Sunflower is an annual widespread in Russia. It is a valuable oilseed crop and also an excellent honey plant. The homeland of sunflower is distant Mexico. However, it was Russian peasants who learned to use the plant for economic purposes.

The Latin scientific name of the genus (Latin helianthus - solar flower), comes from the Greek words helius ("sun") and anthemon ("flower"). The Russian people call it more simply - a sunflower.

When sunflowers bloom in Russia

The genus Sunflower has about 110 species. Plants are in the form of shrubs, semi-shrubs and even grasses. The most famous variety is the oilseed sunflower. It is cultivated commercially for oil production. Most of the fields in Russia are sown with it. There are also confectionery and decorative species, as well as hybrids.

It is interesting. The culture was brought to Russia from Holland by Peter I. At first it was grown for decorative purposes, and later it was used for food.

The period when the sunflower blooms usually falls in mid-July. However, the timing varies depending on the region and the time of boarding. In the southern regions, the culture is sown earlier. Accordingly, it will bloom around the 10th of July. The weather also has an effect - if the spring is cold, the plant will bloom later.

Sunflower

How many days sunflowers bloom depends on:

  • the activity of pollinating insects;
  • weather;
  • varieties.

It is possible to highlight general terms that should be adjusted in accordance with the specified conditions. The average duration is 1 month.

When sunflowers begin to bloom in Russia

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The massive bloom of sunflower is an extremely beautiful sight. The fields are strewn with bright "suns". When you look at them, the mood immediately rises.

The answer to the question when a sunflower blooms is of particular interest to beekeepers. After all, he is one of the most valuable honey plants. Crops can be found in all parts of Russia. Many beekeepers take their hives to sunflower fields so that insects can stock up on honey. The average productivity of bees in such fields is 40 kg / ha. However, much depends on the fertility of the soil. On depleted land, the figure drops to 20 kg / ha.

Sunflower field

The best time for honey collection is the first half of the day, when the sunflower is actively releasing nectar. The peak falls at 11 o'clock in the afternoon, provided that the weather is dry and calm.

On a note. If you feed the crop with nitrogen fertilizers, it will release more nectar. Then one bee colony can collect up to 4 kg of honey per day. However, you cannot leave it for the winter - it quickly becomes sugar-coated.

1 hive is placed on 1 hectare of crops. It is better to deploy the apiary in the middle of the array. If there are several bee colonies in the work, a distance of 1.5-2 km is left between them.

A sunflower may bloom earlier or later due to several factors:

  • weather conditions;
  • sowing period;
  • varieties.

In Siberia, baskets begin to bloom only at the end of July and last until mid-August. As you move south, the dates are shifted to an earlier time. So, in the suburbs of Moscow, the blossoming fields can be seen on July 17-23, and in the Krasnodar Territory, a field of sunflowers can bloom on July 10.

Also, the timing of flowering of a sunflower is determined by the sowing date. The growing season takes 60 to 80 days.Varieties can be early maturing, mid-maturing and late-maturing, which also affects the flowering time.

On a note. Ornamental species have a very long flowering period - from July to autumn. The duration depends on the varietal qualities. For example, a terry sunflower Bear cub withers only with the onset of frost.

How many sunflower blooms

Sunflower is a cross-pollinated plant. The reproductive organs of the flower ripen at different times, which prevents self-pollination. If there are no insects, the plant will bloom much longer.

Pollination of sunflower

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Also, the duration depends on the climatic conditions. Are considered favorable:

  • air temperature + 20 ... + 25 ° C;
  • clear weather;
  • moderate humidity.

Varietal qualities also have an influence. If several species are planted nearby, one field may already bloom, and the other only bloom.

The duration of flowering of sunflowers is divided into several stages:

  • each flower - from 36 to 48 hours (under unfavorable conditions, this period stretches for 3-10 days);
  • basket - 8-14 days;
  • the whole field is 20-30 days.

The time when sunflowers bloom is determined by the number of pollinating insects and weather conditions:

  • if there are many bees, the seeds ripen quickly and amicably;
  • if it rains and there are not enough insects, the plant tries to stay in bloom as long as possible.

The presence of pollinators in the fields allows harvesting 2 weeks earlier.

Attention! Thanks to the active work of bees, fewer empty seeds are formed and the yield increases by 1.5-2 times.

What are the flowers of a sunflower

Every person knows what a sunflower looks like. However, the basket is not one big flower, but a huge number of small ones. After pollination, seeds are formed from them. The more insects there were in the field, the better the harvest will be.

Sunflower flower

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If we look in more detail, a sunflower inflorescence is a basket up to 40 cm in diameter, which includes up to 2000 flowers. It consists of a large receptacle containing flowers:

  • at the edges - reed, asexual, yellow (they attract pollinating insects);
  • in the center - tubular, bisexual.

Flowers bloom at different times: the first are those that are located at the edges. They give off a lot of nectar. The central ones bloom last. There is much less nectar in them.

For reference: the culture is popularly called "sunflower". However, the correct name is "sunflower".

Interesting facts about sunflower flowering

The plant is considered a symbol of the sun, optimism and joy. The name translates into Russian as a sun flower. Legend has it that the gods gave it to the Indians of North America. In other countries, the name is also associated with the sun.

Other interesting facts related to this plant can be cited:

  • The baskets always turn towards the sun, even on a foggy and rainy day. This feature allows the plant to actively gain green mass, develop quickly and attract more pollinators. Experiments have shown that 5 times more bees fly up to flowers directed east in the morning.
  • Many artists admired the beauty of the plant. The famous painter Anthony van Dyck captured him in a self-portrait, and Vincent van Gogh's painting "Sunflowers" is known all over the world. In Great Britain during the Victorian era, the image of this flower was embroidered on fabrics, carved from wood, and forged from iron.
  • Wild plant species are bush-shaped. Each of them contains 20-30 baskets, the size of which does not exceed 3 cm. But even such sunflowers have high decorative qualities; they decorate city parks and the surrounding area.
  • Many decorative forms of this culture have been developed. Modern sunflowers can have variegated leaves, double, spherical, tubular flowers of various colors (brown, chocolate, burgundy, purple). Low-growing varieties are grown in a pot on a windowsill.If you carry out artificial pollination, when it blooms, you can get your own seeds.

Sunflower blooming time is mid-July. Exact dates vary depending on weather conditions, region and sowing time. Bright baskets delight the eye for 20-30 days. After that, seeds are formed in them, which are raw materials for the production of oil.