»How to plant and grow sunflowers«
Sunflower is one of the important seed crops that are grown commercially for oil extraction.
Sunflower are easy crop s to grow and they tolerate the tough dry conditions. They grow best when started directly from the seed in the garden at a depth of about an inch deep. Spacing of the sunflower depends on the variety ie small varieties can be planted about 6 inches apart while large varieties need a spacing of about 3 feet apart.
Growth requirements
If you are to plant seedlings, transplant them at an early stage because their roots do not always transplant well.
Sunflowers are not picky on the soils they grow in and will grow in rocky and sandy soils but sunflowers grown in rich fertile soils will grow bigger and taller.
Sunflowers require regular watering when they are growing and its best to put the water right on the soil and not on the leaves. Each time you water, ensure that you water the entire root depth and let it dry a little bit before you water again.
Harvesting
When you begin seeing birds beginning to peck your sunflower seeds on the plant, it implies that the seeds are about to get ready and you may need to cover it with a netting to protect it away from the birds.
Harvest when all the petals around the flower have shriveled and dried off. Loosen the seeds by hand to get them from the kernel and let them dry properly before storage.
You can dry some seeds for planting the following season.
