Sunflower Flower Meaning and Planting Time, with the 2020 Production Technical Guidance

The sunflower, also known as the sun-turning flower, gets its name because its flowers often face the sun. The flowers are often used in floral arrangements, so what is the sunflower's flower meaning? When should it be planted? In addition, the 2020 Sunflower Production Technical Guidance published by the Ministry of Agriculture is introduced below.

1. What is the sunflower's flower meaning?

The sunflower's flower meaning is faith, radiance, pride, loyalty and admiration; its symbolism is silent love, representing the courage to pursue the happiness you want.

2. When should sunflowers be planted?

Sunflowers are generally sown in March to April. The suitable temperature for sowing is 18-25°C, and sprouts 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. Spring or summer sowing is carried out according to the growth period of the variety.

3. 2020 Sunflower Production Technical Guidance!

At present, sunflowers in parts of Xinjiang and Gansu have entered the sowing stage, and other regions will also sow one after another. To guide sunflower production in all regions, the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, together with the Oil Crops Expert Steering Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, formulated the 2020 Sunflower Production Technical Guidance.

First, rational crop rotation and selection of superior varieties. Sunflowers should not be grown continuously; repeated cropping and back-to-back cropping will lead to excessive consumption of soil nutrients and intensify damage from the parasitic weed broomrape as well as diseases and insect pests. A rotation of at least three years is recommended, with wheat, flax, corn and sorghum as suitable preceding crops. According to natural ecological conditions, production conditions and market demand, each region should select superior varieties with a suitable maturity period, strong disease resistance and stress resistance, and good market quality. In areas where the parasitic weed broomrape occurs severely, choose varieties resistant to broomrape. Buy seeds from正规 formal seed supply channels, and learn in advance about the variety's registration status and production application results.

Second, sow at the right time and appropriately reduce density. Ensure adequate soil moisture and timely sowing. In the northwest sunflower growing areas, spring sowing is early, so the main focus should be preventing spring cold; the sowing date can be appropriately delayed according to weather changes. In dryland areas, do a good job of moisture conservation before sowing, and improve sowing quality through film mulching to sow while taking advantage of soil moisture, or by adding water-retaining agents and other drought-resistant techniques. In drip irrigation growing areas, drip irrigate promptly after sowing to ensure seedling survival. On the premise of ensuring normal maturity, appropriately delaying the sowing date can reduce the incidence of sunflower Verticillium wilt and Sclerotinia rot, and lessen the damage from the sunflower moth. Adopt a suitable planting density according to variety characteristics and planting methods; according to local actual conditions, planting methods such as wide and narrow rows, single rows on large ridges, and two-to-empty can be used. Appropriately reducing planting density and using intercropping or relay intercropping with short-stalked crops can reduce the incidence of Verticillium wilt and Sclerotinia rot, while also increasing yield and seed market quality.

Third, give priority to prevention and carry out green control. Adhere to prevention first and combine prevention with control, focusing on the control of sunflower Sclerotinia rot, Verticillium wilt, rust, leaf spot, the sunflower moth and sunflower broomrape. Use agricultural control measures such as deep plowing and land preparation, rational crop rotation, timely late sowing, rational close planting, and increased application of organic fertilizer. Before sowing, seeds can be mixed and dressed with a mixture of biocontrol agents and chemical agents. For broomrape control, resistance-inducing agents can be reasonably sprayed at the seedling stage. Achieve green control and integrated control, and reduce the amount of chemical pesticides used. Reduce irrigation in the later period, or drip irrigate in small amounts multiple times, to lessen the occurrence of head rot. When sunflowers enter the late bud stage, pay attention to thrips damage to reduce the occurrence of seed rust spots; biological control is advocated.

Fourth, scientific fertilization and rational irrigation. Choose fertilizers with a suitable formula and appropriate fertilization techniques to achieve balanced fertilization. Applying organic fertilizer together with inorganic fertilizer gives better yield-increasing results; appropriately increasing the application of potassium, boron, zinc, silicon and other medium and trace element fertilizers helps improve sunflower yield and quality. Water at the right time according to the sunflower's water requirements and actual conditions. From emergence to the bud stage, water demand is relatively low, and moderate drought helps strengthen seedlings and stalks and promote root development; from bud stage to flowering is the key period for water and fertilizer management, and timely supply of water and fertilizer must be ensured; from flowering to maturity, depending on actual conditions, if drought occurs, another watering is needed to increase seed-setting rate and kernel rate and raise yield, but lodging must be prevented.

Fifth, strengthen management and harvest at the right time. During the flowering period, strengthen supplementary pollination to increase the seed-setting rate; artificial supplementary pollination or honeybees can be used for pollination, and for larger planting areas, honeybee pollination can be used. Sunflowers should be harvested promptly when mature, generally 40-45 days after flowering, when the flower head and the upper leaves of the stem turn yellow, the bracts are yellow-brown, and the lower leaves wither and fall. The harvested flower heads should be spread out promptly to dry to prevent mildew, and after threshing they must be dried promptly. Where conditions permit, mechanical harvesting can be chosen according to variety characteristics, seed moisture content and other factors.

Now is the best time for sowing sunflowers. Friends who want to grow them can prepare the land and apply fertilizer according to the variety, and sow the seeds.