Grow Nutritional Millet at Home: Essential Steps

Millet, commonly known as pearl millet, is an ornamental plant used to add height and a splash of color to gardens. It is a highly nutritious food grain that is a well-kept secret. Millet is a tall grass that has been cultivated as food from 3,000 years. The grain is high in protein, fiber, vitamin B, iron and calcium and is the sixth most important grain crop in the whole world, sustaining one-third of the world’s population. In the Eastern Hemisphere of earth, it is often grown as cheap and accessible food for humans. It is fast-growing and hardy, comes in an abundance of varieties.

Growing Process

Pearl millet can propagate with seeds. It is fast-growing plant and will take only 60 days for the plant to go from seed to flower. Direct sowing of seeds can be done when the danger of frost has passed out, but the soil needs to be sufficiently warm for germination to occur. Plant the seeds 1 to 3 inches down from the top for best germination though if you go deeper, seedlings will still likely emerge. Keep the soil moist but not water-soaked. Move to some larger pots as the plants outgrow their starter trays to avoid the millet becoming root-bound.

Care

All cultivars of Pennisetum glaucum thrive in the full sunlight. The plant will tolerate partial shade, but won’t look as dramatic as its color. Millet tolerates high salt, high or low soil pH, and it can be grown in infertile soil also. Millet does prefer good drainage. It has some issues with becoming waterlogged. Water the plants once a week. It is a good idea to treat ornamental millet with a feeding of 15-0-15 fertilizer once when you first transplant it or after the emergence if the seeds were directly sown.

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