An unusual and bright amaranth is called an unfading flower. In fact, its bright inflorescences for a long time please the look, without requiring special care and care. In Europe, the first time about the amaranth was learned in the middle of the 17th century. It was then that he came to European lands from the East Indies. His unusual inflorescences so impressed the Swedish queen that she even founded the Order of Amaranth Knights. But besides the beauty amaranth is endowed with many useful properties: it is an excellent honey plant, an excellent food plant and a real storehouse of medicinal substances. Amaranth seeds are squeezed out of oil, which is then used in medicine (for treatment of cancer patients, in enuresis in children , inflammatory processes in the kidney and sexual system, diabetes, neuroses, metabolic disorders) and cosmetology. Squeezed from the seeds of amaranth oil in its therapeutic properties superior to sea buckthorn . Amaranth is suitable for people's food: amaranth leaves are used to make salads and hot dishes, and the grains are ground into flour, which is not inferior to wheat flour. In addition, the amaranth is unpretentious in planting and nursing, grows rapidly, reaching a height of up to 3 meters, and well tolerates drought. This plant practically does not suffer from diseases and pests and has no equal in yield. The yield of amaranth from a hectare on the average is 1600 centners. In addition to a couple of cuts, the amaranth gives about 50 centners of grain per hectare. About how to properly sow and grow amaranth and will be discussed in this article.
How to plant an amaranth?
Most often, the cultivation of amaranth begins with the sowing of plant seeds on seedlings. Because the seeds are very small, they are pre-mixed with sand and sown to a depth of 15 mm. The best amaranth will feel at a temperature of 20-240C in good light. After 4-5 days, the amaranth will please the first sprouts. To ensure that seedlings do not shade each other, it will need to be weeded out by removing weak shoots. After the appearance of 2-3 real leaves, the plants are dived into pots measuring 6 * 6 cm, and then planted in open ground.
Another way to grow amaranth from seeds is to sow them in the open ground. In this case, they must be sown when the soil at a depth of 40-50 mm is heated to a temperature of 6-80 ° C. At the same time, the soil still retains enough moisture to develop the plant. The amaranth planted in this way begins to grow rapidly, overtaking and drowning the weeds, thus eliminating the need for weeding. If, however, to start sowing amaranth at a later date, it will be necessary to take care of the timely destruction of weeds, combining weeding with irrigation. In addition, late sown amaranth seedlings can be destroyed by the larvae of some insect pests. Amaranth paddy crops can be carried out in early July on sites that have been freed after harvesting radish or early potato varieties.
The method of planting amaranth depends on further goals:
- forage amaranth is sown at a distance between plants of 10 cm and a row spacing of 45 cm;
- when planted on seeds, the distance between plants and row spacing increases: 15-20 cm and 70 cm, respectively.
If you plant an amaranth with smaller intervals, then the plants will be much lower and yield less harvest.
Care for amaranth
Amaranth - the plant is very unpretentious and does not require special care. In addition to making fertilizers before sowing and further weeding rows, the amaranth does not need any action. Best of all, it will grow in well-lit areas, but even on the poor in the sun areas, he feels quite confident.