Sunflower planting season is just around the corner. Growers should keep some simple but often forgotten information in mind when planting sunflowers, advises Bruce Due, District Agronomist for Mycogen Seeds.

Seedbed preparation should allow for even depth of planting into a seedbed that provides good soil-to-seed contact. "The sunflower seed should be planted between 1.25 to 2 inches in depth. If the seed will be planted into a high residue condition, be sure it is in contact with soil and not lying on a bed of straw. Without good soil-to-seed contact, poor germination, poor root growth, and uneven emergence will take place," he explains.

Due also reminds growers to make sure their planter is properly set to deliver the desired population at the proper in-row spacing. "Too few or too many plants may prove costly in the final yield results of your sunflower crop. Populations vary from area to area based on soil moisture, expected rainfall, fertility and type of sunflower," he says. Due suggests a range of 20,000 to 26,000 seeds planted for oil types and about 2,000 to 4,000 less than oils for confection types, which will provide better plant health and better overall seed size.

"The sunflower has the ability to compensate for small gaps in the row but suffers when doubles and triples occur. These doubles and triples cause plants to compete with each other and often result in lodged or diseased plants. Improperly adjusted planters and fast planting speeds increase the likelihood of doubles. A good planting job should have less than 5 to 8 percent doubles," he explains.

Sunflowers have a wide planting window. In most areas, a particular hybrid will have a 10- to 15-day window in which you can expect good results, Due says. "In far northern areas, normal planting dates are from May 15 to June 5, and in southern areas, May 20 to June 15 is normal."

Since sunflower hybrids vary greatly in maturity, early planting should be done with a full-season product while late plantings should be done with earlier type hybrids, Due advises. "As a general rule of thumb, the earliest fields in bloom often have the greatest problems with insect pressure and disease pressure. Those very late fields often struggle with full maturity, and drydown may be difficult," he warns.