Planting, Fertilizing, And Protecting Sunflowers
Even though sunflowers have been cultivated for hundreds of years, professional growers are still discovering new methods for increasing output and improving the overall quality of the crop. Plus, as new uses for the byproducts of sunflowers (seeds, oil, etc.) are developed, the crop acreage has increased. Today, nearly 3 million acres are cultivated annually in the U.S. alone.
Below, I’ll describe how to plant sunflowers to ensure your crop, large or small, maintains its quality. I’ll also provide a few tips for fertilizing and protecting your crop while it grows.
Planting Your Sunflowers
Sunflower crops can usually be planted as early as April, though many farmers wait for May when the weather is warmer. The higher temperatures allows for quicker drying and an earlier harvest. When you’re planting sunflowers, keep in mind that the crop output (in seeds) is often inversely correlated to seed rate (or, plants per acre). In other words, sunflower heads tend to produce larger quantities of seeds when the crop is thin. As a rule of thumb, plan to have approximately 20,000 seeds per acre. Also, the wider the rows, the more easily you can manage the weeds. (more…)