Happy Urban Dirt

Among the amaranth plants, Amaranthus tricolor stands out, also known as parrot wing. What do you know about it? At first glance it looks like Coleus, but it goes further.

If you want to discover what are the characteristics of this plant, as well as how to care for it to be perfect, this guide will support you with everything. Will you take a look?

What does Amaranth tricolor look like?

Apart from the parrot wing, Amaranthus tricolor is also known and sold as the royal macaw, common parrot or common macaw.. It is an ornamental plant. In fact, the most attractive thing about it is its leaves, which can have red, yellow and green shades at the same time. Its origin is from tropical Asia, although it can now be found in many other places.

Visually, we are talking about a grass that grows vertically and can easily reach over a meter in height (and between 30 and 60 centimeters in width). It has a fairly chunky stem, from which bare and angular branches branch out. Initially they produce green leaves, also bare and hairy. They are quite long (they can measure up to 8 centimeters) and also have a petiole and an oval shape. Now these leaves change color to another, especially the highest ones, because they change to red and yellow.

Amaranth tricolor is also bloomingalthough in this case the flowers are not as pretty as the leaves. The flowers are green and occur in spherical clusters (where you have both male and female flowers. And after them you get fruits in which you will find petite seeds, black or brown, which you can plant.

The truth is that both when you see it in person and in a photo, it reminds you of some Coleus, especially those that have the same shade of leaves. Now, it is a bit easier to care for this one than the Coleus.

Caring for the tricolor amaranth

As we said before, Amaranthus tricolor does not cause too many problems when it comes to care. It is true that you have to remember what it is like and what it needs to be well and develop properly. But generally speaking, It won’t pose any major problems for you when it comes to growing it at home, both in a pot and in the garden.

Here we leave you the most crucial tips that can serve as a guide.

location and temperature

We recently talked about another Amaranthus. And in that case we said that it grows better in full sun. Well, in the case of Amaranthus tricolor we do not recommend placing it in full sun unless you live in a frosty climate. If it is temperate or sultry, it is best to place it in a partially shaded spot so that it is protected from the hottest leaves and has some shade. Due to such different colors, the plant may have problems with sunburn, especially if the sun shines on it too strongly.Therefore it is better to avoid it.

Always exploit indirect lightweight, and direct lightweight in the early morning and slow afternoon.

As for temperature, it is adaptive, meaning it gets used to the temperature wherever you put it. Although it would be better if it was in a sultry climate, the truth is that nothing will happen to the heat. Another issue is the frosty. This plant is not very hardy and its deficiency can cause the plant to die when the temperature drops below 0ºC.For this reason, if this happens, it is recommended to protect the plant for the winter (by covering it with a plant blanket or, if you have the plant in a pot, moving it to a more sheltered location.

Subsoil

Amaranthus tricolor is a plant that can adapt to any type of soil, but its ideal soil type is one that is fertile, very affluent in humus, which holds moisture and is also well drained. If you give it all this, the plant will grow happily.

For this reason, the best thing we can recommend is a soil mix with the addition of drainage, such as bark, orchid soil or even perlite (we focus on the first two because it provides greater oxygenation).

Irrigation

From what we said earlier, you will see that watering is crucial if we want the soil to be always damp. Now this is one of the most crucial cares and if you overdo it with water, you can kill the plant.

It is also not advisable to pour water directly onto the plant trunk.but it is better to do it around it, because it stimulates the growth of roots (secondary roots) and the plant will take root better in the soil (and grow stronger).

Subscriber

Fertilizing this plant is crucial because it requires a lot of nutrients. But if you repotted it the same year, we do not recommend fertilizing (at most at the end of summer). The subscriber must be lasting, especially in spring and summerat a rate of once every 15 days. This can be foliar or using a water-soluble agent for irrigation.

Additionally, before planting (both in the garden and in the pot), it is recommended to exploit a base of manure or compost and mix it with the soil that we intend to plant.

Plagues and diseases

Amaranths have a few pests to keep in mind. Leaf beetles, as well as caterpillars and slugs, will wreak havoc on the leaves of thiss, appearing bites, with holes, etc., which will spoil the appearance of the plant. Fortunately, there are remedies (both chemical and natural) that you can exploit to prevent them from getting near the plant.

As for diseases, they are related to excess or lack of lighting and irrigation.

Multiplication

At last, We move on to the propagation of Amaranthus tricolor. In this case, the only way to make it work is through the seeds that the plant will give you. You should save them and plant them in the spring when temperatures are already sultry.

You will need to do this in the seedling beds to get the seedlings growing and only once you see that they have developed good roots can you transfer them to a pot. This is quite a stressful process for the plants, so it is possible that some will not survive (they will also go from almost constant watering, because they require a lot of water, to more moderate).

Do you dare to add colour to your garden with Amaranth tricolor?