Globe Amaranth: Benefits, Uses, Growing Methods and Points to Note

Today we introduce an annual herbaceous plant native to tropical America - Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa), known for its astonishing flowering period and brilliant flower colors, with a unique appearance; the flower is made up of countless small flower heads, and whether as fresh flowers or dried flowers placed at home, it is especially eye-catching. Besides its ornamental value, it also has medicinal effects such as relieving cough and calming asthma, and soothing the liver to improve eyesight, and is hailed as a treasure of the medicinal world.

Globe Amaranth is also called Hundred-day Red, and it is not easy to find in the flower market, because in China it is classified as a level 5 invasive plant; its seed quantity itself is limited, and it rarely reproduces on its own in the wild. If you want to grow Globe Amaranth, you can use propagation methods, generally cuttings and water culture. When taking cuttings, cut off the branches and insert them into soil, and roots will grow in about half a month; for water culture, insert the branches into water, and small white roots will grow after a few days, and once the roots have grown a bit more, they can be transplanted into soil.

During care, its growth habit is that it likes sunlight, requiring at least 4 hours of direct sunlight every day; if there is insufficient light, the plant grows slowly and the flower colors are dull. The suitable growth temperature range is about 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, and it can tolerate high temperatures, but at midday in summer, shade it appropriately to avoid scorching.

As for soil, Globe Amaranth is not demanding, but it grows better in loose, fertile, well-drained soil. It is recommended to use sandy soil, which can promote drainage and root aeration and breathing.

For daily care and watering, Globe Amaranth grows in tropical America, so it has a relatively high water requirement; you can follow the method of "water when dry, stop when wet", and it is recommended to water it once in the morning and once in the evening every day in summer, generally once every 2~3 days in spring and autumn, and reduce watering in winter to about once every 5 days. During the care process, flower lovers can often mist it, and do not let its soil become dry.

As for fertilizing, because Globe Amaranth has a particularly long flowering period, fertilizer must keep up; it likes fertilizer, and usually a phosphorus-potassium fertilizer is applied once every half month, which can promote plant growth and flowering.