COOPERATIVE EXTENSIONUniversity of Arizona and U.S. Departmentof Agriculture cooperating.

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Robert E. CanExlen^on Agent,Horticuiture

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the Cochise Coyoty Master Gardener

NEWSLETTER

VOL. 4, NO. 2 FEBRUARY 1993

PEANUTS

Barbara KishbaughStaff Writer

This spring try a plant which is easy to grow, tolerates our alkalinesoil, is good to eat. and is fun to share. Peanuts, quite humble andsimple, offer a good return on your gardening investment.

Peanuts can be ordered through seed catalogues and planted in thespring. A loose sandy soil is ideal. Seeds are usually planted 2 inchesdeep and 4 inches apart—rows spaced 2 to 3 feet apart, but plantinginstructions vary according to the peanut variety selected. Peanut plantshave an orderly bushy appearaitce and grow two to three feet high.

When blossoms arrive the process to form the peanut has begun.A small nodule replaces the yellow flower at the end of a tendril whichturns and stretches itself back towards the soil. When the blossomingperiod is over, more soil can be heaped around the base of the plant. Itis in this soil that the peanut develops. Peanuts grow underground likepotatoes and are harvested in a similar manner. Peanut plants should bewatered regularly and thoroughly to assure the good development of thenut.

In the fall the soil is loosened and the whole plant is pulled up.After pulling up the plant, spray it with a water mist to remove loose soilwhich may cling to the shell. The whole plant is dried by hanging inbunches from the leaves or thrown in the bed of an old truck where thesun dries them easily. The peanut is surrounded by a moist shell andrequires drying for two or three weeks before it is easily removed fromthe shell.

The final enjoyment of feeling the snap between your fingers whenyou open the shell, tossing the peanuts towards your mouth, and rolling

450 Haskell • Willcox, AZ • 384-35942500 Fry Blvd • sierra vista, AZ • 458-1104

them around a little before crunching downon them with your teeth culminates the totalgardening experience.

Children love to participate in thegrowing of a peanut crop. The placing ofthe peanut in the soil as a seed may seem abit txld to them. Physically digging andpulling the peanut plant from the earthmakes it all seem fun. Irving the peanutsto dry for a few weeks may teach children todevelop patience since the peanuts are verymoist when taken from the soil and quitedifficult to remove from the shell. The final

reward of eating .stimething fun to open andcrunchy to chew really gives children pleasure:

CANDIED PEANUTS

Ingredients:2 Cups raw peanuts, skin onI Cup sugar1/2 Cup water

Directions;'

Place peanuts, sugar andwater in frying pan. Mix well.Bring to boil and continue to cook,stirring constantly until watercompletely evaporates—about 7minutes. Peanuts will be sugarcoated. Separate » they aren'tclumped together and place in asingle layer on a baking sheet. Bakeat 300° for .30 minutes. Coo! and

then enjoy!—Carolyn Grucnhagen

PRUNING DEMONSTRATIONS; FRUIT

TREE PRUNING FOR MAXIMUM

YIELD

Demonstrations of fruit and nut tree

pruning for maximum yields will take placeat three locations in Cochise County thisyear. These pruning demos will be given byRob Call, U of A Extension Horticulturist.The first is on Tuesday,-February 23 at 2:00pm at Richland Ranchettes near Cochise.This demonstration will be held at 466

Kaibab. From the Richland Store take

Arabian I^ane which is parallel with Highway 191, turn at the third right on to Kaibab. The Sierra Vista demo will be Wed

nesday. February 24 at 10:00 am at 5320South I.aguna Avenue. Drive South onHighway 92, turn right on to Mandan, thenleft on to l^guna Avenue. The last demowill be on March 3, at 2:00 pm at theDouble Adobe RV Park located 3 miles East

of Mike's Steak House on Double Adobe

Road. There is no charge for thesedemonstrations and you are invited to attend.

Clip& Save!!!

Jackie Dillon-Fast

Carolyn GruenhagenBarhara KishbaughTJ\ Martin

Elizabelh Riordon

Virginia WestphalArticles to be published m next month's newsletterroust be received at the Sierra Vista CooperativeExtension Office b> February 24.

THE AGENT'S CORNER

Robert E. Call

Exteasion Agent. Horticulture

QUESTION: There are two weeds thatgrow on my property that produce burrs.One is clover like and the other is a grass.They stick to clothing, blankets and animalflesh including my own! What are they? Ispray them with herbicide but they reappear.How can I control them?

