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There’s more to harvesting and drying sunflowers than many professional growers realize. How soon you decide to harvest them will depend largely on energy costs, temperatures, and whether you prefer them to dry naturally. Ideally, your sunflowers won’t be exposed to insects and diseases, and the temperature will be warm enough to allow them to dry on the stem. However, those circumstances are rare. In reality, most crops will be vulnerable to some level of pests and diseases. And depending upon where you live, the temperature can cause your sunflowers to freeze.

In this article, I’ll explain some of the benefits of harvesting your sunflowers early. I’ll also describe how they’re dried and why the moisture in the air can affect your crops.

Benefits Of Harvesting Early

With energy expenses escalating, you might think that allowing your sunflowers to dry naturally is a good idea. But, there are plenty of reasons why you should consider harvesting them early. First, if the temperature is close to freezing during the evenings, your sunflower crops are not actually drying. The moisture is being sealed inside. But, even if you’re not growing your sunflowers in freezing temperatures, there are still many advantages to an early harvest.

For example, the weather can often be harsh for sunflowers. Rain and strong winds can pummel your crops and prevent them from drying properly. Also, keep in mind that the longer you allow your crops to stay outside, the more vulnerable they’ll be to insects, birds, and other pests. What’s more, they’re more susceptible to mildew, mold, and diseases.

Sunflowers also have to cope with weeds, which can become a problem if they’re not managed. You can use chemicals to control them, but their effectiveness is often limited, depending upon the weather and soil. If you own a high-power dryer that can output high temperatures, consider an early harvest to dry them yourself.

Temperature And Moisture

There are many places where the air has increased capacity to hold moisture during the harvest season (for example, South and North Dakota). When this is the case, your crops will dry more quickly. Sunflowers, because of their ability to take advantage of past crops’ residual fertility, can be especially resilient in this type of weather. And the higher the temperature, the more capacity for moisture the air has. In that case, you might be able to allow your sunflowers to dry on the stem a little longer. Of course, you’ll still need to be vigilant about protecting them from critters, insects, and weeds.

Harvesting Your Sunflowers

Years ago, growers harvested their sunflowers when the backs of the heads began to turn brown. However, many crops today come from hybrids and should actually be harvested when the heads are still yellow.

When your crops have a seed moisture of about 35%, you should consider harvesting them. You can actually wait until the moisture level is approximately 12%, but you’ll run the risk of a fire in your combine. This is another benefit of an early harvest. The damper the seeds, the less likely a combine fire will occur. Plus, damp seeds are less likely to break apart while threshing. When the seed moisture is around 10%, there’s far more breakage.

Even though letting your sunflowers dry naturally tends to cost less and be lower maintenance, it’s no longer always the best choice. Today, the combines and high-temperature dryers we use allow us to harvest early and thereby further protect our crops from insects, disease and bad weather.

This sunflower information is brought to you by The Sunflower Guy, the best way to send sunflowers anywhere, check us out at http://www.sunflowerguy.com

More information on Growing and Cultivating Sunflowers

Indoor Gardening

The African violet (Saintpaulia) first headed the pot-plant popularity polls about twelve years ago and has held the top spot ever since, with each year bringing an increasing number of friends.

Varieties of this gesneriad are numbered in the thousands, and it is one of the few florists’ plants which blooms throughout the year.

Natural light will vary with the season, increasing in spring, decreasing in fall. As light increases you may have to increase the shading on your greenhouse, and vice versa. I have shading on the outside of the greenhouse and two thicknesses of tobacco cloth inside.

The thickness of this cloth is not varied with the seasons, but I add or decrease shade on the outside of the house. Low light intensity reduces the number of flowers and makes for weak growth.

Even though you do not devote your entire greenhouse to African violets, you will find it profitable to reserve at least one corner for a few dozen plants. These need not be pinched to single-crown specimens. Let them grow several crowns and become covered with bloom. Such plants make wonderful gifts.

