Technology for growing amaranth from seeds and plant care. Useful tips for summer residents on the TutKnow.ru website with an educational video. A beautiful and useful amaranth plant is very demanding on light and heat, therefore, when growing it, you need to adhere to these criteria. What else does a summer resident need to know so that this wonderful small-seeded culture appears in his garden?
Growing amaranth from seeds
It is known that amaranth in hot weather begins to greatly increase in growth, while many shoots appear. The plant is very resistant to temperatures below zero degrees. Amaranth needs abundant watering and nutritious soil, but stony, acidic and sandy soils are not afraid of it. In the fall, the soil is shallowly dug up and a bucket of manure or rotted compost is introduced, additionally potassium fertilizer, superphosphate or ash can be added. If digging is carried out in the spring, then a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer can harm the future plant, since nitrogen can accumulate in the leaves in the form of nitrates.
Amaranth propagates by seeds, which must be germinated in advance. As soon as they hatch, they are sown in open ground after spring frosts (the soil must be warmed up to 15 ° C). The sowing site is cleared of weeds in advance, fertilizers are applied (compost, rotted chicken droppings, ash, manure), mixed and grooves up to one centimeter deep are prepared.
Video about the rules for planting in the ground at their summer cottage:
Seedling
When growing seedlings at home, seeds are sown in bulk in boxes filled with nutritious soil, then lightly sprinkled and covered with cellophane. The box must be kept in a warm, bright place - so, after 12 days, the first shoots appear. So that the seedlings do not interfere with the growth of each other, it is advisable to thin them out, and after the appearance of the leaf - to dive. Amaranth seedlings are planted around the beginning of June. It should be planted in rows of open ground, the distance between which should be within 30 centimeters (10-15 centimeters between plants).
Amaranth care
In the first 30 days, the root system is formed and the plants are gaining strength and strength, so at this time they need at least two weeding, regular watering as the soil dries up and fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.
If thickening was allowed in the rows, then the stems of amaranth will form thin and fragile. Amaranth leaves are shortened as it grows. The same applies to the stem - when it reaches 25-30 centimeters in length, it is carefully cut off so that it does not lose its juiciness. By the way, amaranth is able to perfectly recover from the buds on the trunk, so it is advisable to leave several buds uncut so that the plant continues to grow.
How to get seeds from amaranth?
Seeds for future harvest can be obtained without cutting off the stems of several plants until September. Thus, the panicles turn orange, the leaves dry out and fall off, and the stem brightens at the same time.
To obtain seeds, amaranth is cut off at the base and the panicles are left to dry for 2 months in a room with good ventilation, away from moisture. The removed seeds must be dried again (for this they are laid out in a thin layer and left for two weeks).
Have a good harvest and be healthy! After all, amaranth is incredibly useful for our health: once its seeds replaced our bread, now adherents of a healthy diet prefer to cook porridge from amaranth flour, and the leaves of this wonderful plant serve as an excellent basis for making salads, snacks and side dishes!
