from seed.
The second stage is the sprouting stage, where the plant begins to grow taller and send out its first leaves.
The third stage is the flowering stage, where the plant begins to produce flowers. The fourth and final stage is the fruiting stage, where the plant produces seeds.
Conclusion
Now that we have looked at the different stages of sunflower growth, it is important to understand when and how to harvest them.
Sunflowers can be harvested when they reach full bloom and the petals have started to fall off.
The head should be firm and the seeds should be hard. If you wait too long to harvest, the seeds will start to turn black and the head will become loose.
Sunflowers can be dried by cutting off the stem a few inches below the head and hanging them upside down in a dry place.
Make sure that they are completely dry before storing them in a container. Dried sunflowers can also be ground into flour for baking or cooking.