The bright and unusual flower amaranth, the closest relative of the wild amaranth, is often called the unfading flower. Indeed, its beautiful inflorescences, subject to proper and timely cutting, can please the eye as part of ikebana and other phyto compositions all winter. Planting and caring for amaranth do not require a lot of time, as the plant is not too picky and demanding on growing conditions.
For the first time in Europe, this plant became known in the middle of the 17th century. Even then, people appreciated not only the beauty of its inflorescences, but also the many useful properties of amaranth. It is an excellent honey plant, a useful fodder plant and a real storehouse of substances necessary for the human body. How to plant amaranth in order to get a good harvest or decorate a flower bed with high quality?
When to sow amaranth seeds for seedlings?
Most flower growers prefer to grow decorative varieties of amaranth from seedlings. But at the same time, not everyone knows when to plant amaranth for seedlings in order to get beautiful flowering bushes in time. Sowing amaranth for seedlings should be done in March-April. Due to the fact that they have very small dimensions, they must be mixed with sand before sowing. Seeds should be sown to a depth of 1.5 cm. It is important that the soil temperature is 20-24 degrees, otherwise the seedlings will have to wait a very long time.
Provided that comfortable conditions for seed germination are created, the appearance of the first shoots can be expected in 5-6 days. If amaranth seedlings have grown very thick, it must be thinned out, otherwise the sprouts will be frail and thin.
You need to remove the weakest sprouts to allow the rest to develop normally.
After 2 true leaves appear on them, you need to start picking into separate containers 6x6cm. For this purpose, you can use disposable plastic cups, but it is most convenient to plant seedlings in peat pots.
When to sow amaranth for seedlings, if time has already been lost? What if the time for sowing in common containers has already passed, but it is too early to sow in the ground? It is possible to sow amaranth with seeds immediately in separate pots, if there is enough space to accommodate such a number of sprouts in separate containers. Such a planting will minimize the damage caused to the sprouts during picking and accelerate the growth of separately growing flowers. And in this case, it is recommended to put 2-3 seeds in one glass, so that at least one of them will surely grow.
It is necessary to plant grown sprouts in the ground only after the threat of frost has passed, i.e. end of May or beginning of June. It is important that the place is well lit and protected from drafts. The soil is preferably light and nutritious, rich in lime.
So that planting amaranth with seeds does not bring an unpleasant surprise in the form of poor and very rare shoots, you need to carefully and responsibly approach the choice of seeds. It is best to purchase them in specialized stores.
How to plant amaranth in open ground
Planting amaranth with seeds immediately in open ground is done only when it warms up to 6-8 degrees to a depth of 5-6 cm. At the same time, the soil must be moist, but not wet, so that the seed can get a good start for development. With later sowing in open ground, it is important to ensure that young sprouts are not drowned out by weeds.
It is noteworthy that the method of planting seeds in open ground largely depends on what exactly the goals of growing this plant are:
- for growing for livestock feed, amaranth is sown at a distance of 10 cm from each other with a row width of 45 cm;
- when planted on seeds, plants should grow at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other, and the width of the row cannot be less than 70 cm, otherwise the harvest will not be particularly large.
Also, the method of planting amaranth in the country, in a flower garden or in a flower bed depends on the variety and type and variety of the plant. So, decorative varieties are planted at a distance of 10 to 30 cm between crops, in single plantings they can be surrounded by other lower flowers at a distance of 15 cm.
How to plant and care for amaranth
Caring for an amaranth plant, as well as planting, does not cause any difficulties for most gardeners and flower growers. Plants need care by and large during the first month of their stay in the ground, since at this time they develop very slowly. All the forces of the sprouts are spent on the formation of a powerful root system, and after it is formed, they begin to actively “grow” stems and leaves.
In the process of caring for amaranth, you need to protect the plants from weeds so that young shoots do not get lost in them and weaken. In the second month of its stay in the ground, amaranth develops so much that there is no room left for weeds.
Despite the fact that autumn plants are photophilous, they endure prolonged heat and drought heavily, so they need regular watering . Especially in the first month of life in the ground. If desired, undersized varieties of amaranth can be planted in large outdoor flowerpots and decorate a terrace, veranda or balcony with them.