How to raise potted sunflowers

Sunflower, I believe we are no stranger to this plant, because the melon seeds we like to eat come from this plant. Not only that, the flowers of sunflowers are also very eye-catching, is a very suitable for family potted ornamental flowers. As the name implies, the flowers of this plant get its name from blooming toward the sun, which has a positive meaning. So, how to raise family potted sunflowers?

Let's first understand its growth habits: sunflowers can be planted all the year round, but mainly in autumn and winter, flowering for more than 2 weeks, can be divided into ornamental type and edible type. Ornamental sunflowers are mainly used for potted plants, while edible sunflowers are mainly used for production. However, whether in ornamental or in production, this plant has an important relationship with soil environment, temperature, light, water and fertilizer and so on.

1. Soil

The requirement of sunflower to basin soil is not high, usually it can be planted with ordinary soil and has strong alkali resistance. However, in order to ensure the good growth of the plant, it is suggested that the soil rich in humus and good drainage should be used as the culture soil.

2. Lighting

Sunflower is sensitive to sunlight because it likes sufficient light and has strong phototropism regardless of its branches, leaves or disk. If the light is not enough, it will easily lead to bending of stems, soft and drooping branches and leaves, and irregular disk due to lack of light.

3. Temperature

Sunflowers like light, naturally also like the warm growth environment, the ability to withstand shade and cold is relatively poor. The suitable growth temperature is between 21-27 ℃ in daytime and 10-16 ℃ at night. If the temperature is too low, the growth of the plant will slow down, which will affect the time and quality of flowering. However, if the temperature is too high, such as more than 30 ℃, it is easy to cause excessive growth of stems and leaves and shorten the flowering period.

4. Watering

Sunflower cultivated as a production crop generally has high plant shape, dense branches and leaves, and has a great demand for water, so it is necessary to replenish water for it in time; and as a potted plant, the potted soil should not be too wet, otherwise it will easily lead to yellowing of leaves. Usually only need to keep the basin soil in a moist state, especially in the dry summer, it should be replenished in time.

5. Fertilization

Sunflowers have less demand for nutrients in the seedling stage, so there is no need to fertilize them. However, in order to ensure the timely replenishment of nutrients in the growth process of sunflower, it is suggested that liquid fertilizer should be applied every 3 weeks or so, and thin phosphorus and potassium liquid fertilizer should be applied 2-3 times on the eve of flowering. Through rational fertilization, sunflower can improve the absorption of nutrients and promote its growth more robust.

6. Pick the heart

Potted sunflowers do not need to pick the heart, it is better to watch them with a single flower. For potted sunflowers, in order to control the plant growth height, B9 diluent can be sprayed on the leaves 20 days after germination. Of course, if it is applied to the flower bed landscape, a heart pick can be carried out, which can grow more lateral branches and more flower plates.

7. Disease

Sunflower is easy to breed powdery mildew, black spot, bacterial leaf spot, rust (prevalent in high wet period), stem rot and other diseases, which can be prevented by disinfecting substrate, watering correctly, ensuring air circulation, spraying fungicide and so on. When the disease occurs, it can be sprayed with methyl topiramate wettable powder diluent to achieve prevention and treatment.

Time: 2019-05-30 Click: