Cannot Tell These Both Are Red Orach - Ask Extension
Hello! I planted red orach last year (yum) and planted it again this year. But, I also have some "wild" plants growing in my yard this year that lo...
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Cannot Tell These Both Are Red Orach #569709
Asked June 12, 2019, 3:12 PM EDT
Hello! I planted red orach last year (yum) and planted it again this year. But, I also have some "wild" plants growing in my yard this year that looks a lot like red orach and I am wondering if they are second generation (as some of my other plants have self-propagated). The first picture is the red orach I bought and planted this year. The second two are of the plants growing in my yard this year. I have additional photos, if needed.
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hello. I'm glad you've turned to AaEx.
I can't tell the variety that you planted last year but my suspicion is that red orach can self seed in your zone 4. Hybrids sometimes do not come true from seed. So the guess is that last year's red orach produced seeds which got scattered on your property and they sprouted either as one of the original parents of last year's variety or another hybrid entirely. That's the best I can tell. Maybe you could stick with the variety you're now growing and know that occasionally you'll see red orach in other forms pop up from time to time in future years.
Good-luck!