ANSWER: The two plants that are producing burrs in your yard are bur clover,Medica^o hispida Gaertn., and field sand-bur, Cenchrus echinafiis L., which is agrass. Both of these plants are annuals andsometimes short-lived perennials reproducingfrom seeds. Bur clover is a low trailingplant found in lawns, gardens and alongroadways and waste areas. Plants stemweakly, branching from the base andradiating out from a taproot one quarter totwo feet long. Leaves are composed ofthree lobed

clover-like Mnlica^o hispulu Gaertn.leaflets with

toothed

edges andindented

tips. Wherethe leaf

joins thestem there

is a pair ofsmall leaf

like structures. Yellow flowers are pro-duced during early spring and late fall.Seeds are found in spiny pods. The podsare straw colored or brown when mature and

contain several kidney shaped seeds whichare yellowish or tan colored. Bur clovershould not be confused with another weed of

the same genus called black medic, Mcdi-cago lt4pulina L., which is very similar buthas hair, not spines on the seed pods. Bothare natives of eastern Europe and Asia andare cousins of alfalfa. Field sandbur, Cen-

chnts echimitus L., is a warm season grass

A. riaaJ0,

C. FnsiiD.

^Oo

found in dry, sandy, cultivated soils inlawns, roadsides, washes and waste places.

Plants areCenchrus echinatus 1., from eight

inches to

three feet

tall with

shallow

roots which

spreadhorizontallyformingmats. Leaf

blades are

flat, but can be twisted or folded and aretwo to five inches long. Reproduction is byseed or by prostrate stems that root. Bursgrow in spikes one to three inches long andbear 10 to .10 burs each that are a shinystraw yellow that contain two seeds. Eachplant can produce up to 1,000 seeds.Control: These annual weeds arise

primarily from seeds. Cultivation of youngand/or mulching before seeds germinate cancontrol these plants. On non-crop land soilsolarization. using black plastic, can killweed seed. Control with herbicides like

Roundup or 2,4-D is best accomplished onyoung plants. Herbicides or cultivation ofmature plants will not control these weeds inthe long run if seeds are allowed to mature.If seeds are allowed to develop thenchemical controls must applied before seedsgerminate. Bur clover germinates during thecool weather of early spring or fall. Sandbur germinates during the warm weather ofspring or summer. Herbicides that can beapplied before seeds germinate are Gallery,which controls broadleaf weeds like bur

clover or Surflan would be a second but not

as effective choice. Field sand bur growingamong broadleaf plants can be controlledusing Poast or Fusilade. On non-crop landseveral compounds can be used includingStomp, Bueno or other soil sterilants. Someof these compounds are only available topesticide applicators. As with all pesticidesread the label and understand their use.

Source: Arizona Ranch, Farm, and GardenWeeds

SpikcMi

HUMMINGBiRD FEEDERS

Eiizatxfth Riordon

Staff Writer ,

We live in a wonderful hummingbirdarea. The tiny birds can be seen swoopingnear the tops of trees, their distinctivechirpsand humming flight let you know that theyare there. If you want to have a closer andlonger look at them put up feeders.

Most of us begin with one feeder.Then we notice that it has been claimed bya noisy little male who spends his dayproclaiming his territory and chasing awayany other bird that tries to take a sip of hissugar water. We put up another feederfeeling sorry for the other birds and itsimply snowballs from there on. it seemsthat seven feeders are the maximum for mostpeople's yards. Maybe that is because it'shard to find many more than seven places tohang them. (We should have an informalcontest—let us know if you have more thanseven and we will see who is tending themost hummingbird feeders.)

The feeders need to be placed lowenough to be easily cared for but should nothang in pathways. They should not bang onwindows in the wind. Glass feeders should

be hung over soft dirt, turf, or dense foliage.Most feeders are plastic and they come inmany designs, colors, and sizes. If youowna variety of different kinds the birds willchoose a favorite, and you probably won'tbe able to understand why they like that onebest.

Each feeder needs a little bit of red.

