Content
Sunflower Teddy Bear is one of the most popular and favorite varieties of decorative helianthus among gardeners. Its large double inflorescences resemble soft fur pompoms of yellow-orange color, and the green foliage of low but dense bushes harmoniously emphasizes the brightness of the flowering. Bear sunflower looks great in small and large groups in flower beds and flower beds; it is often grown in containers. Fluffy “suns” on strong stems look impressive when cut as part of bouquets. It is an annual plant, but its seeds are easy to collect and germinate the following year. It is enough to plant the plant in fertile soil in a sunny place and provide simple but competent care so that the sunflower, which looks like a cute teddy bear, feels great in the garden, inspiring and giving a good mood until frost.
Description of the decorative sunflower Teddy Bear
The decorative annual sunflower Teddy Bear is known in foreign sources under the names Teddy Bear and Dwarf Sungold.In Russian-language descriptions, this variety is often called Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.
Teddy Bear or Teddy Bear - a low terry variety of decorative annual sunflower
It belongs to the low helianthus - according to various sources, its height ranges from 40 to 90 cm. The stems are erect and strong. Several side shoots branch off from the central shoot of the sunflower Bear. One plant usually grows to 30-60 cm in width.
The large leaves of the Teddy Bear sunflower are dark green. They are dense and smooth to the touch, oval or heart-shaped in shape.
Each plant produces a large number of buds and inflorescences. The average diameter of an opened flower is from 10 to 20 cm. Teddy bear is a densely double sunflower variety. Its bright yellow or yellow-orange flowers resemble fluffy balls, each of whose numerous petals carefully cover a small greenish core.
Photo of a sunflower Bear in a flowerbed allows you to fully imagine how decorative and effective this variety is at the height of the flowering period, which begins in mid-summer and usually lasts until October.
Sunflower Bear is very loved by landscape designers and florists
The seeds in the baskets fully ripen after flowering ends. They are characterized by a dark gray, almost black color, oval shape and small size (only about 0.5 cm).They are easy to collect after the inflorescences have completely dried out and germinate again the following year.
When to plant sunflower seedlings Bear
Growing Bear sunflowers from seeds using the seedling method begins in March-April, about a month before the last frosts finally stop.
Clean individual small containers should be prepared with a sufficient number of holes in the bottoms for drainage. They can be filled with a ready-made universal substrate for seedlings or soil from the site - nutritious and loose, with neutral acidity. Next, you need to sow 2-3 bear sunflower seeds into each pot and carefully deepen them by 1.5 cm. At first, cover the crops with film or glass.
After the emergence of seedlings, one of the strongest sprouts is left in each container. They are watered moderately, making sure that the soil remains moist, and kept at room temperature in a sunny southern window (or provided with additional lighting). It is advisable to start hardening of Teddy bear sunflower seedlings as early as possible.
At the end of May and beginning of June, the seedlings, together with a ball of earth on the roots, are transplanted into an open area, maintaining a distance of 45-60 cm from each other. In the future, they are cared for in the same way as young shoots.
Planting and caring for sunflowers Bear
Most often, Bear cub sunflowers are sown directly into the ground, without wasting time and energy on hassle with seedlings.The optimal time for this is considered to be May and early June, when the soil in the garden has warmed up sufficiently and the threat of return frosts has finally passed.
Teddy bear sunflower inflorescences resemble fluffy fur pompoms
Selection and preparation of a landing site
The site for growing Teddy Bear sunflowers must be prepared in advance, at least a month before the intended planting of the seeds, and best of all, from the end of the previous season. It should be removed, cleared of debris and plant remains, and then dug up 25-30 cm deep, while simultaneously adding organic fertilizer or leaf mulch. Heavy, clayey soil can be diluted with sand at this stage.
The area where the decorative sunflower Teddy Bear will feel good should be:
- sunny;
- protected from the wind;
- have light, nutritious soil with a neutral reaction and low salt content.
Landing rules
Before planting, it is recommended to prepare Bear cub sunflower seeds: soak for 1 day in water with the addition of a fungicide or in a weak solution of potassium permanganate to develop resistance to pests and diseases. It is also advised to dissolve 1 tbsp. l. wood ash in 0.5 liters of water, soak a piece of cloth in the resulting mixture and, wrapping the seeds in it, leave for 24 hours (if the cloth dries out, it should be moistened again).
Next, you can start sowing the Bear cub sunflower seeds in the ground:
- dig shallow grooves or individual holes in the area;
- place 2-3 seeds in each hole or per planting site in the furrow, deepening them no more than 1.5 cm;
- Gently roll the crops and moisten the soil (but do not flood it).
The first shoots can usually be seen within a week. After young sunflowers have two pairs of true leaves, the plantings should be thinned out, leaving the strongest specimens at a distance of 45-60 cm from each other.
Sunflower Bear can be grown both in the garden and at home in a pot
Watering and fertilizing
Despite the fact that the Bear cub sunflower can safely tolerate short-term drought, you need to remember that this plant is moisture-loving. Lack of water will negatively affect the number and size of flowers, so helianthus should be watered regularly, about once a week, and more often if necessary. Water should be poured at the root, making sure that the soil does not dry out, but also not allowing it to become waterlogged and damp.
