FINCHforum

well I have some baby light green millet shoots coming out of the grass now! This is my 1st time growing millet and its doing rather well indoors. I have it in a 20 inch long pot by 4 inches deep by 4 inches wide. I should be getting all sorts of millet spray in a month or so. Right Now I see 2 small green seed heads.

Millet is a grass and a heavy feeder. Make sure you fertilize, preferably with organic fertilizer. Sometimes without enough food for the plant the stalks will bolt, small heads of seed and plant death.

I used some organic miracle grow soil along with some red soil that you get around the paris area. Plus I have an african violet fertilizer I have been adding to the water, the miracle grow has time released nutrients in the organic mix.

That should do it Your birds will love fresh green millet... the milk of the seed is a great protein to bring birds into breeding condition. Lucky birds

What I want to grow millit!!! How do you do it?

I'm interested too!

Did you start the plants from spray millet seeds? How did you do that?

I tried growing millet too. It grows like any grass, but then it looks like a spider plant where a new crown forms. I tried replanting that part in the soil, but it didn't go anything. My Owls really enjoyed the green millet sprays, but they were very small...only about 3-4 inches long. It got a lot of the late summer sun, but apparently not enough. I fertilized them once a week with fish emulsion.

Maybe I'll try again next year.

I had some seed that was leftover in the bag and i covered it with 1/2 of soil and lightly raked the surface with a fork. It is in a 20 X 4 X 4 inch pot. Here is a picture. I also place a neodymium bulb near the plant and as well it was in the windows getting about 6 hours of light each day.

Natalie, You have the perfect set up. Around the outside of your aviary place some planters, heavy so that the tall grass will not cause it to fall over. If you place it inside your aviary the birds will destry it before it can grow. Take a millet spray and crumble the seed off onto the soil, You can cover lightly with soil but it is not nescasary. Water well and keep water. I also use fish emulsion or my own compost for fertilizing. Treat it like you would your grass. Feed and water. Lots of sunshine and that's it. Though you will have to wait for it to get warm..... it sprouts in spring, grows all summer and drys in the fall. The birds love the sprouts, green seed heads, and the dried millet..... but when you grow it you will never have ant to dry...... the birds will eat it all in the green stage. You can always order the dried
It will grow like a weed. I dump my seed in the corner of the yard. Squirrels, doves and songbirds comb for goodies. They always miss some and I have millet srout up all the time with no encouragement at all. Though if you give it a place to grow and tend it you can get a really nice bounty

Shawn, check your PMs. I sent you one about the Societies--you want chocolate self, creamino, pied, young, not so young?

Wow, didnt know you could do this. Going to give it a try.

Here is a pic of some of my Millet crop from last year. I seem to have good luck with this Large Golden Spray variety in my Minesota garden.



I just took some seeds from the millet I had bought in the store. Then just sowed them in a shallow row in the garden and covered them up lightly. The plant stalks get to be about 3ft tall in my garden. I leave them until a first hard frost then the birds seem to go at them like crazy so I get them out of the garden before all the wild birds get it all...hehe. But I do leave a few stalks there for them.

I will have to try some other varieties and see how they do. It is always fun to try something new!

Good looking millet you grew there Do you ever feed it in the green stage?

Is it the dried up millet seeds that ya'll are using?? Like the millet spray you buy at a petstore already packaged. I thought once it was dry or whatever then it wouldnt grow. I never tried but if that is what ya'll use i should have no problem. Imma try this. I have done very well will mealworms so this should be easy.

Candace....I didn't realize you could feed millet in the green stage until I read it here....I will have to try it next time I grow some and see how my finches like it. I noticed that when it was growing outside in the garden nothing would touch it until it started ripening up and then the wild birds and mice would be nibbling at it.

jamezyboo21....Yes...I just tried planting some of the extra golden millet that was laying in the bottom of the bag that I bought from the pet store and it grew really well!