General Information

  • Category- Flower
  • Binomial Name- Helianthus annuus
  • Common Names- Common sunflower, Soorajmukhi
  • Spread- 24 inches**
  • Height- 48-60 inches**
  • Average Production- 1 flower per stem (The sunflower head is not a single flower but is made up of 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers joined at a common receptacle. )
  • Days to Maturity- 55-80 days

Environmental Requirements

  • Soil- Loamy or Sandy
  • Soil pH- 6.0-7.5
  • Soil moisture- 20%
  • Sun Requirements- Full Sun
  • Best Time to Plant- Round the year
  • Temperature range- 18-35 Celsius  

Tips to Grow Sunflower

  1. Arrange good quality sunflower seeds.
  2. The soil should be well drained and can’t be too compact.
  3. Sunflowers should be planted 1 to 1.5 inches deep and about 5 inches apart after the soil has thoroughly warmed. Give plants plenty of room, especially for low-growing varieties that will branch out.
  4. We can add compost for better growth.
  5. For indoor bouquets, cut the main stem just before its flower bud has a chance to open to encourage side blooms. Cut stems early in the morning. Harvesting flowers during middle of the day may lead to flower wilting.

Uses

  1. Some varieties produce small black seeds that are used in cooking oil, margarine, cosmetics, and animal feed; they are the best sunflower seeds for attracting the greatest variety of songbirds.
  2. The bigger, striped seeds are grown for snacking and as an ingredient in bread and health foods. 

** The values are standard values but might change a bit.

*To get flowers quickly, the users can buy plants from nursery.

Flowers, Fruits, Vegetables