Features of sunflower, recommendations for growing in the garden

HomeAll flowers that start with PFeatures of sunflower, recommendations for growing in the garden

Sunflower (lat. Helianthus) is a member of the Compositae family.

These are annual and perennial herbaceous plants, rarely shrubs. In central Russia, mainly annual species are grown as ornamentals. (An example of a perennial wintering sunflower is tuberous sunflower, or Jerusalem artichoke, “earth pear”). In the flower garden, bright decorative varieties create a special flavor of the rustic style – country. Everyone can grow attractive plants, you just need to get acquainted with the features of sunflower breeding.

plant description

Sunflower is a plant with a long thick single, weakly branching or non-branching rough stem 1 to 3 m high. One or several flowers can form at the top of the stem. The leaves are large, oval with a pointed base, serrated along the edge, with pubescence on the surface and well-defined veins. They are attached to the shoot with a long thick petiole. On one stem, 15 – 30 leaf blades can form, depending on its length.

The inflorescence is a basket, which can be convex, flat, or concave. Around the basket are dense rough triangular stipules of green color. The diameter of the flower depends on the cultivar and ranges from 5 to 30 cm.

The fruits are cone-shaped seeds with a dense skin of gray and black color. Sometimes the seeds have white longitudinal stripes. Inside the seeds contains a white core, covered with a thin film.

A photo is attached to the description of the sunflower plant, where the characteristic features of this crop are visible.

Kinds

All sorts of ornamental sunflower species are often grown on personal plots, differing in the color of the petals and the height of the stem. Below are the most beautiful of them.

Tuberous sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus).

Reaches 3 m in height. It has a strong weakly leafy stem. Inflorescences – baskets with thin oval narrow intense yellow petals. The diameter of the flowers is 5 cm or more.

Ten-petalled sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus).

A perennial variety, the height of which reaches 50 – 200 cm. The stems are rough, branching in the upper part. The leaves are large, heart-shaped, pointed at the base, with teeth along the edge. The flowers are simple and double, 7 cm in diameter, with light yellow or lemon yellow petals of regular shape. The plant begins to bloom in mid-August, continues until October.

Red stem sunflower (Helianthus atrorubens).

A tall variety that grows up to 200 cm. It has straight, powerful dark red shoots covered with a light pile. The leaves are oval, pointed at the base, dark green. Inflorescences of a golden hue, with a diameter of 7 – 8 cm.

Sunflower crippled (Helianthus debilis).

An annual species with a straight branching shoot. The leaves are oval, elongated, with a heart-shaped base, entire or with uneven teeth, dark green. Inflorescences are golden yellow or purple, up to 7.5 cm in diameter.

Characteristics of varieties

The following is a description of the best varieties of ornamental sunflower that can decorate any flower garden.

Moulin Rouge – a flower with a powerful stem 150 cm high. The inflorescence-basket is framed by a dense row of burgundy petals, the edges of which are slightly lighter than the central part;

“Teddy bear” – a variety about 100 cm high with spherical terry inflorescences, consisting of many yellow-orange petals folded into a tube. Flowering lasts from mid-summer to September;

“Vanilla Ice” – sunflower 150 cm high with simple baskets of light yellow color. The central part is brown. The variety has gained great popularity among florists;

“Red Sun” – a variety whose height is 3 m and above. It has large baskets with cherry-colored petals. The base of the petals is yellow. The central part is black;

“Moon light” – grows up to 2 m. Silver-yellow petals;

“ProCut Red Lemon BiColor” – a beautiful variety with two-color petals. The central part of the petals is terracotta, the edges and base are yellow;

“Kong” – one of the highest varieties of ornamental sunflower, reaching 500 cm in height. Differs in thick fleecy shoots and large heart-shaped leaves, also covered with short hairs. The inflorescence is bright yellow. The plant is suitable for creating a hedge.

