Worth knowing:
This is the dwarf among the sunflowers and therefore wonderfully suitable for small beds, flower pots or the windowsill. It grows to a maximum height of 40 centimetres and forms even, pushy flowers. All sunflowers form so called pseudo blooms, which consist of up to 15,000 individual blooms. Their flowering time is usually between July and October. The high nectar content, which can have a sugar content of up to 35% at midday, attracts numerous butterflies, bumblebees and bees to the pollen. However, predatory insects are also attracted, which kill lice and other pests in the vicinity. Sunflowers are so-called compass plants that always turn towards the sunlight (heliotropism). The bud follows the sun from east to west to return to the east at night. Incidentally, blooming sunflowers are no longer heliotropic. Their heads then point mainly in the direction of sunrise. The sunflower seeds (seeds) have a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. In Russia, Turkey and Spain the seeds are often eaten roasted.
Natural Location:
The distribution area of sunflowers is mainly from North to Central America and was already archeologically demonstrably cultivated on the Mississippi and in Mexico 4,000 years ago. Spanish sailors brought the first sunflower seeds to Europe in the 16th century.
Cultivation:
The best time to grow sunflowers is between March and June. Simply place the seeds directly in the garden soil or in a tub of garden soil. In the tub, there is a ratio of 2 plants per 35 centimetre pot diameter, so that the plants do not compete too much for nutrients. Now keep the soil evenly moist. In warm temperatures the seeds will germinate after one to two weeks.
Place:
As the name indicates - sunflowers love and need light and they like full sun. This also applies to young plants
Care:
The need for water is high and you should supply your sunflowers daily, especially in summer. The need for nutrients is also high and it is best to nurse them weekly with a liquid green plant fertilizer from April to September. Sunflowers are well suited as cut flowers for the vase. Remove all the leaves from the cut style except the top two or three, so that the cut in the vase will last longer.
During the winter:
Sunflowers are annuals. If you leave the sunflowers standing upright in winter, they will still provide food for seed-eating birds.
Picture credits:
- © Mike Peel - CC-BY-SA-4.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
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