When is the best time to plant sunflower?

Oil sunflower refers to oil-producing sunflower , which has a high oil yield, strong adaptability, wide range of uses, high economic value and good planting prospects. So when is the best time to plant sunflower? Let’s learn more about it below.

When is the best time to plant sunflower?

It is more suitable to plant sunflower in April and May in spring or June and July in summer. During these two planting periods, the climate is relatively warm, which is conducive to the germination and growth of its seeds.

Key points of oil sunflower planting technology

1. Land preparation and fertilization

Choose land with convenient irrigation and drainage and medium or above fertility for planting. Before sowing, deep plow the ground to 20-25 cm, harrow and level the ground. Depending on the soil conditions, apply 3-5 cubic meters of farmyard manure, 30-50 kg of superphosphate, 15-20 kg of ammonium carbon, 10-15 kg of potassium sulfate, or 40 kg of potassium-containing compound fertilizer per mu.

2. Selection of improved varieties

Choose varieties with high yield, stable yield and strong disease resistance, and suitable varieties for planting include KWS303, NWS667, S606 and other hybrids. Seeds are screened or manually selected before sowing to remove foreign grains, small grains, barren grains, insect-infested grains and other impurities to improve seed purity.

3. Seed treatment

Generally speaking, the seeds should be dried in the sun for 3-4 days to kill pathogens and insect eggs, then soaked in warm water for 1-2 days to promote germination, and finally soaked or sprayed with pesticides (such as 25% metalaxyl wettable powder , etc.) to prevent invasion by pests and diseases.

4. Sowing method

When sowing, first dig shallow furrows with a row spacing of 50 cm, and then sow at a plant spacing of 40 cm, or inter-plant with corn with 80 large rows and 40 small rows, and 40 cm plant spacing. The sowing depth is 2-3 cm, 2-3 seeds are sown in each hole, and about 400 grams of seeds are used per mu. Proper compaction after covering the soil is beneficial to seedling emergence.

5. Post-sowing management

The key points of post-sowing management are mainly replanting missing seedlings, and tilling the soil to loosen the soil and stun the seedlings. Generally, tillage is done three times. The first tillage is done after the seedlings emerge, with a tillage depth of 5-8 cm; the second tillage is done after the seedlings are fixed, with a depth of 8-12 cm; the third tillage is done before budding, with a depth of 12-15 cm.

The above is an introduction to the most suitable planting time for sunflowers. Of course, in addition to mastering the skills of timely sowing, subsequent planting management is also very important, such as watering, fertilizing, pest and disease control, etc., which are key technologies to further increase sunflower yields.