If the soil is nutritious enough, then the Teddy Bear sunflower does not need additional feeding. If you have soil that is poor in composition, you can do this:
- a month after the crops sprout, feed them with nitrogen-containing fertilizers;
- At the stage of bud emergence and during the flowering period, add potassium-phosphorus or complex mineral compositions.
In addition, it is important to promptly weed out weeds in the area, as well as regularly remove baskets that have bloomed.
Compliance with these simple measures will allow the Teddy Bear sunflower to show itself in all its glory in the front garden, at the dacha or in the garden, and look as shown in the photo:
Decorative borders near the walls of buildings and along garden paths are a great idea for using Teddy Bear sunflowers to decorate the area
Reproduction
It’s not difficult to collect Bear cub sunflower seeds yourself. The heads from which the seed is supposed to be obtained must be allowed to fully bloom on the bush, waiting for them to dry. To prevent the seeds from becoming prey for birds, it is advisable to protect them by tying the selected Teddy Bear sunflower baskets with a piece of light mesh or gauze.
After the heads have faded, you need to carefully cut them off at the base with a sharp knife, place them on a tray or flat tray and let them air dry well. Next, you can store the seeds directly inside the baskets, or you can carefully release them, put them in a paper or linen bag and leave them in a dry, dark place until the next season.
Diseases and pests
Proper care ensures that decorative helianthus grows beautiful and healthy, without suffering from illnesses. At the same time, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the descriptions and photos of some diseases that can harm the Teddy Bear sunflower in order to be able to identify them in time and help the plant:
- Dark brown spot (Alternaria blight). It can affect sunflowers growing both in the garden and in the room on the window. The disease develops rapidly at high air temperatures and high humidity. Chaotically located ash-gray and black spots appear on the leaves and stems of the bear cub sunflower, which gradually merge, increasing in size. Affected organs quickly die.Diseased parts of the plant should be removed with sterile instruments and burned, and air humidity should be reduced. Sunflower Bear growing in a room needs to be isolated from other plants. Mass plantings on the site need to be treated with antifungal drugs (Bakhmut, Rovral).
Alternaria blight on sunflowers appears as gray and black spots on the leaves
- Verticella wilt. Bear sunflower leaves lose their elasticity and brightness of color. Subsequently, brown dying areas form on them, along the edge of which a yellow border can often be seen. Affected plants should be destroyed and bear sunflowers should no longer be planted in this area. The drugs Gamair and Alirin-B are suitable for preventive treatment.
Infection with verticellosis may be indicated by dying areas of leaves surrounded by a yellow border.
- Downy mildew (peronosporosis). Bear's cub appears on the surface of sunflower leaves in the form of whitish spots, and on their reverse side you can see a dirty white coating. If possible, it is advisable to remove diseased plant organs and provide the plantings with good ventilation, thinning them out if necessary. Treatment with Previkur, Copper Oxychloride or Ridomil Gold is effective.
Downy mildew often affects thickened sunflower plantings
- Fomoz. The appearance of red-brown and dirty-brown spots on the leaves of the bear sunflower. The affected green mass withers and dies, and the disease quickly spreads to the stems and baskets. Treating bear cub sunflowers with fungicidal preparations (Derozal, Impact-K) during the growing season can help.Prevention – adherence to correct agricultural practices.
Fomoz contributes to the rapid death of sunflower green mass
A common parasite that harms sunflowers is broomrape (broomrape). This flowering plant does not have its own root system. It settles on the roots of sunflowers, inhibiting them and helping to weaken the immune system. It can help to pre-sow “provocative” crops (clover, rapeseed, alfalfa) on the plot a year before the Medvezhonok sunflower. They promote the germination of broomrape seeds, but are not the hosts of the plant. It is also necessary to dig the soil thoroughly and deeply. Affected specimens should be removed along with the root and parasites growing on it.
Broomrape, or broomrape, is a flowering plant that parasitizes sunflowers.
Of the insect pests that can attack Bear's sunflower in the garden, the most common one you encounter is aphids. The leaves of the plant, from which colonies of insects drink juices, quickly curl up and turn yellow, and the buds do not open. For small foci of infection, spraying the plantings with a soap solution can help. If the damage is widespread, then you should resort to potent drugs (Akaverm, Actellik, Biotlin, Fitoverm, Decis, Iskra, etc.)
Colonies of aphids on sunflowers feed on the plant's juices, causing its leaves to curl and turn yellow.
Conclusion
Sunflower Bear is a well-known variety of decorative annual helianthus, blooming very beautifully and brightly. During the flowering period, which lasts from mid-summer to October, the low but dense shoots of this plant are strewn with large spherical double inflorescences with golden petals.Like most decorative helianthus, the Bear sunflower does not require complex care; it has enough space in a plot with fertile soil, good sunlight and timely watering. The beauty and unpretentiousness of this annual will certainly be the reason why a gardener who sows it in a flowerbed once will not want to part with it for future seasons. In this case, you can easily collect its seeds and grow the Teddy Bear sunflower again next year.
