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West Amwell, NJ

*If you are in the giant veggie exchange, then they are included.* otherwise...
I have millions of seeds. Literally! These plants easily grow 20 feet, and can get as tall as nearly 30 feet. If you want some free seeds, send me an email to sunflower_info@yahoo.com and ask if I still have seeds. (that shouldn't be a problem). I'll email you my address and you can send a self addressed stamped envelope. These seeds are extremely small; so you don't have to go wild on postage. A simple business letter with a stamp will probably do. These plants need a constant supply of water. These plants grow in wetlands in the south eastern United States.

1/1/2008 2:14:48 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Brian will those million seeds fit in a teaspoon :)

1/1/2008 8:28:23 AM

Wv

hey im in the swap can u let me know how to grow them i have never grown them before. deerartist@comcast.net

1/1/2008 8:24:08 PM

West Amwell, NJ

Amaranthus australis seeds are extremely small; so surface sow. If you grow them indoors, then use a heat mat. They seem to like warmer temps to germinate. Moisten soil before surface sowing. If the soil starts to dry out then use a fine mist spray and try not to wash away the seed, since it's so small. Once the plant germinates, and is well established then you can't overwater. Do not let the soil ever dry out or the plant will wilt fast. You can tell if it's getting too large for the pot if it wilts easily from not getting enough water. You can leave a few inches of water in the bottom of a tray under the pot if you have to go away and can't tend to it for a few days.

1/3/2008 1:47:44 AM

West Amwell, NJ

These plants are frost tolerant; so make sure you plant out when there is no chance of frost. If you want to save seeds in the fall then you must plant multiple plants. Amaranthus australis is dioecious, which means there are male and female plants. I have found a way to tell the difference until they flower. Male flowers will look yellowish because of pollen, while female flowers will stay green. I noticed with my plants that female plants were a week or so behind in flowering from the males.

1/3/2008 1:51:11 AM

West Amwell, NJ

When planting in the garden, the most important thing is to find a spot that is not well drained. If your soil is dry and sandy, I suggest piles of perlite in the soil or anything else that will hold water. Grows best in full sun, but also grows well with some partial shade. Stalks seem very strong and they can survive winds, but to get taller plants try to find a sheltered location. Very large spacings (6 ft plus) will get you very branched plants, while small spacings (1 ft or so) will get you less branching. My 23 ft. 2 in. plant was only a beer bottle away from it's two neighbors. I'm spacing a little bit more next year.

1/3/2008 1:57:52 AM

West Amwell, NJ

Once established, the secret to these plants is WATER WATER WATER. When young, don't water as much so their roots search for water, but once they develop, water away! If you live near or in a wetlands area, then grow them there. You can't over-water these plants. I grew plants in pots and placed them in a bucket of water. They were alive and well after a month and a half. The whole bucket was filled with roots that grew out of the pots.

1/3/2008 2:02:12 AM

West Amwell, NJ

If you want to duplicate plants then just cut off small side branches and root them. I had nearly 100% success rate with cuttings taking root. You can do this to keep your favorite plants alive through the winter. You can also cut off the tops of plants when young and it will produce plants with many branches and larger stalk. Stalks can grow well over 4 feet around in a season. These amaranth plants also root on stalks if you bury them in the soil. You can build the soil around the base of the plant to produce new roots along the stem.

1/3/2008 2:07:44 AM

West Amwell, NJ

These plants flower depending on daylength. David Brenner, who had the previous world record, said to me that if you grow them under lights that they can keep growing and not flower. If you let them flower, a single plant will produce a tremendous amount of seed. I was easily able to get them to go to seed in NJ with 6 inches plants placed outside around early/mid May. Scientific literature says they can grow over 9 meters tall in the wild. I'm sure heights over 30 feet can be reached. If you have any questions, just let me know and I'll try to help.

1/3/2008 2:14:13 AM

West Amwell, NJ

I caught a mistake! I said, "These plants are frost tolerant" I meant to say, "These plants are *NOT* frost tolerant".

1/3/2008 2:15:38 AM

Wv

THANKS for the help i will stay in touch. GLEN

1/3/2008 9:28:06 PM

Poughkeepsie New York

It comes down to who grew the bigger plant, not who brought in the bigger media or the better cameras. It's about gardening.
I had twelve plants over 23' tall. Most of Brian's plants were *clones* of my certified 27'10" plant. He has left that information out of all of his articles, and posted up elsewhere that my plant is a "bigfoot" type of claim. Not only does he know better -- but he should have *acted* better, too. It's a much longer story than this, and it would probably make a good book. Maybe Brian would be interested in helping me write it??

1/18/2008 1:09:15 AM