How To Grow Sunflowers
The sunflower is a vibrant plant of the Compositae family. The flowers are large and rounded and grow on the apex of the stalk producing a stunning and intense visual impact. If you have ever played the famous game Minecraft, you may know that Sunflowers are always facing east, making it one of the tools players use to identify directions. This is a genius move by the game inventors because Sunflowers discs only follow the sun’s movement across the sky in the early stages of their growth. As they mature, they remain facing the East to catch the first rays of the morning sun.
Ecology
Water Requirements: Water regularly. When the plant is small, water around the root zone.
Temperature: Thrive in a warm to hot climate with full sunshine during the day
Soil Type: Fertile, loose, well-draining soil
Soil pH: 6.0-7.5
Sowing method
Varieties: Kenya Fedha Sunflower Seed by Kenya Seed Company is an open-pollinated variety (OPV) and is highly oiled.
Seed rate: Sunflowers are heavy feeders, so it is important to consider the other crops grown on the farm or garden when planting Sunflowers. If you have a small garden, you can consider growing the Sunflowers in containers so as not to have a competition on nutrients.
Sowing Depth: Sow seeds in rows about 15 cm apart, 1 cm deep and cover lightly with soil and mulch.
Germination Period: Takes 7-10 days
Transplanting Period: Sunflower is best sown directly to the final growing spot as they can be fickle when transplanted. However, you can start seeds in a seedbed or seed trays.
Spacing: 50 cm between plants
50 cm between rows
Light requirement: Full sun
Feeding:
As mentioned, Sunflowers are heavy feeders so should be grown in fertile, alkaline soils.
Harvest period: 70 days
Harvesting and Storage: Cut the stalks to harvest the seeds from the head of the flower and wait until the seeds are completely dry to store them.
Eco-Friendly Plant: The Sunflower root systems can absorb harmful substances such as lead, arsenic and radioactive elements in the soil. Sunflowers can be used for cleaning contaminated soil and water.
