How to Grow Amaranth Microgreens

 

 

Although amaranth has recently grown in popularity as a health food, it has been cultivated for over 8000 years. The amaranth microgreens have a mild sweet and earthy flavor with striking purple stems and leaves.

 

Amaranth is considered a pseudocereal - meaning it's not technically a cereal like wheat or oats but it's used as one and also has comparable nutrients. That is why it is a great crop as it is naturally gluten-free.

 

The most popular variety of amaranth for growing microgreens is the red garnet amaranth with its beautiful tinge of red. However, you may also get a tinge of green or gold which are equally delicious and nutritious.

 

Amaranth looks beautiful on a plate so it is loved by the chefs, and it goes well with any salad bowl as it is highly nutritious - a good source of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. It also contains health-promoting antioxidants.

 

Things you need to grow Amaranth Microgreens

1. Amaranth seeds - 15g
2. 10 x 20 Microgreens tray x 2 - without holes
3. 10 x 20 Microgreens tray x 1 - with holes
4. coco coir (or soil) - 6 cups
5. Grow lights (or sunlight)

Steps to grow Amaranth Microgreens

1. Stack a 10x20 tray with holes on top of the 10x20 tray that does not have holes.
2. Add 6 cups of coco coir to the tray with holes.
3. Sprinkle the amaranth seeds
4. Mist water thoroughly, keeping the soil damp but not soggy. No need to water until Day 3-4 when you take it out from blackout to light.
5. Stack a 10x20 tray (without holes) on top for the blackout. Do not put any weight on the tray but push the tray down once to ensure seed to soil contact (very important step).
6. On Day 1 itself, you should see most of the amaranth seeds germinated.
7. On Day 2-3, when the seeds have germinated and come up, keep the 10x20 tray flipped on top like a Blackout Dome.
8. On days 4-5, they have grown so tall that they start to droop a little. If they grow under blackout even more, they would get too tall. Introduce the amaranth microgreens to light. From now on, water via the bottom tray when required.
9. On Day 6, Cotyledons are starting to open up more which makes the tray look full and the color is becoming vibrant.
10. Harvest on day 7, when seedlings reach 3-4 inches.

 

 

Tips on growing Amaranth microgreens

• Amaranth is very prone to damping off and molding so make sure you do not overwater. Mist water very lightly from the top in the first 2 days.
• Keep a watch on the root color (it should be white). If some roots are turning yellowish brown, it means either your grow medium is holding too much water or you are overwatering. Amaranth is very susceptible to root rot. You can spray an antifungal solution to the browning roots.
• Soaking amaranth seeds is not required as the seeds are very tiny and all the seeds germinate within 1 to 2 days. Soaking is also not recommended because it may decrease its antioxidant activity. (source)
• You can just keep an empty tray on top to act as a weight instead of putting 5 pounds of weight on top of the tray. Amaranth is a delicate crop and it will do just fine even without 5 pounds of weight. Just make sure to press the top tray once to ensure proper seed to soil contact or else most of the seeds won’t germinate.
• You could add a scoop of some fertilizer with coco coir to give the seedlings a boost, but it is not required.
• Amaranth microgreens go really well with chocolate.
• Washing amaranth microgreens can damage them as they are very delicate. It's best to wash them just before you are about to consume them. If you are selling, you can pack them unwashed and put a label that says “Wash before consuming”.

Amaranth Harvest

Amaranth microgreens start germinating from the first day itself, and are ready for harvest by day 7. Harvest once you see some tiny true leaves starting to come out. Amaranth is lightweight so you wont get as much of a yield as you would expect from crops like broccoli or sunflower.

 

A typical amaranth harvest is expected to be 7x times the weight of the seed. For example, if you use 15g of amaranth seeds, you can expect a harvest of about 108g.

 

Store the harvest in your refrigerator and it should be consumed within 7 days.You can store them in mason jars.

Growing Amaranth Hydroponically

You could also grow amaranth microgreens hydroponically using a mesh tray and coco/hemp mats as a growing medium. Just mist the mat first before seeding, and then mist some water again after seeding. Use 1 tbsp of hydrogen peroxide in 1 liter of water and spray on the tray and on the roots as amaranth is susceptible to damping off when growing it hydroponically. You can use some kind of an organic liquid fertilizer to boost growth.

 

The growth of amaranth microgreens is slow if you are growing hydroponically. It typically takes about 10 to 12 days to harvest, almost double the time compared to soil medium.

Health Benefits of Amaranth Microgreens

• rich in protein, fiber, micronutrients and antioxidants (source)
• Assists in brain function and prevents neurological conditions because of high amount of manganese (source)
• Assists in muscle contraction as it contains magnesium. (source)
• Bone health as it contains phosphorus (source)
• Blood production as it contains Iron (source)
• Protects against chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer as it contains antioxidants (source)
• Protects against chronic inflammation. (source)

Business tips for Amaranth Microgreens

If you are growing amaranth microgreens to sell, you can charge a high amount per gram, however, they are not necessarily the most profitable crop to grow. You can make a profit if you have enough clients who want amaranth microgreens.

Amaranth Microgreens FAQs

Why are amaranth seeds not germinating?

There are two possible reasons for amaranth seeds to not germinate: either the seeds have poor seed-to-soil contact and seeds were not pressed lightly while seeding, or the seeds itself are not viable. You could also be too careful with overwatering that you are not giving enough water to create the conditions needed for germination.