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| Anyone raise amaranthus? I tried it first this year, but the plants were slow to grow and bugs just riddled them with holes. I think the variety was Early Splendor and Illumination. Both varieties grew very tall before they had any color in the center. Real disappointed, love the plants and would like to try again. Any advice? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian MI z5 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 17, 14 at 9:19
| 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 |
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- Posted by grandmamaloy 7 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 17, 14 at 18:53
| 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
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- Posted by Diamond2014 none (My Page) on Sat, Sep 20, 14 at 10:46
| 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 |
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- Posted by whtros USDA z5a IL (whtros2@aol.com) on Thu, Jan 15, 15 at 21:53
| 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 |
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