Amaranth’s very tall stems are perceived by many as weeds, although this flower is cultivated and even used in cooking.
Let's see what is special about this plant and how to grow amaranth in our own flower bed.
Amaranth: description of the plant
In appearance amaranth It is a very tall plant with a rather thick stalk, which is covered with many leaves and is crowned with a paniculate straight inflorescence (in some varieties of amaranth, the inflorescence can bend down).
The average height is 120 cm, although ornamental varieties rarely stretch out even up to a meter in height. Stems may differ in branching, and the leaves may be presented in oval, diamond-shaped or elongated form.
When amaranth was introduced to European countries, it was used as a fodder crop for animals and as a decorative flower, capable of pleasing a huge variety of flowers:
- golden;
- red;
- purple;
- green;
- Violet;
- a mixture of all the above shades.
After flowering on amaranth, fruits are formed that have the shape of boxes, containing seeds. After full ripening, the seeds are collected and used either for sowing next year or in food. In warm climates, self amaranth is possible.
Did you know? Amaranth is an excellent raw material for teas and salads, but adult plants in the beds will not be suitable for this purpose. For food purposes, it is necessary to create separate thick crops, which, on reaching a height of 20 cm, are completely cut off and sent for drying or cooking.
Climatic conditions for successful growth of amaranth
Amaranth is a plant undemanding in planting, but not all climatic conditions are suitable for its cultivation. In particular, most varieties in hot Asian countries at the equator level can grow as a perennial plant, which does not require annual planting.
But in the climatic conditions of our region, this plant is grown only as an annual, because neither it itself nor its seeds are able to endure wintering in open ground. Nevertheless, already in spring in the southern regions of our country, amaranth is completely permissible to be sown by seeds directly into open ground.
Amaranth seeding technology
Amaranth can be grown by different technologies, the choice of which depends on climatic conditions. If you live in a region where the heat comes from mid-spring, you can sow amaranth seeds directly into the soil without any problems.
But if the present heat begins to please only from the first summer month - it is better to sow the seeds in boxes or peat pots for seedlings. For the northern regions, we recommend growing amaranth through seedlings.
Reproduction of amaranth by direct seeding
Planting amaranth seeds involves the preliminary preparation of the soil. First of all, it is worth waiting for the end of April, when the ground at least 4-5 centimeters in the middle of the day will warm up to 10 ° C and above.
Also, the soil must be fertilized to the flower quickly went into growth. To do this, it is recommended to use mineral fertilizers (you can choose a complex), adding 30 g of substance per square meter of flower garden area.
Important! When fertilizing the soil for sowing amaranth seeds, it is not necessary to add a lot of nitrogen, because during growth this plant is able to convert nitrogen into nitrates dangerous for humans. After the amaranth stems are stretched up to 20 cm in height, they must be fed with nitrogen fertilizer, but for the above reasons it is worth using only half of the rate indicated on the package.
When sowing for amaranths, it is necessary to make furrows at a depth of 1.5 cm and one by one to put seeds in them. Land during sowing should be loose and hydrated. It is good if there is a space between 7 to 10 cm between plants in one furrow (if the variety is tall, more is possible) and about 45 cm in one row.
Shoots are usually visible on day 7-10. If they are thick, you can immediately break through the plants and simultaneously loosen the soil to stimulate further growth.
The peculiarity of amaranths is that if they are sown at the end of April and grow quickly, the weeds lose the opportunity to “take hold” of the flowerbed around the flowers. But if you miscalculate with the timing, the weeds can go to growth first and the flower bed will have to be weaved very often. After such sowing, full seed ripening occurs only after 3.5 months.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
How to grow amaranth with seedlings? For this purpose, the seeds are sown in the second half of March, for which plastic boxes are used, ordinary flower pots or special peat.
After sowing, the pots are placed on warm window sills with good lighting. It is very important that the temperature in the room does not fall below 22 ° C. Water should be from the sprayer.
Within a week, the first shoots appear, which need to be given another 3-4 days and thinned, removing all weak shoots. After the appearance of three leaflets on the seedlings, it can be transplanted into individual pots. If for this purpose peat pots are used (12 cm in diameter), they can be dug into the ground along with the plant.
How to plant amaranth?
In this section, we will mainly talk about planting seedlings, since after sowing seeds, amaranth care will be to remove weeds and water. But with the seedlings have a little wiser.
When to plant amaranth
The planting of amaranth seedlings should begin when the threat of spring frosts is completely bypassed and the temperature of the soil during the day will remain within 10 ° C and above. Often, this procedure should be planned in the middle or end of May. 
The plant is planted in light and nutritious soil with low acidity (it is better if it is mixed with limestone). Drainage can also be prepared under the soil.
As a fertilizer for seedlings amaranth used nitroammofoska (no more than 20 g per square meter). As for the choice of a place under an amaranth flower bed, it should be well illuminated by the sun.
Important! Amaranth can hardly be called a capricious plant, but it can be destroyed by low temperature and overmoistened soil - damages appear on the roots and stalks that start to rot.
Landing technology
Amaranth seedlings do not need to be cooked when planted in the ground. It is planted in rows, between which it is necessary to leave a space of at least 45 cm, and for tall large varieties - 70 cm. A space of 30 cm should remain between the individual plants.
Small wells are prepared for planting, in which, after applying nitroammofoski, no fertilizer is needed. Seedlings do not need to be lowered too low into the hole so that it does not rot later.
Until she goes to growth, the soil in the flower bed must be regularly watered. If the cold suddenly begins, you can hide a bed with amaranths with a film for the night (but in the morning you must remove the shelter so that the seedlings do not suffocate).
Plant Care Rules
Most of all amaranth care is required only after transplanting seedlings into open ground. She has to be watered regularly, weeding around her weeds. But as soon as the seedlings grow, the weeds in the flowerbed with amaranths will practically disappear, as it is difficult for them to get along with a large, strong flower.
Did you know? With good care amaranth very rapidly growing. In just one warm day, when the plant is well lit by the sun, it can stretch up to 7 cm.
As for irrigation, they are important only during the first month. In the future, seedlings rooted well to a depth of a meter and she will not need watering. The exception may be a dry summer without rain.
In the first half of September fruits with seeds begin to form on amaranth, and the flower itself gradually loses its attractiveness. Since in our latitudes amaranth is not able to survive the winter, after maturation it is necessary to gather the seeds and remove the flowers from the flower bed.
Healthy plants can be used to produce compost or give to pets (chickens or pigs) as feed, as it is saturated with proteins, carotene and vitamin C.
Amaranth cleaning
During the period of active vegetation, it is necessary to choose the strongest flowers, from which, after drying of the lower leaves and the appearance of a whitish bloom on the stem, it is necessary to carefully cut the inflorescences. So that they are well dried out, lay them in a dry, ventilated room.
In this state, they can remain for several months, after which the panicles just need to be pounded and the seeds will sprinkle from them. Sifted seeds can be stored in paper bags or boxes. They will be suitable for sowing for about five years.
Amaranths are lush tall flowers that look great in all types of plantings and delight in their flowering for a very long time. Since their care is minimal, we advise you to pay attention to this plant to all growers.
