Panicum miliaceum Seeds | Proso Millet
LATIN NAME: Panicum miliaceum
COMMON NAME: Proso Millet
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Proso Millet, Panicum miliaceum is a grass. Proso millet is small, quick, drought-tolerant grain of warm, dry lands, and it has been one of oldest of cultivated grains of the world. Slender, upright plants carry narrow, grass-like leaves and fine, nodding heads of small, round, cream or golden grains, which ripen quickly through warm season. Grain is cooked like rice, milled into flour or fed to birds, and it is one of fastest and the most dependable of the grains. Few species give back so generously for so little effort.
Science & Biotechnology
Within the Panicum group, Panicum miliaceum is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Proso millet has a strong and well-documented place in plant science, and it has been studied as one of oldest and the most drought-tolerant of the cultivated grains. For researchers, plants like this one offer practical material for propagation studies and selection work.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Proso Millet earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Proso millet is grown for quick, dependable grain, and small, round, cream or golden grains are cooked like rice, milled into flour or fed to birds and the livestock. It is one of fastest and the most drought-tolerant of the grains, ripening in a short, warm season, and it is a staple food of the dry lands of the world. Plant is also a fine, easy crop for warm garden, and it has been written up in agricultural and food papers for its ancient history and its climate-resilient ways. It takes hold quickly and asks for no special treatment from then on.
Proso millet is a quick, drought-proof gluten-free grain, rich in magnesium, that fed ancient civilizations and now feeds health-food aisles and bird flocks alike.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Proso Millet under ordinary good conditions. Sow thinly on the surface of a loose, well-drained seed compost, cover lightly, water in gently and keep the tray in a sunny spot with even moisture. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Proso Millet repays a little patience at sowing time with plenty of garden presence later.
Related Reading
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