19 Mexican Sunflower Facts: An Expensive, Amazing Flower!

The attractive and colorful Mexican sunflowers are vibrant flowering plants that increase the beauty of a landscape.

They are annual drought-tolerant plants that grow in ornamental gardens. The flowers bloom between the mid-summer and the winter season in Mexico.

The Mexican sunflowers of the Tithonia genus are native to Mexico and Central America. The seeds of Mexican sunflower are sowed directly into the soil after the season of frost has passed.

The spring season is the best time for sowing the seeds in the ground since it is the time of bloom.

The seeds will take a minimum of four to ten days to germinate after the seeds are planted deep into the soil. The seeds should be planted where they receive enough sunshine as they require light to grow.

The plants reseed themselves generously even though they are annual plants. A mature Mexican sunflower plant can grow up to a maximum length of 8 ft (2.4 m).

The leaves and the flowers are edible and can also be used for garnishing. A pack of Mexican sunflower seeds costs around 5 $. To preserve the Mexican sunflower seed, ensure that the seeds are dried; otherwise, they will be damaged.

If you are interested in more content, then keep on reading these fun fact articles on where do sunflower seeds come from and sunflower facts too.

Environmental Factors: Mexican Sunflower

The Mexican sunflowers are hardy and vigorous plants that can tolerate warm temperatures and droughts. It is very simple to grow Mexican sunflower plants, and they have an innate ability to grow in average soil having good drainage.

The large, daisy-like, bright Mexican sunflowers grow on thick stems and are known by some other common names as the red sunflower of Tithonia after the name of its genus.

Planting the plant seeds of the Mexican sunflowers in the month of Spring is the most effective for the growth of the plants. Sow seeds directly into the soil, and new plants will give flowers from late summer up to frost.

The plant won't grow properly in cool weather, so you have to wait till the temperatures rise again next summer. These garden flowers attract many species of butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

Instead, the bright orange and red color of the Mexican sunflower attracts more butterflies and bees than most other sunflower species. The tall Tithonia plants act as a beautiful backdrop for other plants in the garden because of their tall stature. It looks best at the back of other shorter plants.

Tithonia grows the best under full sun and enjoys hot weather. Planting the seeds in average well-drained soil is more effective than planting them in heavily fertilized and rich soil to grow Mexican sunflowers in the garden.

Such types of soil promote excessive foliage and weak stems. Sturdy plants are less likely to bend over, but often they need to be staked for upright growth. The best and the easiest method to encourage bushier growth is cutting back the plant.

Sheltering the plants from strong wings helps in faster growth. However, they are prone to some pest problems and are said to be deer resistant.

For an early blossom of the Mexican sunflowers, you can either plant the Tithonia seeds directly into the garden on the day of the last frost or start seeds indoors around six to eight weeks before the average end of the last frost.

Since the plant lies on the taller side, it should be protected from strong winds. The full sun facilitates plant growth, so they are not too active in the early summer.

Geographical Factors: Mexican Sunflower

The Mexican sunflower is an annual plant originally native to Mexico and has spread to other parts of Central America. The highly vigorous plant became widespread as an invasive weed in parts of Africa and Asia.

The plant prefers to grow in the moist soil by rivers and along the roadside. They occur commonly in mid-latitude regions. It can be grown in different environmental conditions and occurs ideally in places with an average temperature between 59-88 F (15-31.1 C).

The Mexican sunflower seeds are planted at the end of the cold weather, and when the temperatures begin to heat up, the plant will grow up to the length of your shoulder in no time. Full sun is critical for the Mexican sunflower seeds to germinate and flowers to blossom.

In the absence of a sufficient amount of penetrating light, the plants that grow in gloomy gardens might not bloom, be susceptible to fungal diseases, or flop over.

Unlike some fussier plants, the Mexican sunflowers are familiar with lean soil having low nutrient content. Mexico generally has sandy and rocky soil, the native wild plants of Mexico grow in such type of soil.

The annual flower is drought tolerant throughout its life cycle; it cannot grow in wet soil. However, if you plant Mexican sunflowers in a country with heavy rainfall, ensure the soil has a good drainage system.

Average humidity is the most suitable for Mexican sunflowers. They grow well without using any supplement fertilizers; however, in places with depleted soil, you can add flower fertilizer for a quicker bloom.

Beauty Factors: Mexican Sunflower

The Mexican sunflower is a brightly colored flower growing in your garden that will enhance the beauty of your garden. These flowers are effortless to grow at the same time.

The color of the flowers ranges from bright red to orange, with a vibrant yellow disc in the center. The dark green leaves are oval to triangular in shape with a slightly grayish underpart. These easy and cheerful blooming flowers can also be used as cut flowers to decorate the patio.

The Mexican sunflower is a great flowering plant to sow in the garden; it also serves as a colorful flower backdrop. The flowers are primarily found in warm shades ranging from orange to bright yellow.

The large, showy flowers of the plant attract scores of butterflies. The Mexican sunflower is known as a butterfly magnet since it is the most favorite plant of the Monarch butterfly.

Growing Tithonia near your vegetable garden will attract beneficial insects and many pollinators, which can control the outbreak of pests. While using as cut flowers, prepare large pots to preserve the plant.

There are four varieties of Mexican sunflower: Fiesta del Sol, Goldfinger, Yellow Torch, and Torch. Fiesta del sol and Goldfinger are dwarf varieties of Mexican sunflowers that are best suited for small gardens.

Business And Sales Factors: Mexican Sunflower

The Mexican sunflower is an excellent addition to a bird and butterfly garden; the warm-colored flowers look gorgeous. The plant can also be used as organic fertilizer biomass.

The green fertilizer effectively increases the yielding power of the crop, which benefits the farmers' wealth directly. However, another study concluded that growing Mexican sunflower in farming land was not economically beneficial.

The fertilizer biomass derived from Mexican sunflower referred to the material derived from the plant's foliage and worked into a dry fertilizer. However, if it is used as a fertilizer, labor requirement increases.

For this reason, this type of fertilizer is suitable for yielding high-value crops only like tomatoes, carrots, kale, and maize.

The biomass can be used as a mulch and can be left on the topsoil to decompose. It has been discovered that when tithonia breaks down, it releases nutrients rapidly; applying five tons per hectare mulch results in the best production.

However, the only drawback of this farming method is that a lot of foliage is required to produce mulch in such large quantities. Since it has high water content, a large amount of foliage can only cover a small piece of land. Mixing the natural biomass with some synthetic fertilizer may result in the best yield.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Mexican sunflower facts, then why not take a look at Kansas history facts or sunflower seeds nutrition facts.