Your drying strategy will depend on whether you re growing sunflowers for crop yield or in a personal garden. Today, we ll focus on a large harvest. The time required to dry the crop is going to be influenced by the moisture content, temperature of the drying room, and the humidity to which your harvest is exposed. Variances in any of these factors will change the dry rate. For example, raising the temperature a few degrees will cause the moisture level of your sunflowers to decline, thereby shortening the time needed to dry them. Below, I ll provide a few helpful tips that you can use when drying your next crop.
#1 Use A Moisture Meter
You ll need to invest in a reliable moisture meter. If you re a hobby grower, you won t need one. But, assuming you re harvesting a large crop, a meter is essential for measuring the level of moisture contained in the seeds. It s only by taking this measurement that you ll be able to accurately judge the approximate drying period. If you re already an experienced grower, you ll probably already own one. If not, plan on spending $200 or more.
#2 Don t Overcompensate
If you grow other crops that need to be dried (for example, corn and grain varieties), take care not to over dry your sunflowers. Compared with a lot of other crops, lower quantities of moisture need to be removed from them. At any given temperature, it s easy to overdo it. If you ve harvested your crop early to prevent bird and disease damage, they re going to have a higher moisture content and require more time to dry. Even so, keep a close eye on the dryer and take several moisture measurements with the meter.
#3 Watch For Fires
Sunflowers always present the potential for a fire if you re using a dryer with an open flame. The reason is due to the fibers. The seeds have fine hairs and fibers that invariably rub loose when you re handling the crop. When they get caught in the flame, they ignite in the burner. If the hairs and fibers are consumed by the flame before touching the rest of the harvest, there s no chance that a fire will spread. The best way to manage the risk is to place fans that blow across the sunflowers, away from your dryer. That way, the fibers are pushed in the opposite direction of the burner.
#4 Maintain Consistency
A common mistake made by both new and experienced growers is to neglect drying consistency. If you ve harvested a relatively small crop, this won t be much of an issue. However, larger crops are susceptible to patch drying where certain areas of the facility receive more exposure to air flow than others. When that happens, you ll find that some of your sunflowers will be dried out while others retain too much moisture. Make sure that the fans and blowers you ve set up deliver a consistent flow across the entire facility.
Confluence Of Small Factors
There aren t any secrets to drying sunflowers. It s mostly a matter of applying a number of smart tactics and adhering to common safety measures. By using a moisture meter and taking steps to prevent overdrying, you ll enjoy a higher yield. And by setting up fans in the right positions (blowing away from your dryer s open flame), you can reduce the always present risk of fire. Finally, apply a consistent flow of air. If you do those 4 things, you ll have a higher yield with better quality.
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