How to plant a sunflower in the country?

The most democratic plant of domestic gardens and vegetable gardens - sunflower, fully consistent with its name and copying a bright daylight, decorates our beds and gives seeds - a product that warms the soul of any Russian person. This representative of the family of Compositae, whose homeland is considered North America, surprisingly organically fits into the landscape of the Russian manor. There are two varieties of this culture - oil (food) and ornamental plants. How to properly plant sunflowers, what agrotechnical subtleties to apply and what is the difference between growing food and decorative species, let's talk in the article.

Features and use of culture

Sunflower oilseeds are grown in Russia both on an industrial scale for the production of oil, as well as in gardens and cottages, aiming not only at harvesting seeds, but also decorating the site with bright sunny inflorescences. Decorative sunflower species, derived in recent years, are very diverse. There are interesting varieties with simple, semi-double and double colors of various colors and surprising forms of petals, different in height and compactness. Due to their diversity, they are successfully used by designers in the garden interior. But since the article is devoted to the question of how to plant a sunflower, implying an oilseed culture, then we will talk about it.

Unobtrusive to the growing conditions, the sunflower is drought-resistant and tolerates recurrent spring frosts to -5 ° C. But to get the crop to give proper attention to the plant will have to.

How to plant sunflowers in the country: choose a site

Sunflower is a light-loving crop, requiring maximum illumination of each part of the plant. The lack of light will have a harmful effect on its development, decorative and productive qualities, so one should not allow thickening of plantings, and a place for them is chosen well-lit. Since the sunflower is a plant that is thermophilic and excellently feels even under the scorching sun, the area under the daylight will be suitable all day long. Plants planted in partial shade do not always have time to mature. Before planting sunflowers in the country, it is desirable to provide protection from penetrating through winds.

Sunflower is demanding for the soil on which it is to grow. The best soils for it are neutral chernozems and fertile loams. Being a strong plant, it draws out of the soil the maximum amount of nutrients, the bulk of which is required by culture even before flowering. Therefore, before planting a sunflower, you should fertilize the site thoroughly.

It is not necessary to plant crops in the places where legumes and nightshade plants were grown. The best predecessors are corn and cereals. In addition, we must remember that planting sunflower seeds for several seasons in a row is undesirable, it is better to take a break for 3 years, since the plant actively impoverishes the soil. During the rest period, the earth will also get rid of pathogenic microorganisms that are dangerous for sunflower.

Soil preparation

Preliminary autumn fertilization will increase crop yield and quality of sunflower seeds. Under the digging at this time, humicum and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are introduced , then in spring it will not be necessary to fertilize the planned area. Dug up the soil in the spring, it is good to loosen it and remove all the weeds and fragments of the roots. How to plant a sunflower? The easiest and most convenient way is to plant the seeds immediately on a permanent place, bypassing the seedling period of the development of culture.

Preparing the seeds for planting

Sunflower oilseed is an annual plant, for maturation of which depending on the variety and region it takes from 70 to 150 days. How to plant sunflowers from seeds?

Seed material before planting is discarded and etched. To identify substandard seeds, they should be placed in a container of water for one hour. Dry and unproductive seeds float to the surface, and suitable for planting sink to the bottom. Before planting sunflower seeds, they should be etched in special preparations, the assortment of which is now extensive, or in solutions used in peasant farms. For example, a method of etching in garlic infusion is widely used, which is as follows: 100 grams of garlic, ground in a blender, mixed with a small amount of onion peel and poured into two liters of boiling water. After infusion for a day, the mixture is filtered and soaked seeds in it for 10-12 hours. Such seed treatment, in addition to direct application, a specific odor scares off rodents and insects, often finding seeds in the ground.

Landing rules

Plant the seeds in a warm, heated to 8-12 ° C soil. In different regions, the dates are different, therefore, before planting a sunflower in the garden, it is necessary to orientate not with the terms, but with the soil temperature. When the soil is warmed up, the seeds are sown in prepared wells with 2-3 seeds, deepening them by 8 cm.

It is important to maintain the intervals between plants. They depend on the sunflower variety. Large crops should be located at a distance of 0.7-0.9 m, and medium-sized - 0.4-0.5 m. Optimum distance between sunflowers guarantees maturation of large seedlings with high-quality seeds. Another nuance in the agricultural technology of growing horticultural crops. Before planting a sunflower in the garden, it should be remembered that it is not worthwhile to place it closer than 1.5 m to vegetable beds. Strong culture pulls food out of the soil, because a close neighborhood with it will act depressingly on the development of vegetables.

Features of reproduction of culture

Since the sunflower is an annual plant, the method of its reproduction is exclusively by seeds. There are several subtleties, which are necessary to increase the yield:

• Because the culture is cross-pollinated, the seeds should be taken in one variety and replaced annually;

• pollination with other varieties is fraught with a decrease in yield and its quality, as well as the formation of a large number of empty seeded baskets.

Sunflower care

To get a good harvest of quality seeds for sunflower should be carefully looked after. The soil under the plants must be properly fertilized, weeded and loosened, regularly and generously watered, and protect the planting from various pests, as sunflower is a favorite treat for many of them.

In arid periods, water should be planted every day. It is better to feed water under the root, because the sprinkling of sunflowers does not like.

Culture loves potassium fertilizers. It is noticed that regular supplementation with phosphorus-potassium supplements affects the quality of the seed, its size and taste. And the predominance of nitrogen fertilizers, on the contrary, depresses plant growth, significantly reduces yields and makes the crop vulnerable to various diseases. Make fertilizer if necessary simultaneously with planting or before flowering. Liquid top dressing is more preferable.

Garter

Usually the stalk of the culture is strong enough to keep even the largest achenes. Therefore, garters do not need plants. But in rare cases, when they are planted on a site blown by strong through winds, sunflower will be needed, especially during the ripening of grains in seeds.

Pests and their control

Sunflower seeds like to eat not only people, but also insects, rodents, birds. Therefore, before planting sunflowers from seeds, it is necessary to conduct processing with odorous pickling substances, helping to scare insects from planting. Birds can stick together sprouted sprouts, and at this time arrange additional protection for seedlings. To do this, around the perimeter of the landings, small pegs are driven in, pulling the white threads between them, which frighten away the birds. After a few weeks, the plants will become stronger, and the birds will lose interest in them until the seeds begin to ripen. In this case, the gardeners in the course are various adaptations - from the classic scarecrow to fluttering in the wind strips of fabric, foil, old CDs, etc.

How to plant a decorative sunflower

There are not many differences in the cultivation of these varieties of sunflower. Decorative plants also prefer sunny, wind-protected areas with drained air-permeable soil.

Solving the question of how to plant sunflowers of decorative varieties, you need to choose a suitable variety. They also multiply seeds. Sow the decorative sunflower from the beginning of May. For a prolonged, to be exact, incessant flowering, seeds can be planted throughout May and June. They are deepened by 2-3 cm, observing during the planting interval of 0.3 to 0.6 m, depending on the variety.

Before planting a sunflower, at home prepare the infusion of wood ash (30 g / 0.5 liters), for a day put seeds in it. Perennial species of sunflower are successfully propagated by dividing the bush, which is produced during the rest period - in spring or in autumn.

The article gives an answer to the question of how to properly plant sunflowers, explains the basic rules for caring for this interesting culture.