Sunflowers in the home garden and farm
March 31, 2008
Sunflowers are some of the most enjoyable and easiest flowers to grow. Sunflowers are the nature’s way of saying “thank you” to the sun. Sunflowers are great plants that almost seem to be smiling at everyone who passes. The best thing about sunflowers is they are not hard to grow, and you can easily have them in your own garden to make your house brighter and more attractive.
Sunflowers are annual flowers (meaning they have to be replanted each year) that usually have a large flower head on the end of a tall stalk. There is some varieties sunflowers ranging from tiny sunflowers only a couple feet tall to monstrosities over eight feet tall.
Sunflowers are technically classified as Helianthus annuus. They are a large plant and are grown throughout the world because of their relatively short growing season. Sunflowers are big eaters so plan on enriching their soil with a dressing of compost at least once during the summer. However, compost is more desirable than fertilizer since over-fertilization weakens sunflower stems. Sunflowers are normally harvested when the ‘petals’ (the outer flowers or ligules) have unfolded and are at least vertical.
Sunflowers are a good bee plant, as it provides hive bees with large quantities of wax and nectar. Sunflowers, when the stalks are dry, are as hard as most woods and therefore make an excellent fire; the ash obtained after burning is rich in potash. Sunflowers are planted after frost. If you are using seeds then water them regularly and keep the beds fairly moist until they start sprouting.
Sunflowers are a universally popular choice. They attract cardinals, woodpeckers, blue jays, goldfinches, purple finches, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches. Sunflowers are native to North America, where they were known to native peoples more than 8,000 years ago. Archeological evidence suggests that sunflowers were cultivated and improved upon as early as 2300 B.C., possibly predating the farming of corn, beans, and squash. Sunflowers are native to North America, and were cultivated for food by native peoples for thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers. The seeds of sunflower are also a preferred food of birds and small mammals, so many people grow them to feed wildlife over the winter.
Sunflower varieties have steadily improved over time. Numerous options are now available, including dwarf types and specialty oil (high oleic) types. Sunflower varieties grown as crops have steadily improved with time. There are many varieties and hybrids available, including dwarf sunflowers with large seed heads and sunflowers that produce oil with unique saleable properties (such as a high percentage of oleic acid).
Dwarf sunflowers grown in hydroponic media accumulate cadmium both by binding it to the submersed root structures and by translocating it to the shoots and leaves. In previous studies with mature plants, we have shown that the partitioning between these two extremes can be strongly influenced by the presence of chelating agents in the aqueous phase. Dwarf sunflowers can be planted in a garden or in pots. Dwarf sunflowers grow 14-to 30-inches tall, perfect for children’s gardens or containers. The ‘Sundance Kid’ variety by Park’s Seed is a dwarf sunflower that features extremely free-flowering blossoms.
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