The characteristics of sunflower varieties are supplemented with a selection of photos that will help you understand how each of them looks on the site:

Growing from seed

They grow decorative sunflowers from seeds that can be immediately planted in open ground, or first grow seedlings from them. Before planting in the ground, the seed is kept for a day in a damp cloth soaked in a solution of wood ash. To prepare it, dissolve 1 tbsp in a glass of warm water. l. ash. Sowing is done in late spring, early summer. The site is chosen open, sunny, protected from gusty winds and drafts. The soil should be light, loose, nutritious, with neutral acidity. Annual varieties are suitable sandy substrates.

Ridges are prepared the day before planting. To do this, they are dug up and leveled. The holes are made 5 cm deep. The distance between them should be 50 cm. 2 or 3 seeds are placed in each hole, then the soil is leveled and watered. Sprouts will appear in 10-15 days. You need to leave only the strongest of them, eliminate the weak. Flowering will come in 2 – 3 months.

When growing seedlings, seeds are placed in peat pots or disposable cups filled with a nutrient composition. 2-3 seeds are placed in each container to a depth of 2 cm, covered with a film or glass on top. Crops are cleaned in a room on a well-lit southern windowsill. For growth and development, a lot of light is required, therefore, if necessary, artificial lighting is used. Crops are regularly moistened. Crops are regularly moistened. The grown plants are hardened in advance, that is, 2 weeks before planting in open ground. After planting sunflower seedlings, they are cared for, which consists in watering, fertilizing, weeding and loosening the soil.

Care

Sunflower cultivation is carried out both for young and adult plants.

Watering. Emerging shoots are watered at least 1 time per week. Grown specimens are irrigated every 7 to 10 days. If there is a strong heat, you need to moisten the soil more often. It is important to monitor the standing of the earth and prevent it from drying out. However, water should not be forced, thereby causing rotting of the root system.

Topdressing. Organic fertilizers are added to poor soils. It should be borne in mind that the powerful root system of this crop takes the entire supply of valuable substances from the soil, so the next year green manure plants are planted in this place that can enrich the soil.

Other care. When breeding sunflowers, it is necessary to devote time to loosening the soil around the plant and eliminating weeds. Faded inflorescences should be removed in a timely manner to preserve the decorative effect of the flower bed.

Given the characteristics of sunflower when grown in the garden, you can get a spectacular, luxuriantly flowering plant.

Difficulties in breeding

Sunflowers, due to their strong immunity, are rarely exposed to diseases. This usually happens if care for them is not correct or irregular. The most common diseases of this crop include bacterial rot, phomosis and phomopsis.

Bacterial rot can be recognized by signs such as drying of sunflower leaf blades, twisting of the stem, or lack of buds. Affected plants are dug up and burned. The soil is treated with antibacterial drugs. When affected by Phomopsis, dry brown or brown specks form on the leaves. The diseased specimen is removed from the site, the soil is also treated with an antibacterial agent.

A disease such as phomosis affects the stems. They lose their strength, become vulnerable, become covered with brown spots. Gradually, the disease leads to a complete defeat of the plant. To prevent phomosis at the beginning of summer, the sunflower is treated with Akant.

Among the pests of this culture, the most common are thorns, bedbugs, moth moths, barbels, and spider mites. Among the pests of this culture, the most common are thorns, bedbugs, moth moths, barbels, and spider mites. To prevent the invasion of pests, processing is carried out 1 – 2 times per season.

To prevent the invasion of pests, processing is carried out 1 – 2 times per season.

Applying

Decorative varieties of sunflowers have a wide range of applications in the garden, since high showy flowers allow you to mask and transform nondescript, unsightly corners on the site, create an original bright composition in the flower bed. The best companions for this culture will be plants with light and golden shades of petals. These are delphinums, chamomiles, marigolds, marigolds, chrysanthemums, tuberoses, oregano, lavender and others.

Many gardeners plant groups of sunflowers to revitalize a particular area. Picturesque hedges are obtained from this culture. Tall varieties are planted along the fence, as well as along the perimeter of the site, replacing the usual fence. Tall varieties are planted along the fence, as well as along the perimeter of the site, replacing the usual fence.

Sunflowers are excellent cut flowers. From them you can make a colorful original bouquet that will last in a vase for at least 2 weeks. Psychologists say that this sunny flower takes away depression, drives away sadness, and improves mood.

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