Planting Seeds of Friendship

Casey Roulley3/16/11

Sunflowers

Three facts• The botanical name is

Helianthus annuus.• The life cycle can be annual

or perennial depending on what type of sunflower you have.

• Description-The florets within the sunflower's cluster are arranged in a spiral pattern and the flower grows from 5 to 12 feet.

Plant Details

• Amount of sunlight-6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day

• Height can vary from 5 feet to 12 feet

• Bloom duration-In the summer time and a little in spring

• Type of soil- Well cultivated soil and red soil

Watering your seeds

• Keep the soil moist and feed a liquid fertilizer. Do not over-water, or it can cause yellowing of the leaves. The sunflower's most critical time for water is from 20 days before to 20 days after flowering. Weeding of the sunflower's bed should be performed to prevent competition for water and nutrients.

Uses

• It can be sold as food for birds or dogs and can be used in many human foods. Some foods include: sunflower seeds, peanut butter, olive oil, or rye flower. Its also used to make medicines and the dried stems have been used for fuel.

Plant Varieties

• Some different varieties include: Yellow empress, velvet queen, teddy bear, orange sun, and ring of fire. What makes some of them different is that they don’t have regular petals, instead the teddy bear sunflower has hundreds of little fluffy petals. Sunflowers reproduce by large seeds that form in the center of their flower heads.

History

• The sunflower is native to Central America. It was first domesticated in present day Mexico by at least 2600 BC. The earliest known example of fully domesticated sunflowers have been found In Tennessee. Many indigenous American people used sunflowers as the symbol of their solar deity.

Sources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower• http://

www.gardeningknowhow.com/flower/is-my-sunflower-an-annual-or-a-perennial-sunflower.htm

• http://www.ehow.com/facts_4925168_often-should-sunflowers-be-watered.html

• http://www.herbcompanion.com/herbal-living/the-many-uses-of-sunflowers.aspx