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Amaranth tricolor, grown from seeds
Amaranth tricolor, or in Latin Amarantus tricolor, is a bright plant with variegated leaves painted in yellow-red-green color. It is suitable for growing in a flower bed and for decorating hedges and facades of buildings.
Description of amaranth tricolor
The tricolor-colored decorative deciduous shrub has a pyramidal shape. Its height can reach from 70 to 150 cm.
Amaranth tricolor will decorate the flower garden
The characteristic features of this type of amaranth are:
- strong erect stem;
- elongated leaves of an ovoid or wavy shape;
- tricolor color, while the color depends on the type of plant.
By these features, you can easily distinguish amaranth from another garden plant.
The most famous varieties of Amaranthus tricolor:
- Willow – it is characterized by narrow and wavy leaves, painted in a bronze-green color. The leaves can be up to 20 cm long and 0,5 cm wide.
- Red, with deep red leaves.
- Red-green, the leaves of which are ruby-purple in color with green blotches.
- Bright, with emerald green leaves with brown spots.
Depending on your color preferences, you can choose the right amaranth variety.
Methods for growing amaranth tricolor
Amaranth tricolor is usually grown from seeds that are sown in the ground. The seedling method is also common.
For sowing cultivation, you need to wait until the soil warms up to + 10ºC in April. Seeds are sown in soil moistened and enriched with complex fertilizers to a depth of 1,5 cm with an interval of 7-10 cm. The distance of rows should be at least 45 cm. The first shoots will appear in 8-10 days.
Sowing seeds for seedlings is done in the last decade of March. The seeds are deepened 1,5-2 cm into the soil, placed in small plastic cups, and removed on a well-lit windowsill. To grow amaranth tricolor from seeds, an indoor temperature of at least + 22ºC is required.
Sprouted seedlings are planted in open ground in May.
Since the plant is a thermophilic plant, a well-lit and wind-protected area will be the best place for planting. The soil must be well-drained and fertile. At the beginning of its growth, amaranth prefers frequent watering, in the future it needs to be watered as needed.
By following these guidelines, you can grow colorful fireworks from bright leaves in your flower bed by July.