2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Ornamental sunflower (lat. Helianthus) - an annual plant of the Asteraceae family, or Asteraceae. The homeland of the decorative sunflower is America. To date, about 110 species are known.
Description
Sunflowers are represented by herbaceous plants with an erect, thick, strong pubescent stem with a loose core. The height of oil-bearing varieties is 0.5-2 m, of silage varieties - up to 5 m. The root system of sunflowers is pivotal, some roots go up to four meters deep.
The leaves are large, densely pubescent, cordate, serrate at the edges, located on long petioles. In early varieties of sunflower up to 20 leaves are formed, in later varieties - up to 37. Inflorescences in the form of baskets, up to 30 cm in diameter, can be either convex or concave. Baskets consist of tubular and ligulate flowers
Ligulate large, rich yellow or yellow-orange, tubular flowers - rather small, numerous. The fruit is an oblong tetrahedral achene, consisting of a pericarp and a seed (kernel) covered with a seed coat. The seed coat is black, gray or white. Sunflower grows up to 150 days.
Growing conditions
Sunflower is a plant that is demanding on sunlight, some varieties are able to grow in shaded areas. In well-lit areas, plants form larger baskets. Sunflowers have a negative attitude towards areas not protected from northern winds.
Loose, fertile, neutral soils are preferred for sunflower cultivation. Strongly acidic and saline soils are not suitable, even preliminarily limed ones.
Reproduction
Annual sunflowers are propagated by seeds, and perennials - by underground nodules and cuttings. The division of the bushes is done once every two years.
Soil preparation and sowing
The soil for growing sunflowers is prepared 2-2.5 weeks before sowing. The plowing depth should be about 20-25 cm, superphosphate, potassium nitrate and nitrophoska, as well as rotted manure or compost, are introduced for digging. It is not recommended to feed fresh organic matter.
Sowing of sunflower is carried out in early May. Seeds are covered to a depth of 2 centimeters. A distance of 40-70 cm is left between the plants (depending on the height). Immediately sowing, the ridge is watered abundantly, if necessary, covered with a film (to protect against night frosts), otherwise the seedlings may die.
Care features
Crop care is pretty straightforward. When crops thicken, thinning is carried out, leaving only strong specimens. Row-spacing and top dressing are regularly carried out. Weeding is done as needed. Sunflowers are quite demanding for watering.
One of the most important tasks in plant care is pest and disease control. Very often sunflowers are affected by powdery mildew, brown spot. As a prophylaxis against these diseases, adherence to cultivation agrotechnics is most effective. Among the pests of the crop are sunflower moth, sunflower barbel and sunflower thorn. They do not cause much harm to sunflowers; it is recommended to use conventional insecticides in the fight against them.
Application
Due to their decorative effect, sunflowers are often used in ornamental gardening. They are often used singly and in groups, to decorate hedges, and also in mikborders. Sunflowers fit especially well in country gardens. The sunflower is in harmony with many flower cultures. High varieties of sunflowers look good along the edge of the garden, near the walls of houses and outbuildings.
Recommended:
Ovoid Sunflower
Ovoid sunflower is one of the plants of the family called cistus plants, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Helianthemum ovatum (Viv.) (H. hirsutum Thunb.) Merat. (H. vulgare auct PP., Cistus hirsutus Thunb.). As for the name of the ovate sunflower family itself, in Latin it will be like this:
Hairy Sunflower
Hairy sunflower is one of the plants of the family called cistus plants, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Helianthenum hirsutum (Thuill.) Merat. As for the name of the hairy sunflower family itself, in Latin it will be like this:
Monofilament Sunflower
Monofilament sunflower is one of the plants of the family called cistus plants, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Helianthemum nummularium (L.) Mill. (H. vulgare auct. PP.). As for the name of the monolithic sunflower family itself, in Latin it will be like this:
Sunflower Ash Rot
Ash, or coal rot, in addition to sunflower, can also affect corn, beans, peanuts, potatoes and sugar beets. This attack is especially harmful in seasons accompanied by temperatures over thirty degrees and a lack of moisture. Sunflower harvest due to ash rot is often reduced by 25%, and in years with hot and dry summers, losses can even reach 90%. And you can face this trouble in all areas of sunflower cultivation
How To Recognize Sunflower Diseases? Part 1
Bright sunflowers delight our eyes and give us wonderful and healthy seeds. However, throughout the growing season, these magnificent plants are affected by a great variety of harmful diseases. Especially often they are attacked by white and gray rot, as well as downy mildew. So that dangerous ailments do not catch summer residents by surprise, it is important to know how their main symptoms appear on sunflower
