When Do Sunflowers Mature? An Analysis of the Latest Maturation Times
Sunflower is also known as zhaoyanghua, zhuanrilian, xiangyanghua, etc. It is a plant of the genus Helianthus in the Asteraceae family, native to South America, and is cultivated throughout China. Its seeds are called sunflower seeds, often roasted and eaten as a snack, and can also be pressed into sunflower seed oil for consumption, while the oil residue can be used as feed. Now let us take a look at when sunflowers mature!
When Do Sunflowers Mature?
The maturation time of sunflowers is closely related to the sowing time. Sunflowers sown in spring generally mature from July to September. When they bloom, the yellow flowers in field after field of sunflowers bloom facing the sun. After the seeds are harvested from July to September and dried, they can be stored for quite a long time. At the same time, different sunflower varieties mature at slightly different times.
When Are Sunflowers Sown?
The sowing time for sunflowers is from March to April. The suitable temperature for sowing is 18-25°C, and seedlings emerge about 5-7 days after sowing. The basic principle for choosing the sowing period is to sow appropriately early or late according to the patterns of salinization, so that the seedlings avoid salt-alkali damage. Spring or summer sowing is carried out according to the growth period of the variety. The sowing period is adjusted according to the patterns of disease occurrence so as to avoid the season when diseases are frequent. The sowing period is adjusted according to growth characteristics so that the flowering and grain-filling period avoids high-temperature weather above 28°C. The sowing method is dibbling, with about 1 cm of soil cover. Flowering occurs about 50-80 days after sowing, with slight differences in each factor depending on the variety.
The Growth Cycle of Sunflowers
1. Seedling stage: The period from emergence to bud formation in sunflowers is called the seedling stage, generally requiring 35-50 days, or 28-35 days for summer sowing. This period is the stage of leaf and flower primordium formation and floret differentiation. The seedling stage is the stage when sunflowers have the strongest drought resistance; aboveground growth is slow, while underground root growth is faster, quickly forming a strong root system.
2. Bud stage: From bud formation to flowering, sunflowers generally need about 20 days. This is a period when vegetative growth and reproductive growth proceed together, and it is also the most vigorous stage in their life. During this period, the demand for fertilizer and water is greatest, accounting for about 40-50% of the total fertilizer and water requirement. If the need for water and fertilizer cannot be met in time, the yield will be seriously affected.
3. Flowering stage: For a single sunflower head, the period from the opening of the ray florets to the completion of the opening of the tubular florets generally takes 6-9 days. From the second day to the fifth day is the full-bloom period, mostly opening from 4-6 a.m., with pollination on the following morning. Unpollinated heads can remain for 7-10 days, but the seed-setting rate of self-pollination is only about 3%, while the seed-setting rate of cross-pollination is high.
4. Maturation stage: The maturation stage of sunflowers refers to the stage from flowering to maturity, 25-55 days for spring sowing and 25-40 days for summer sowing, with differences among varieties. About 15 days after flowering and pollination is the seed formation stage. The maturation stage of sunflowers requires clear weather, a relatively large temperature difference between day and night, and suitable soil moisture.