Start a Sunflower Farm
Is sunflower farming a viable business in your area? Do you have the land to grow it and the market to sell it to? If yes, then you can start this venture that is fairly easy to pursue. Learn from our guide basic tips on sunflower planting, growing, and harvesting.
Sunflowers are fairly easy to grow. They are drought resistant, pollinate without much need for insects, and are not highly susceptible to diseases.
Should You Grow Sunflowers?
If you are planning to start a sunflower farm, however, the two most important questions that you should consider are: whether you have the market for your product and the large area with which to grow the crop. Sunflower seeds are valued for their oil and are sold to pressing plants. They are also milled for selling to the birdseed market.
Sunflower Growing Tips
- Plant a small crop in your chosen site to assess potential yield and susceptibility to local pests or soil diseases.
- Choose the variety of sunflower you want to grow. Each variety has different uses – some are commonly used for snacking, others for other purposes like garnish or food ingredients, others for oil extraction.
- An ideal soil for sunflower planting is loose enough for water to drain but compact enough to hold the plant stalks against the wind.
- Regulate the amount of water you apply to the crop. While water is good for the plant, too much of it will loosen the soil and make the root weak.
- Look out for weeds that could compete with young plants especially during the first few weeks that the sunflowers were planted. You can employ mechanical and chemical means of cleaning out weeds from the crop.
- Plant density is important in determining yield. While low density could result in large heads and thus increased seeds per head, it could result in premature drying out. High-density crops, on the other hand, would require a higher rate of watering, resulting in water lodging. Check recommended sunflower density standards.
- Planting sunflowers in groups have the benefit of stabilizing their stand, protecting them from wind damage, and preventing moisture loss from soil.
- Harvest sunflowers timely to avoid having to lose seeds to late-season diseases and birds that love to eat them. Harvest time is when the back of most of the sunflower heads becomes brown.
- A typical sunflower farm yield is around 1,500 pounds per acre. Yield is highly influenced by seed selection, plant density, and pest and weed control.
- As sunflowers are tolerant of weather conditions, you can plant them in more than one season to spread the risk of failure for each cropping. Also, plant them in rotation with other crops to control diseases and weed infestation that often results from monocropping.
- As with any grain or seed crop, drying off of the seeds is important to control potential damage from moisture and insects. Check for moisture standards applicable to the type of sunflower you are producing.
For additional resources, visit the National Sunflower Association.
FAQ
Q. What is the best time to harvest sunflower seeds?
A: The best time to harvest sunflower seeds is the month of September.
Similar Articles
Q. What weather condition is best for sunflower farming?
A: Plant them in a sunny position and the temperature should be at least 20 degrees celsius.
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1. What is the maximum yield per ha?
2. What is the average compound fertilizer required per ha?
What will be the average Nitrogen fertilizer required per ha?
3. Whats the average import parity price per ha (world average)
4. What is the average oil content percentage?
thanks.
1. What is the maximum yield per acre?
2. What fertilizers should I use
3. How can I control pests and diseases
4. I'm interested in growing the sunflower where I can extract oil, do you have an idea where I can sell it?
5. What is the average oil content
6. What is the cost of sunflower seeds per kilo
I wait to hear from you. Regards
- how to plant the seeds
- the cost of the seed per kilo
- how many seeds are required per hector
- in short all the stages on how to grow the sunflower seeds upto taking to the market.
i'm looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible. regards, patricia
1 seeds per acre
2 yield per acre
3 price of seed per bag
4 market size and other producers
5 any organisation that offers assistance to the youth
@Ajay S Talpade, Hi Ajay, Growing sunflower is not difficult as it seems to be.
Raghunath Natarajan
Startup Biz Hub - Advisor (Staff)
@Maina., Hi Maina, There are several varieties of sunflower available for producing oil such as Linoleic, high oleic, and Nusun. Linoleic is most commonly used. The sunflowers produce grayish-green or black seeds. Since these seeds have a very high oil content, they are one of the main sources used to produce polyunsaturated oil.
Raghunath Natarajan
Startup Biz Hub - Advisor (Staff)
@Pat King,Hi Pat King, Actually the size of seeds vary from breed to breed but I think roughly you need 3-4 pounds per acre for sunflower farming.
Raghunath Natarajan
Startup Biz Hub - Advisor (Staff)