hey

where are you ...

plants slow to take off in spring??? ... cold soil.. long spring ... etc ...

did you direct sow them.. or buy plants and plant them out????

you really havent given us much info.. to give you guidance ...

my self sown 4 o'clocks .... never did anything this year here in MI ... a very long cold winter killed most seed ... and then a very long cold spring... delayed sprouting ... and then intermittent drought ... shocked the rest ... it might be the first time in 20 years... i will have to rebuy the seed ...

ken

Amaranthus likes it warm and it takes a lot of energy to produce all those beautiful plumes, so they need regular feeding. They also like full sun to mostly sunny conditions and well-drained soil. If you grow them from seeds, warm soil and uniform moisture will help. Thin them when they are about 6-inches tall and then thin them to 12 to 18 inches. hose are the tips as far as growing goes.

Haven't heard of many having a bug problem with amaranthus. Was it grasshoppers? Something you might want to try is Spinosads. Approved for organic growing, the spray is safe for your family and pets and will not kill the beneficial bugs, such as ladybugs and lacewings, but will kill some of those most resistant to insecticides. Aphids and grasshoppers have become quite resistant I think. Anyway, I hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spinosads

Sorry for the lack of info, I am in zone 5. I started the amaranthus seed in late March in a heated greenhouse. Grew them in a plug tray (72 cell), then transplanted them out into a raised bed into 3 gallon pots, Planted 2 in a pot. Took them outside about mid May. Our spring weather was warm and not too wet.

The pests were definitely not grasshoppers. The holes were very tiny and uniform on the leaves. No other plants in the bed were affected.

What variety of amaranthus do you like? I will definitely try again. Thanks

grandmamaloy - I've tried to grow amaranthus many times but they never get big enuf to even set in the ground. How warm do I need to keep them when seedlings? My basement growing area is around 75 degrees. Should I keep them on a heating mat until I take them outside? And are you saying they need a lot of fertilizer? How early should I start the seeds? March 1st? Thanx for your advice. Barbara

I've had good luck with Amaranthus when we lived in Stevens Point, WI, zone 5. They were garden grown, sowed in April, put out end of May (we had a community garden plot). We moved back to Northern WI since (zone 4) and tried some last year, but with plugs from a store. Those grown in containers were significantly smaller than the ones I grew in the garden. They did fine, but by the time I bought the plugs, they were pretty rootbound, and I know if I had started them from seed on my own they would have done lots better. By the way, our summer last year was very wet and mild...not alot of hot temps.