Have you ever seen a chocolate cherry sunflower? Do you think they are real? How can they appear in such a rare color? Well, if you are in doubt, this flower actually exists in this world.
These types of sunflowers are not genetically modified due to regulations and finances. But they are, in fact, naturally growing. If you are interested to know more about the flower, you may read on.
Is Chocolate Cherry Sunflower Real?
You can find Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers on some sunflower farms, and they are not artificial flowers. They are real flowers that you can also grow if you want to.
The characteristic of these types of flowers is that they feature rich chocolate-burgundy ray petals that surround dark chocolate disks in the center. It has the deepest scarlet color with a beautiful center glow.
Even the back of the petals was brilliantly colored like a sunset. Overall, it is a beautiful but relatively shorter sunflower variety. They would do well on any border.
One special thing about these flowers is that they don’t contain sugar. Therefore, they are pollen-free and won’t be pollinated.
Is Chocolate Cherry Sunflower Annual or Perennial?
Chocolate Cherry Sunflower is an annual plant. It only blooms once a year and will wilt after blooms. It would be best if you replanted the flower with seeds in the coming year. Generally, if you sow in spring, it will bloom in late summer and early autumn and harvest in autumn.
How To Grow Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers?
You can plant sunflowers all year long (summer, fall, winter, and spring). However, most people prefer not to grow during the winter due to the cold weather.
Germination period
After planting the seeds, the sunflower will begin to conceive buds. The germination period will take about 35-50 days.
During this period, it gradually grows taller and grows from 1-2 leaves into multiple leaves. At this time, its roots will also grow rapidly and become very developed.
Budding period
When a star-shaped appears on the top of a sunflower, it means the Chocolate Cherry Sunflower is in the budding period, which lasts about 20 days.
In this period, the flowers do need a lot of sun. You need to ensure they are receiving enough sunlight by placing them to face the sun.
At this time, it grows very vigorously. Not only will the top star-shaped buds continue to grow, but they will also gradually develop into a flower disk, and their branches and leaves will continue to grow.
Flowering period
Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers begin to bloom from more than three-quarters of the plants until they are fully bloomed, which is the flowering period. It takes about 6 to 9 days.
During this period, its flowers will remain blooming for about 7-10 days since they don’t produce pollen.
Detailed Process
If you want to know the process and tools required for you to plant Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers, you can read through this detailed process on how to do so.
Phase 1
Things to prepare:
- Seed trays
- Small flower pots
- Multi-purpose compost
- Dibber
- Sunflower seed
- Watering can
- Plant label and pen
Process:
It would be best if you prepared some small pots to be used to grow your Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers. It depends on how many you intend to grow. You’ll need 1 per sunflower seed.
- Fill the pots with multi-purpose compost. Make sure there are no large lumps. If you find any, you need to break them into small pieces.
- You can use a dipper or your finger to dig a hole in the center of each pot.
- Put one sunflower seed in each hole and cover it with compost.
- Gently water each pot and don’t splash it over the side.
- Add a plant label to each pot and keep the pots in a frost-free place. Ideally, you can place the pots at the windowsill.
- Keep the compost moist and wait for the seedlings to appear.
Phase 2
Things to prepare:
- Watering can
- Small sticks
- Garden twine
- Scissors
Process:
By now, you should have some small healthy plants called seedlings.
It would be best if you kept your sunflower seedlings in a cool and frost-free place as they begin to grow. Ideally, you can keep them on a porch or in a greenhouse.
- Support the sunflower stems with sticks as they get taller.
- Use garden twine to tie them into place loosely.
- Water the sunflowers regularly.
- Make sure the compost never dries out but is not too saturated either.
- Put the plants outside on mild days to get some sunlight and moist air conditions.
Phase 3
Things to prepare:
- Hand trowel
- Bamboo canes
- Garden twine
- Scissors
- Watering can
Process:
Now, it is time for you to transplant your sunflowers from the pots into the ground.
- You can dig a hole with a hand trowel. The hole needs to be slightly larger than the pot that your sunflower is growing in.
- Add a little powdered plant food to the hole and the surrounding soil. A bone meal is ideal plant food that you can use.
- Carefully remove your sunflower from its pot, placing the root of the sunflower in the hole and filling it in with soil.
- Push a bamboo cane into the soil next to the sunflower. Do it with care so that you don’t damage the plant’s roots.
- Loosely tie the sunflower to the bamboo cane with garden twine add more ties as the sunflower grow.
- Water the sunflower well at the time of planting and then daily in hot weather or until it’s well established.
How Tall Does A Chocolate Cherry Sunflower Grow?
The chocolate cherry sunflowers can grow to 150-180cm tall, and the flowers are 15-20cm in diameter. They can grow taller than adult people. Walking through them is like walking through a maze. The flowering period is expected to be at the end of August.
Are The Chocolate Cherry Sunflowers Edible?
You can eat the flower if you want to. However, it is recommended you DO NOT consume the shell. This is because the out shell of the Chocolate Cherry Sunflower seed contains a ton of fiber which may impact certain individuals. The shell, if not chewed accordingly, can also pierce the esophagus or stomach.