Soil Mixtures

I doubt if there has ever been a pot plant for which so many soil formulas have been devised. Members of the African Violet Society never tire of coming up with new ones. For greenhouse culture, I like this formula: equal parts of loam, peatmoss, leaf mold, and sand, with a sprinkling of charcoal.

I realize, however, that not everyone has access to the leaf-mold and rotted manure commonly mentioned in soil recipes. So, with a little extra care in fertilizing, you can grow your Saintpaulias to perfection in this easy-to-make “synthetic” potting mixture: equal parts of shredded sphagnum, peat moss, and sand. Plants grown in this must receive applications of liquid fertilizer every week.

A monthly application of M teaspoonful of dried, processed, sheep manure worked into the mixture for plants in 4-inch pots will enhance their development. Use less manure for smaller pots, more for larger ones. Some growers like to mix loam, peat moss, and sand and, to a bushel of this mixture, add one 4-inch potful of superphosphate and one 6-inch potful of dried sheep manure.

Soil or synthetic mixtures should be sterilized. If you are planting in the type without loam it is unnecessary to place drainage material in the pot; with a soil mixture containing loam, drainage is a necessity. About 1/2 inch of pot chips to a 4-inch pot is ample.

Watering and Fertilizing

Always water the plants with tepid water. Leaves will be spotted when water colder than the surrounding air hits them. These whitish spots give the plants a diseased look. If you are certain that the plants growing in solid mixtures have a good root system, it is advisable to start fertilizing them about a month after potting up. If you like organic fertilizers, try one of the fish emulsions. Rapidgro, Hyponex, Plant Marvel, Blossom Booster, and others also give good results.

Potting

The size of the pot you use for your plants will depend on how you want to sell them. If you plan to sell small plants,

probably not yet in bloom, pot directly from the flat into 2-inches. Let them grow in the pots for 10 days to 2 weeks; they will be established nicely. Plants being grown for bloom will need to be shifted from the 2-inch pots to 3- and 4-inchers.

Shading

If your greenhouse is devoted exclusively to Saintpaulias, you will have to shade it: Saintpaulias do not thrive in bright sunshine. But if, like me, you grow both shade- and sun-loving plants, the placement of your African violets will require thought.

In my greenhouse, they grow mostly in flats under the top deck. Since I do not sell specimen plants but do sell leaves and seeds, I keep most of my “stock plants” growing and blooming in the flats, thus saving space, watering time, pots, and the labor of potting. In these flats of porous soil, watering is needed only once a week during the winter and twice a week in summer.

Winter temperature in my greenhouse is 72 to 75 degrees during the day, with the usual 10-degree drop at night. (Some authorities recommend a minimum of 60 at night and 70 degrees or more during the day.)

If you can’t get enough shading on your house to keep violet foliage pleasingly green, you can tack up a few layers of cheesecloth or tobacco cloth to exclude the bright sun rays. Simply string a wire across the inside of the house and another at the top of the sidewalls; then drape the material over the wires.

Light

The late Dr. Kenneth Post, authority on florist crop production, recommended “a maximum of 1500 foot-candles of light, a minimum of 1,000″ for greenhouse-grown Saintpaulias. If you are not familiar with foot-candles as a measure of light, have a friend with a photometer measure the light for you. Aim for 1200 to 1300 foot-candles during the brightest part of the day, and you’ll find your plants budding and blooming without cease.

For growth under fluorescent lights in the greenhouse, keep a distance of about 11 inches between light tubes and the larger plants’ pot rim; 4 to 6 inches for seedlings and small plants.

Thus, whatever the time of year or the occasion, if you grow African violets you will always have flowering plants to offer your customers. To you, the greenhouse owner, this constant bloom means extra money in the cash register.

Storage Tips For Sunflowers by Ryan J Bell

The manner in which you store your sunflowers can play an important role in the preservation of your seeds (as well as the ease with which they’re unloaded). For example, if there is excess moisture during storage, it’s possible for the moisture to freeze the seeds, causing breakage. This happens often when they’re harvested early and stored without proper drying. Harvesting them early can help limit the potential for bird damage and shattering, but the seeds must be dried before storage. In this article, I’ll provide a few tips for storing your sunflowers properly to prevent them from being damaged.

