A Complete Guide to Sunflower Seed Selection and Seedling Cultivation Methods

Sunflower, also called sun-facing flower, has always been a symbol of pursuing sunlight. There are many theories about sunflowers facing the sun, one being plant auxin and the other being the effect of heat. Regardless of which one it is, the sunflower, symbolizing positivity, sunshine and vitality, has always been deeply loved by people. So if you want to plant sunflowers, how do you select seeds? What seedling cultivation methods are there? Let's take a look below.

How to select sunflower seeds?

1. Variety selection

Each variety has a climate, soil and phenological period suitable for planting, so you must choose a variety suitable for your region. Only varieties that are relatively well suited to the diseases, weather, growth period and so on of your area can grow well and give a good harvest.

2. Packaging appearance

Choose seeds from large companies and major brands. This can ensure that the seeds purchased are genuine seeds rather than fake ones. Do not buy seeds from small vendors. Through the inspection window of the seed bag, check whether the seeds are uniform, whether the coating is consistent, and whether there are very few impurities. Otherwise, seedlings will emerge unevenly. Check the production date of the seeds and whether the production license, quarantine certificate and other certificate numbers are complete, and check whether the packaging bag has been opened.

3. Seed appearance

Generally, for varieties with very high purity, there is little difference in grain shape. Also, new seeds are bright and shiny, while old seeds are darker in color. High-quality sunflower seeds are roughly consistent in uniformity, with plump grains and a relatively high 100-grain weight; there are few diseased grains and damaged grains, few impurities such as sand, stones, weeds, crop straw and other crops, and no insect damage.

What are the seedling cultivation methods for sunflower seeds?

1. Sowing

From the end of April to the beginning of May, the climate conditions in the Jiangnan area are most suitable for sowing. To make the seeds and soil closely contact, when sowing sunflower seeds, simply scatter the seeds evenly on the surface layer of fine-grained potting soil, and then cover with a very thin layer of fine soil.

2. Seedling cultivation

To ensure that the seedlings pass through this very period safe and sound, the seedling cultivation stage is very important. You must have enough patience to care for and tend them, just like treating an infant in swaddling clothes. With the slightest carelessness, the seedlings die, greatly reducing the seedling survival rate.

3. Thinning

Choose a pair of pointed tweezers as the thinning tool. When the flower seedlings grow a few millimeters tall, thinning can begin. Adopt a batch-by-batch, time-by-time method, always pulling out the relatively weak ones and leaving the sturdy ones, until there is still a gap of three to four cm between seedlings.

4. Pinching off the top

When the small seedlings grow to 3 or 4 cm tall, branches also grow from the roots. At this time, pinch off the top shoot of the main branch, and soon a cluster of buds will sprout again at the break. When the branches at the roots grow to a certain length, the branches can also be pinched. After such treatment, the sunflower is dwarfed and the plant shape also becomes better looking.

5. Watering

During the seedling cultivation stage, the weather is not yet very hot and water evaporates slowly, so it is not suitable to water too much. The flowering period is in the dog days of summer, when it needs to be watered thoroughly so it can fully absorb water.

Sunflowers also have many flower colors, and the flower shape looks simple and small, but the fondness for them is not diminished at all. And the main thing is that it is really easy to grow, so you do not have to worry about not being able to keep it alive, and there are flowers to admire. This is probably also why it is so popular!

For wonderful pictures and articles and popular comments about sunflowers, you may be interested in the content recommended below by Nongxun Network. Welcome to read.

Agricultural products you may be interested in: High-quality sunflower seeds supplied nationwide