When to plant a sunflower in the open ground. How to plant a sunflower seed

It would seem that here it is difficult - threw a seed into the ground, and the sunflower grew. But not everything is so simple. Even in the cultivation of such an unpretentious plant, as a sunflower, has its own technology. And only if you adhere to it, you can get a good result at the end of the season.

How to grow a sunflower

It is much more pleasant to eat sunflower seeds, which is grown by own hands. Well, if the site under the landing will be away from the highway, then the harmful substances in the finished seeds will be as small as possible. What should I do before planting a sunflower in the country?

First, choose the soil. Ideally, if it is chernozem, but also sandy soil. Categorically it is impossible to plant seeds in clay soil - time will be wasted. And it is necessary to take care of the good drainage, otherwise the sunflower will simply rot in the over-moistened soil.

Secondly, you need to decide where to plant the plant. The name sunflower speaks for itself. Of course, the place should be open for penetration of warm rays, because this plant so loves the sun. In the hot summer with moderate watering, it reaches three meters in height. Here, of course, it's important to stick to the time when you plant a sunflower.

Thirdly, it is necessary to prepare the soil. It is good to plant the plant in the place where corn, wheat, peas or beans previously grew. Such soil will be enriched with all the necessary microelements. It is important before planting to remove all the weeds from the selected territory.

Should I listen to the lunar calendar?

Many gardeners before deciding when to plant a sunflower are turning to the lunar calendar. It has long been known that planting plants that stretch upwards is necessary when the moon grows. As soon as the average daily temperature reaches 10-12 degrees it is worth looking into the lunar calendar. If the moon is growing, then it's time to plant seeds. As for the seedlings, you need to remember this in advance, about the middle of April (20 days before the planting in the soil).

The prepared place and the soil are already half the success. Now it's up to the seeds.

Choose seeds

There are two types of seeds for planting on the market: conventional seeds and hybrids, which are designated F1. What is the difference between them?

Unlike ordinary seeds, hybrids do not leave "offspring". This means that grown seeds can not be used for the next year for planting: harvest can not be collected. But there are advantages here. They are chosen by those gardeners who want to harvest a rich harvest this year, rather than growing seeds for the next planting. The percentage of germination of sunflower hybrids is about 80%, whereas in normal seeds - only 60%.

It should be noted that in addition to the yield of hybrids, good resistance to disease, they are not afraid of moisture, do not crumble.

What kind of sunflower should you choose to decide for yourself. Some seeds are more suitable for a certain type of soil, others will grow in a separate climatic zone, others meet all the conditions, but are much more expensive.

How to plant a sunflower seed

Already in early May, the average daily temperature, as a rule, reaches 10 degrees. It's time to plant a sunflower in the open ground.

In the previously prepared soil, pits with a depth of about 5 cm are made (in the northern regions, plus 3 cm). The distance between the depressions is about 40 cm, between the rows - about half a meter. Two or three seeds are sown in one pit. If the average daily temperature has already reached 10-12 degrees, the first shoots will appear in 8-10 days. But you can land a sunflower before. However, at a daytime temperature of 6-8 degrees shoots begin to appear only after 20 days and plant the seeds deeper than 5 cm.

And it should also be noted that the longer the sprouts of sunflower do not germinate, the more likely that they have been spoiled or destroyed by birds and rodents. Therefore, the seeds of this plant never have a hundred percent germination.

That's how to plant sunflower seeds in the open ground. But you can plant the plant and seedlings.

When to plant a sunflower on a seedling

At room temperature, the first shoots will appear in a week. But while there comes a time when planted in the ground, a sunflower Should grow. Therefore, the best option is to sow plant seeds in advance 20 days before the proposed landing on the site.

How to plant sunflower seeds on seedlings? To do this, you need to prepare special peat pots, in each of which to sow one or two seeds. Instead of pots, you can take plastic disposable cups. For good seedlings it is better to use high-quality chernozem with fertilizers.

It is important that the place where the seedlings will stand has sufficient lighting. If daylight penetrates little, then the shoots will stretch, become white, will be weak and thin. Of such seedlings, most likely, it will not be possible to collect a good harvest of sunflower.

Care of the plant

As soon as the first sprouts appeared, the time for weeding out the sunflower begins. In total, from the moment of planting seeds or seedlings into the ground before harvesting, you need to make at least three plant treatments from weeds. This is where it becomes clear how to plant sunflowers. The distance between them should be sufficient for the convenience of weeding and so that the flowers do not shred. Immediately after the beginning of flowering, it is recommended to tear off the lower leaves to the top of the cap so that the seeds get enough moisture and not be empty.

After the first weeding and before flowering, the plant should be fertilized. It all depends on when to plant a sunflower. The first fertilizing takes place about a month after planting, the second - after a similar period of time. To begin with, it is better to take a full fertilizer, and then you can limit yourself to nitrogen-phosphorus make-up of the plant.

Sunflower does not like water, so before deciding how to plant a sunflower in the country, give preference to places where the soil will dry quickly. For a good harvest, it is enough to produce three waterings per season: immediately after the shoots, before flowering, and during the ripening of the seeds.

Time to harvest

When the sunflower has grown, and it happens about three months after planting, it remains only to harvest. But it is at a time when there is very little time left until the seeds ripen, the plant is attacked by birds. And then the question arises as to how to plant sunflower seeds, so that the grown crop is less exposed to the feathered raids?

Specifically with the location of the site for planting can not be helped, you need to give preference to good soil and the open sun. But here you can save the harvest, using tricky tricks. After the sunflower has faded and seeds began to ripen in it, it is necessary to tie the head of the plant. For this case, fit a fishing net with very small cells, gauze, thin cotton fabric. But it is necessary to avoid harmful advice about wrapping the head of a sunflower with polyethylene. To fully ripen the seeds they need air, and in a closed bag the seeds just spoil.

What affects the good result?

As a summing up, it should be noted that what influences the receipt of the expected harvest at the end of the season.

1. Sunflower grows well in areas open to penetration of sunlight, on chernozem or sandy soils with sufficient drainage.
2. An important role is played by the choice of seeds. On their quality depends on the germination of germs and resistance to diseases and pests.
3. You should know when to plant a sunflower in the open ground seeds and seedlings.
4. The quality of care for sunflowers influences the quantity of the harvest of sunflowers, namely: timely weeding, watering, fertilizing with fertilizers, protection against bird attacks.
5. As soon as the sunflower begins to dry up and bends its head to the ground - it's time to reap the fruits of its work. This means that the seeds are ripe and ready for use in raw form or after heat treatment.