Tip #1: Measure Moisture Accurately

Because storing your seeds when they contain too much moisture can cause problems, you’ll need to use a moisture meter. However, if your seeds are less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the meter will not be able to measure the moisture accurately. So, put the sample you’re using for measuring into a container and allow them to reach room temperature. Then, measure the moisture.

Tip #2: Use Aeration

The larger the storage facility, the more important aeration is. In the past, most professional growers relied upon aeration fans to keep the stored sunflower seeds cool. Today, larger facilities are being used for storage due to increased crop acreage. As a result, many growers have switched from using fans to ducts mounted into the floors.

The temperature at which the sunflower seeds are stored should remain between 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep in mind that aeration systems are not meant to dry the seeds (that’s the role of a high-temperature dryer).

Tip #3: Monitor Storage Quality

Don’t assume that the storage atmosphere is constant. When you first store your sunflowers after drying, you should monitor samples each week. Take the time to inspect the storage temperature and the seed moisture. You should check samples from several areas in your facility for consistency. When your seeds and the facility reach the target winter temperature, you can begin monitoring every 4 weeks. The key is frequent (weekly) monitoring in the beginning. If you neglect to do so, the temperature may be too high, attracting insects and disease.

Tip #4: Clean Out The Facility

You should clean your storage facility each day. Begin by cleaning your dryer, but also devote time to cleaning the aeration system, air ducts, and the handling structure. Trash, sunflower lint, and other debris can easily accumulate. Not only will this open the door for insects and fungi to collect, but it can cause a fire during the drying process.

Tip #5: Control Insects

It’s not uncommon for stored sunflower seeds to attract insects despite proper moisture levels, aeration systems, and a clean storage facility. Unfortunately, these insects can significantly damage your seed crop. You can control the insects by spraying your facility. Just make sure that you’re using a solution that has been approved for sunflowers.

Storing Your Sunflowers Properly

A lot of professional growers neglect to take preventative measures to ensure their seeds are unharmed by insects, disease, or combine fire. Often, it’s just a matter of devoting time and attention upfront to avoid major problems later. While some issues may not have a large economic impact, others can. By controlling seed moisture levels, using an effective aeration system, and monitoring storage temperatures, you can protect your sunflower seeds from freezing, disease, and insect infestations. When the time comes to unload your seeds from storage, you’ll be glad you took these steps.

This sunflower information is brought to you by The Sunflower Guy, the best way to send sunflowers anywhere, check us out at http://www.sunflowerguy.com

Information on Sunflower Gardening

Summer Gardening

Late spring is the perfect time to plant seeds for easy to grow summer flowers. The soil needs to be warm enough for germination and the spring rains will help the seedlings get going.

Summer annual flowers include zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos, petunias, bachelor buttons, balsam, alyssum, marigolds, vinca, poertuluca, lobelia to name just a few.

Flowers need at least six hours of full sun to bloom profusely. In very hot areas such as the Southwest and desert areas, afternoon shade is appreciated.

Prepare the soil by digging down at least six inches. Turn the soil over with a shovel. Add compost or well rotten manure and a time release fertilizer per the package directions. Turn the soil over again to mix in your ingredients.

If your flower bed is up against a wall or fence, plant the tallest flowers in the back, medium tall in the middle and short or spreading flowers in the front. The tall flowers can use the wall to lean on and won’t shade the shorter flowers.

If your flower bed is in the middle of the yard, plant the tall flowers in the center, surrounded by medium tall flowers and then ringed by the shorter and spreading flowers.

Throw caution to the wind and plant a splashy mix of all different colors, much like you’d find in a meadow. Or plant in coordinated colors. All pastels are very pretty. Pick a two bright opposing colors like red and blue and fill in with plenty of white. Orange and purple work well too with lots of white or cream. Or pick all shades of the same color like blue and then use a pop of yellow every once in awhile.

