Kochia (Red) - Seeds (Burning Bush)

Kochia (Red) - Seeds (Burning Bush)

Life Cycle:Half hardy annual. Hardy annual.
Height:15 to 36 inches (40 to 90 cm).
Flowers details:Light green, then turn to Red. Hairy flowers that sprout from strap shaped leaf axils.
Foliage:Lanceolate. Flattened. Green through to red.
Flowers:Summer
Growing Regions:Zones 2 to 10.
Requirements:Soil pH 6 to 7. Average soil. Drought tolerant. Regular feed.
Light:Full sunlight.

How to grow

Sow Outside: Surface. Before last frost. Spacing: single plants: 20 to 24 inches (60 to 70 cm); hedging 8 inches (20 cm).

Sow Inside: Soak seeds overnight. Use peat pots. Germination time: one to two weeks in the light. Temperature 70°F (21°C). Seven or eight weeks in advance. Transplant outdoors towards the end of spring.

Uses:

Kochia is grown as a forage crop for sheep and cattle and as an ornamental. As a forage crop its feed value is slightly lower than that of alfalfa. Protein content ranges from 11 to 22%, and decreases as the plant matures. When cut at the recommended stage, kochia hay contains up to 60% leaves and has good aroma. Palatability of kochia is better than that of grasses, such as bromegrass, but a little lower than that of alfalfa. No objectionable milk flavor results from feeding kochia hay.

Oxalate levels for kochia range from 6 to 9%. Feeding calcium phosphate and other kinds of feed (such as alfalfa) tends to reduce oxalate toxicity. Animals with symptoms of oxalate toxicity should be removed from kochia immediately.

Kochia can be used in revegetation programs for erosion control. It will germinate and grow at any time in the growing season, and it thrives in sandy, alkaline and other poor soils. Kochia can be sown by airplane on large areas that need revegetation, such as areas that have been devastated by fire. It provides a quick groundcover to protect topsoil and provide a food source for wildlife until native grasses take over.

Forage kochia is drought and salt tolerant. We frequently recommend it as a component of mixes for saline badlands or challenging soil conditions.

Forage Kochia is fire resistant and a key component in the fight against cheet grass wildfires in the west. It greens and blooms mid summer when annual grasses and understory dry out and become a fire hazard. It is effective in greenstrips on western rangelands. 

buy Heirloom Grass Burning Bush Kochia seed Red Flower Garden at Seedarea.

Kochia Trichophylla, also known as Burning Bush, grows from flower seeds and turns brilliant red in fall. kochia scoparia seeds can be started indoors or outdoors.