When does rapeseed bloom? Information about the flowering period

The rapeseed, Brassica napus, is one of the most important arable crops in the world. Hardly any other plant species is as versatile and sought-after as the bright yellow rapeseed. More than 1,500 bottles of rapeseed oil can be produced from just one hectare of field. The annual feed for three dairy cows can also be obtained from this amount of rape. When the flowering phase begins and what influence the oilseed rape plant has on subsequent plants is explained here.

Flowering time of rapeseed

Before rapeseed is harvested for the first time, it had already spent a year in the field. The plants are sown in late summer, after the first winter, in May, when the plant will finally flower.

• Sow in late summer
• Flowering begins from April to May of the coming year
• Flowers bright yellow
• Harvest time at the end of July

The timing of flowering has nothing in common with the timing of harvest. When flowering begins in May, the small pods fill up with black seeds. Only when the flowering is over and Brassica napus is no longer bright yellow in the fields is it time to recover the real treasure.

blossom

This is what rapeseed blossoms look like

• it is an annual or biennial plant
• The flower clusters are strikingly bright yellow
• heavy soils with numerous nutrients are helpful
• Overall height is up to 120 cm
• Stems branch out and are mostly bare
• Leaves are blue-green, pinnately lobed but glabrous
• Flower diameter is more than 1 cm
• Sepals have a length of 6 - 8 mm
• Petals have a length of 12-18 mm
• The length of the fruit stalks is 2-3 cm
• Pods are bilobed and contain up to 20 seeds and are 10 cm in length
• Flowering time is between 3 and 5 weeks, half of all flowers develop pods

origin

Where does the rapeseed actually come from?

The rape plant is actually a cross between wild cabbage and turnip rape, wild rape plants are very rarely found. The plant, which belongs to the cruciferous family, is a very important crop. When cultivating in Germany it is mostly about Winter rape, the sowing of which begins in August. A floor rosette is developed that is able to survive the winter. The lush flowering period begins at the beginning of April and ends at the end of the merry month of May.

Facts worth knowing about the oilseed rape plant

• one hectare of rapeseed plants is enough for 1,740 bottles of rapeseed oil
•  Rapeseed oil is considered a superfood
• Production of 200 jars of honey is possible with the same amount
• Rapeseed honey brings quick energy
• The flowering phase starts from April to May
• Re-blooming is possible until the end of August
• The main flowering season causes problems with allergies

Rapeseed oil

Why is rapeseed oil so special

When it comes to rapeseed plants, most people immediately think of rapeseed oil, which is considered healthy. The light yellow oil is actually a very mild oil and one of the all-rounders in the kitchen.

The specialty is that rapeseed oil is a very good fatty acid composition having. There are only a few saturated fatty acids, but there are many unsaturated fatty acids.

Note: A rapeseed contains 42% of the most valuable oil.