How To Do Sunflowers Farming In India

"Sunflowers are Actually made up of thousands of tiny flowers"

The sunflower, in common with all daisy-type flowers, is not one single flower. It is made up of many small flowers known as disc florets, which are packed into a large flat head. There are some 4000 individual flowers in each sunflower head.

• The fringe of petals around the edge of most daisies - and very obvious in a sunflower - forms a secondary type of flower known as a ray floret.
• The formation of the flower head becomes more obvious as the seeds form. Each seed represents one flower within the flower head.

For a short-lived plant, the sunflower has a long history. These vibrant yellow flowers may look young and fresh, but fossil records reveal they have been turning their cheery faces to the sun for the best part of 500 millennia. 

A fossil of a 47-million-year-old sunflower that was discovered in Argentina showed a large flower head so much like the modern sunflower it could have been picked from a contemporary garden. 

Fossils of flowers are rare as the soft fleshy parts of plants decay, leaving behind an imprint of the leaf or traces of fossilised pollen. Unusually, this fossilised sunflower shows the stem, leaves and fine hairs as well as the composition of the flower. 

Sunflowers are native to North and Central America but this fossil suggests the ancestors of the sunflower and other members of the daisy family (Asteraceae, as it is known to botanists) originated on the vast continent of Gondwanaland. 

Some 200 million years ago, Australia was part of Gondwana, along with South America and Africa, but the supercontinent broke up and the landmasses slowly drifted apart. The ancestors of the sunflower went with the part that ended up as South America.

"Although sunflowers are thought of as big yellow flowers, they come in a variety of  colours including brown, red and gold"

Try To Use New Seeds To Grow Fastly

Sunflowers have long been valued for their nutritious seeds and today they are grown mostly for sunflower oil, used for cooking and for margarines. 

Most of the work in developing sunflowers has been aimed at producing flowers with high oil content in their seed but, more recently, breeders have been looking at their ornamental value as well. 

Although sunflowers are thought of as big yellow flowers, they come in a variety of colours including brown, red and gold. Some have multicoloured petals. Some are also multi-branching, producing stems of flowers over many weeks. 

Recently, ornamental plant breeders have been breeding flowers with a variety of colours and forms. One Victorian breeder has also developed flowers that are sterile. While not good for oil production or pollinators, they are fabulous for florists, flower arrangers and people with allergies as these sterile flowers don't produce pollen.

"Fossil records reveal sunflowers have been turning their cheery faces to the sun for the best part of 500 millennia"

Gradening Tips To Grow Sunflowers Organically

Sunflowers are a summer crop and easy to grow from seed. As well as being entertaining for children to grow, they can be used to shelter a vegetable garden or to provide fast (but temporary) screening. 

Tall varieties such as 'Giant Russian' easily reach 3m in height. If this sounds a little over the top for your garden, there are dwarf varieties including the double-flowered 'Teddy Bear', which is as cute as it sounds and only grows to around 50cm high. Many of the multi-branching sunflowers only grow to around 1.5m high. 

Sunflowers grow through summer and into early autumn, reaching their full potential in deep rich soil with lots of added organic matter. They need full sun and regular moisture or they become stunted and flower prematurely. When well watered, sunflowers have few pests and diseases until their seeds begin to ripen. When this happens, lots of birds and animals will try to feed on the seeds. 

Harvesting Tips To Grow Brussels Sprouts Organically

Use sunflower seeds to feed to birds including chickens. They can also be harvested and added to your own diet as the seeds are rich in protein, fibre and oil. They also contain potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and vitamin B. 

The best seeds are harvested when the flower head is mature and the petals fall. The maturing head will bend over and the entire plant will be dying back. As the head ages, the seeds dry out and the  heads are likely to be attacked  by  birds — cockatoos, especially. Rats and mice may also mount an attack. 

If the seed heads are not ready to harvest but there are birds about eyeing off the seeds, cover the mature head with a paper bag or a cloth or pick the head with at least 20-30cm of stem attached and dry it in an airy but protected area. Stems can be hung singly or in bunches upside-down in a shed. 

To separate the seeds from the spent flower head, cut the head from the stem, leaving several centimetres of stem attached (so it's easy to handle). The seeds should be easy to rub free and separate from the chaff. Collect the seeds on a tray or in a bucket as they fall or are rubbed from the seed head. 

Wash and dry seeds before storing. The seeds keep in an airtight container for several months and can be used to eat as snacks or to roast. The outer shell of the sunflower seed is quite hard, but the inner kernel is soft and tasty. Generally, the outer shell or husk is cracked and discarded, leaving the kernel to eat. Sunflower seeds can also be stored for up to a year in a fridge or freezer. 

Scientific Details Of Sunflower

• Common names: Sunflower 
• Botanical name: Helianthus annuus 
• Family: Asteraceae (daisy family)
• Aspect & soil: Full sun with protection from wind; well-drained soil 
• Best climate: Subtropics, temperate, Mediterranean, cool 
• Habit: Annual 
• Propagation: Seed, seedling, small potted plants 
• Difficulty: Easy