What time does the sunflower bloom, and what does it symbolize?

The sunflower's flower head resembles the sun, with bright colors, simple and natural, full of vitality. It is generally planted in large patches, and when it blooms, it shines golden and is extremely spectacular. It also has high economic value and is deeply loved by everyone. So, what time does the sunflower bloom? What does it symbolize?

1. What time does the sunflower bloom?

Sunflowers are generally sown in April, with a flowering period from July to September. Their flowers open between 4 and 6 in the morning, and the fruit period is from August to September.

2. What does the sunflower symbolize?

Its symbolism is silent love, and its flower language is faith, radiance, pride, loyalty, and adoration, representing the courage to pursue the happiness you want. Although the sunflower's bearing is not as romantic as the rose, nor as pure as the lily, it is sunny and bright, loving openly and honestly, loving without ever letting go, with its own unique charm. Moreover, what it blooms is not only love, but also a passion for dreams and for life.

3. What are the key points of sunflower cultivation techniques?

1. Site selection

Sunflowers have well-developed aerenchyma in their roots and stems and are tolerant of waterlogging. For cultivation, choose a plot with level land, medium fertility, convenient irrigation and drainage, and relatively low soil clay content; continuous cropping is not suitable. They reproduce by seed, and peat soil is preferable for sowing. Before sowing, dress the seeds with New High-Fat Film, which can repel underground pests, isolate viral infection, and increase the seed germination rate.

2. Sowing

The time is generally from March to April. The suitable temperature for sowing is 18-25°C, and seedlings usually emerge about 5-7 days after sowing. The basic principle for choosing the sowing date is to sow appropriately early or late according to the patterns of salinization, so that the seedlings avoid salt-alkali damage. Carry out spring sowing or summer sowing according to the growth period of the variety.

3. Field inspection

The sunflower is a dicotyledonous crop, and pushing through the soil to emerge takes considerable effort. In addition, poor land preparation or sowing quality, surface soil crusting after rain following sowing, or damage from diseases, insects, rodents, sparrows, and the like can easily cause missing plants and broken rows. To ensure full seedlings from one sowing, you must inspect field by field and row by row during the emergence stage, and promptly reseed where plants are missing in patches or rows.

4. Thinning and final singling

In sunflower cultivation, thin the seedlings early to prevent seedlings from crowding one another, which affects the cultivation of strong seedlings and even later yield. As for saline-alkali land and plots with severe pest damage, the time for final singling can be appropriately delayed. At the same time, sunflowers should also be singled early, which helps cultivate strong seedlings and also benefits flower head development. Final singling should be carried out when there are 2 pairs of true leaves.

5. Intertillage

Generally carry out intertillage 2-3 times. The first intertillage is done when there are 1-2 pairs of true leaves, combined with thinning and final singling. The second intertillage is done 1 week after final singling. The third intertillage is completed before the rows close, combined with furrowing, earthing up, and fertilizing.

6. Topdressing

Sunflowers relatively like fertilizer. Furrow topdressing is usually carried out at the third intertillage, mainly with nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers: 5 kg of diammonium phosphate and 10 kg of urea per mu, mixed evenly and applied to the soil. Furrowing and earthing up can effectively ensure the growth and development of secondary roots, prevent lodging, and reduce basal branching below the cotyledon node.

7. Irrigation

From sowing to squaring, the water requirement is not great; from squaring to flowering is the peak water requirement period; and from flowering to maturity, the water requirement is also relatively high. Sunflowers are irrigated by furrow irrigation. Generally, for varieties with a plant height of 1.5 m, the first watering should be done at the flower bud stage, the second at the early flowering stage, and the third at the grain-filling stage. For varieties with a plant height of about 2 m, the first watering is done 4-5 days before flowering (in severe drought, irrigation is advanced), the second 6-7 days after the first watering, and the third at the grain-filling stage.

8. Pollination

Sunflowers have a low seed-setting rate with self-pollination and a high seed-setting rate with cross-pollination. During cultivation, timely artificial supplementary pollination should be carried out, using methods such as pairing flower heads, powder puffs, and cotton gloves to transfer pollen, or collecting pollen from the paternal parent and gently dabbing it onto the stigma of the maternal parent with a small brush. Pollination is carried out 3-4 times during the full flowering stage.

In summary, sunflowers bloom in the early morning, that is, when the sun is about to rise. In addition, both the blooming and the cultivation of sunflowers require everyone to manage them with care.