New varieties of sunflowers are coming along all the time. Newer colors are maroon, which appears black when photographed, tan, striped and orange. A new variety of sunflowers that has been created is a low-pollen form which may become a favorite of asthma sufferers. Pollen-free cultivars include Sunrich, Sunbright, Sunbeam and Moonbright. Sunflower seeds, a popular snack in the baseball bullpen, contain 50 percent fat, but it is polyunsaturated linoleic acid and deemed healthy. The snack-type sunflower seeds are the striped seeds, whereas the sunflower oil is made from the black seeds. Most commercially grown sunflowers are used as birdseed, snacks and oil. They are also utilized in biodiesel, medicine and animal feed.
types two or three feet apart. If you desire to create a hedge or maze with your sunflowers, you may place them closer. But in doing so, the flowers may not be as big. Because of their top-heavy nature, you may want to shelter the plants from the wind by planting the seeds along a privacy fence or next to a structure. Sunflowers do best in soils with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. This is the pH range you will find in most of Central Florida’s soils. Since Helianthus literally means “sun flower,” it dictates that they must receive full sun to bloom and prosper. A good thing about sunflowers is that they are not plagued with many pests, except maybe a stinkbug or two.
Sunflowers range from a towering height of 20 feet tall down to the Helianthus debilis (beach sunflower), a spreading perennial two or three feet in height. The beach sunflower, or dune sunflower, is ideal planted in a difficult area such as a slope and allowed to run. This particular type has three inch flowers which are very attractive to butterflies. It has dark green, glossy foliage, as well.
Sunflowers, with their interesting history and circuitous trade route, have become not only a global food source, but are a vastly popular garden plant as well. They are great for a snack to eat, as well as to share with the birds and squirrels. Another added bonus of sunflowers is the beauty they impart as cut flowers. They will light up your dining table with a quaint splendor that just feels like home.
Plant your sunflower seeds after risk of frost has passed. You will need to cover the smaller seeds with a half inch of soil. For the larger seeds, one inch of soil is required. Germination generally takes five to ten days. The seedlings should be thinned out, leaving the smaller types one foot apart and the larger
For more information on growing sunflowers or other plants in Polk County, contact the Plant Clinic at UF/IFAS Extension Polk County. You can reach us at (863) 519-1057 or online at http://polkextension.com.
WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
September 2016
11