Plant seeds three times as closely as the seed package says. That gives you extra seedlings because you’ll lose some to the birds and bugs. Cover the seeds as directed and then add a layer of mulch on top. Water thoroughly. Only water when the soil looks dry not on a schedule. Too much water can be as bad for baby plants as not enough water.

After the seeds have sprouted wait until they have at least four true leaves then thin to the desired spacing. Shorter flowers can be spaced to six inches apart. Medium flowers can be 12 inches apart and space tall flowers about 18 inches apart.

One of the nicest things about summer flowers is that the more you pick them for bouquets the longer they’ll stay in bloom. The purpose of a flower, from the plant’s point of view, is to set seeds. Once that’s done the plant will stop blooming. If you remove the flowers the plant will keep on blooming.

After the first rush of blooms cut the flowers back by about half and you should be able to force a second bloom. It won’t be quite as extravagant as the first bloom but will still be lovely.

Late spring is the time to plant your summer flower seeds for an extravagant display all summer.

Find more tips from Dee Power on growing strawberries at http://www.easygardencare.com.

Few things bring to mind an American Fall season quite like Sunflowers…well, maybe pumpkins, but we’re going with Sunflowers on this one. A native plant to America, the Sunflower (Helianthus annus) is an annually blooming plant and can grow to be over 3 meters tall. The Sunflower is well known for exhibiting heliotropism, or following the path of the sun throughout the day from east to west. While there are certainly a number of ways to go about getting Sunflowers to decorate with this Fall season, here are some thoughts on what to keep in mind in case you’ve decided that you want to grow your own.

Plan Ahead to Plant Early

If you want to grow your own Sunflowers than you had better plan ahead and plan to plant in early Spring. Getting the seeds into the ground by between March and August, with mid-May being an ideal time, is the best way to go to ensure that you get maximum return on the seeds that you plan. Also, make sure you test the soil where you’ll be planting well ahead to make sure that there’s not too much Nitrogen in the soil, but that there is a good amount of Potassium and Phosphorus.

Give Yourself Enough Space

Growing Sunflowers can take up some space, so make sure that you have enough space devoted to the amount of plants that you will be growing. You’ll want to plant each seed roughly 1 to 2 inches deep into moist soil, spacing the seeds 12 inches apart in rows that are spaced between 2 and 2 ½ feet apart. If you’re planning on growing a larger varietal of Sunflower than you may want to give yourself even more space to allow for the added size.

Managing the Plants

Your Sunflowers plant should mature in roughly 60 to 90 days at which point they will need to be cut daily. The best time to cut your Sunflower plants is in either the early morning or late afternoon. Once you’ve cut your Sunflowers you’ll want to immerse them in clean buckets filled with water and a solution of Quick Dip to open their pores. Refrigerating them within a few hours of cutting ensures that they will last long once they are put on display.

Ready by Fall

Depending on when you plant your Sunflowers they can be ready to be cut anywhere from September and into October. You can display your Sunflowers in any number of ways, to having them be the center of a large display to using them as a way to add color and vibrancy to an existing floral arrangement. If properly managed and prepared before being put into an arrangement, your Sunflowers can maintain their fresh flowers appearance for upwards of two weeks.

Just in Case

Ok, so you can see that it’s not really that hard to grow your own beautiful Sunflowers for your Fall floral arrangements, but what if you don’t have the time, or the green thumb, to grow your own Sunflowers. Well there are number of places that will offer fresh flowers this time of year, chief amongst them being Sunflowers. While there is certainly a certain satisfaction in growing your own flowers, if you don’t have the time or space to do so, there’s certainly nothing wrong with deciding to buy flowers from your local florist and having them include some fresh Sunflowers for you.

About the Author Steve Papoulakos is the president of Vogue Flowers and has been in the floral industry for over 22 years, offering fresh flowers and flowers online for those looking for quality and experience. Vogue Flowers can be found at: http://www.vogueflowers.com

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