Juana's Orange Amaranth October 1, 2017

Amaranth gets really tall!  I did my usual over-crowding when I planted it, so it is very leggy.  One of the plants broke off at the top, and I see that's the way to go - lop off the top and you get a lot of branching.  I will do that next year.  A fun and pretty plant to grow.  Here in Texas where I garden I think it is best to plant it in the summer rather than the spring.  I planted it in the spring two years ago, and the bugs chewed on it until the leaves were like lace.  Not attractive.  This year I planted it in the summer and had no problem with insects.  Whatever insects were so enamored of my amaranth in the spring were already dead or dormant by the time I was growing it this summer.  Insects have a very short season.  The insects that thrive in the spring are different than the ones that thrive in June.  Japanese beetles are an example of that, they arrive in spring, just in time to wreak havoc on my roses.  By the end of spring they have laid their eggs in the soil and died away.

 Below, this is the plant that broke at the top.  It shot out four branches, and I have many more seed heads as a result.