Amaranth - planting with seeds and seedlings, growing

Amaranth is an annual herb. Growing amaranth has been taking a person for more than one century. There are amaranth varieties that are grown for human consumption, there are decorative amaranth varieties.

Growing amaranth

Growing amaranth is not very difficult. Any novice gardener can do it. Amaranth loves warmth and light very much; during the summer it can give a large harvest of greenery. To plant this plant, you need to choose the sunniest place. Amaranth feels great even in the Russian climate. Even if the temperature drops to 0, amaranth is able to survive it. Amaranth is very friendly and coexists well with any plants.

Amaranth can be called a drought-resistant plant, which to some extent is its plus, as it allows you to save on water while caring for it. The growing season of amaranth is 100 days on average.

The plant does not require complex care that takes a lot of time. Amaranth can be planted in the soil by seeds or seedlings. It is grown through seedlings much more often.

Purchase of amaranth seeds

Those who have never cultivated amaranth before can purchase the seeds of this plant in the store. But everything is not so simple here. Unscrupulous growers may sell the wrong variety that is required. Amaranth is a cross-pollinated plant. Some varieties of amaranth can be pollinated with others and give an unpredictable result. The seeds must be of good quality, otherwise you can grow a plant that is neither good for food nor for decoration. That is why experienced gardeners prefer to propagate amaranth by collecting seeds with their own hands.

The seeds of decorative amaranth are dark in color, they are not used for food, and the seeds of vegetable amaranth are light in color.

How to plant amaranth

Amaranth cannot be called a soil-demanding plant. For its cultivation, sod, sandy loam, loamy soil will fit. On acidic soils, amaranth growth may slow down.

Amaranth is considered a siderat, but the soil for planting it still needs to be prepared. It is recommended to start doing this in the fall. After the harvest is harvested, manure or compost must be added to the garden bed where amaranth is planned to be planted in spring. In the spring, the garden will need to be dug up and weeded. You should not be zealous with nitrogen fertilizers, otherwise nitrates will begin to accumulate in the leaves of the plant.

Amaranth can be planted with seeds directly into the ground, but this type of planting has its drawbacks - amaranth will grow slowly. Flowering in this case will occur only in the middle of summer. You can plant seeds in the ground when the frost has passed, and the soil warms up enough. Amaranth seeds are quite small, so you should not plant them too deeply, it is enough to deepen them by 1-2 cm. Before sowing, the seeds are mixed with river sand or wood chips. This is necessary so that oxygen and moisture better penetrate the seeds. The first shoots will appear in about 2 weeks. In order for the plants to have enough room to grow, the seedlings need to be thinned out later. Some gardeners plant amaranth again a couple of weeks after the first planting. Thus, the fruiting of amaranth is prolonged.

Growing amaranth: seedlings

To get fresh amaranth greens as quickly as possible, it is best to plant them on seedlings. It is worth starting preparation for sowing at the beginning of April. For planting seedlings, you can take special seedling boxes.They need to be filled with soil and sprinkled with seeds mixed with sawdust or sand, then lightly sprinkle the seeds with moist soil.

The boxes need to be covered with plastic and placed in a warm place to create a kind of greenhouse effect. Regularly, the film must be lifted and the crops must be ventilated. As soon as the seeds begin to sprout, the film is no longer needed and can be removed. Seedlings will appear in about 12 days. When the seedlings produce the first true leaf, they can be planted. Like other garden crops, amaranth seedlings require care, which consists of watering, additional lighting and hardening before planting in open ground.

When constant warm weather is established, it will be possible to plant amaranth in open ground. If there is a danger of a sudden return of frost, the plants must be protected from them by covering with a film.

Amaranth tolerates transplantation extremely well. Even if its root system is damaged, it will perfectly take root in a new place. However, this does not mean that you can neglect the accuracy when transplanting amaranth. It is preferable to transplant in the evening.

It will be possible to start harvesting fresh foliage as early as June. As a rule, the greens begin to be harvested when the amaranth grows to 20-25 cm in height. Amaranth seeds are harvested in September. Amaranth greens are added to first courses, salads, tea.

Growing amaranth and proper care

The first time after planting, amaranth can grow slowly, but gradually it will gain strength and accelerate its growth. In just one day, it can grow several centimeters. Caring for amaranth is quite simple. It requires much less care than many vegetables and garden crops. In fact, amaranth requires care only in the first month after planting.

Despite the fact that it can withstand drought perfectly, amaranth must be watered. On hot days, watering is especially important. When the amaranth grows up, it will practically not need watering. Water the amaranth with lukewarm water in the evening. 3-4 times during the season, amaranth must be fed. You can feed him with special dressings, you can use a mixture of mullein and ash. Amaranth vegetable varieties that will be used for food should not be fed with nitrogen fertilizers.

Since amaranth is a siderat, there are not so many weeds growing next to it. Nevertheless, weeds need to be removed. During the intensive growth of amaranth, weeding is necessary. In order for amaranth to develop lateral shoots, it is necessary to pinch the top of the plant.

Like other crops, amaranth can be affected by pests or diseases. This plant can be harmed by aphids, weevils. Aphids can attack amaranth in whole flocks. To combat these pests, the bushes are treated with insecticides. Amaranth can attack the fungus. From the fungus, amaranth is treated with copper sulfate.