Safflower grows well from sea level to 1800m above sea level.
It requires cool temperatures (15-20oC) in the early stages of growth and development and warmer temperatures (20-30oC) are required for stems growth and flowering.
However, safflower grows in a wide range of temperatures of between -15 to 40oC, provided freezing temperatures don’t occur before flowering or bolling stage in Southern Africa.
Safflower can grow under widely different amounts of annual rainfall from 250-1200mm. A major portion of the rainfall should occur before flowering.
Safflower also responds well to irrigation.
For optimal growth, deep, well-drained, sandy loams, and soils with pH ranging from 5 to 8 should be chosen for safflower cultivation.
Safflower is tolerant to sodium salinity but less so of calcium and magnesium salts. However, high salinity alters growth and seed yield.