Remember that the birds are used to findingliny red flowers in fields and forests ofcompeting colors. One color you don't needis yellow as that will draw bees, wasps, andyellowjackets. Unfortunately, many feederscome with yellow attachments. Check withRamsey Canyon or a wildlife store to see ifthey have replacement red parts. If you

have a choice, buy feeders that hold thesmallest amount of nectar. The sugar watergets rancidquickly during warm weatherandI have never had the birds empty a feederbefore it is time to wash it and replace theliquid. If your feeders are emptied quickly,they may be visited by other animals likewotxlpeckers or nectar feeding bats. Thew(xxlpeckers will probably eventually leaveyou alone. 1 think that they just naturallytry to peck holes in anything that might havefood that they like. The bats are only herefor a short while. They don't carry rabies,are probably a declining species specific tothis area, and need food and protection. Todiscourage the bats, bring the feeders insideduring the evening and night. Rememberthough that the bats pollinate plants that arealso specific to this area.

Mix one part sugar tothree orfour parts waterfor the birds.

Please use only sugar water in yourfeeders. Hummingbirds do not need redcoloring, honey, or any vitamins in thenectar. In fact, it is thought that thoseadditives will actually kill the tiny delicatebirds. Hummingbirds get all the othernutrients that they need from the bulk oftheir diet which is small insects. So, don'tspray those tiny little gnats, don't fog youryard with pesticides and poisonous smokingcandles but put up some more feedersinstead. Bees and wasps are definitely abother. Keeping the feeders clean on theoutside, making sure that there are noleaking cracks, and experimenting withdifferent types of feeders helps. Yellowjacket traps are a help, also. Try to find theinexpensive kind that uses sugar for bait, not

the costly ones that may require dangerous^ y baits. It has been suggested to me to try

putting a bee feeder with very concentratedsugar water—two parts water to one partsugar in a shallow container in the area ofthe feeders. That will draw the bees and

wasps away from the thinner bird nectar.Ants also like the sweet water. Hang thefeeders with thin fishing line to give the antsa smaller bridge. Don't attach feeders towindowsfor walls near areas with a lot ofants. Ifi^ou do. the ants will make a trailright up^e wall. Some feeders have antmoats to. fill with water. Maybe they willwork or maybe the water will be used fordrinking by other types of birds.

Mix one part sugar to three or fourparts water for the birds. Keep everythingthat you use for mixing very clean. Salt willclean the inside of a feeder. If you arecareful, clorox and then lots of rinsing willkill stubborn mold in a feeder. Dishwasher

detergent, again, carefully rinsed out is anefficient cleaner. Do not mix clorox with

any other cleaner. You can see from all thisdiscussion that ease of cleaning is anotherelement to consider when you buy a feeder.If you change the nectar often, simple

rinsing will be enough cleaning on manydays. A big batch of nectar will keep in therefrigerator.

Hummingbird enemies arc seeminglyfew, but neighborhood cats can be aproblem. If you have a cat, deelaw him,and keep a delightful household pet and thenI won't have to be trying to scare him awayfrom my bushes where he stalks the birdswithout his owner's realization. Try to hangyour feeders away from your cat's perches.Blue jays sometimes catch hummingbirds toeat or they will raid their nests. I have onlyseen a jay with a hummingbird in its clawsduring cold weather when the hummingbirdsmay be easier to catch as they sometimes sitin a type of hibernation to survive the cold.Wasps are dangerous to some types ofhummingbirds, but most of our birds can beseen actually poking the wasps and drivingthem away. On other occasions they simplylet the wasp use one side of the feeder whilethey u.se the other.

It may take many days forhummingbirds to regularly begin using yourfeeder. If you want to see the birds oftentry to care for the feeders year around. Lastyear the birds in my yard left the weekbefore Christmas but stayed in myneighbor's yard. Possibly it was warmerthere. We kept the feeders clean and filledand on February 25 they came back, buzzingby my head for a few days before theydrank from the feeders. Now I am lookingforward to a little extra work but a lot of

pleasure having hummingbirds here again.Also, I think I'll pick up a couple morefeeders...

!s.sued in furtherance of Ox^cralivc Extension work, act.c ot May Hand June 30, 1914. in Ci>opcration with the United States Department ofAgriculture. James A. Chrisicnstm, Director, Ct>operative Extension, College of Agriculture, The University of Arizona and Art/ons Countiescooperating. The University of Arizona College of Agriculture is an equal opportunity employer authorized \o provide research, cduc8tu*nalinformation and other services only to individuals and institutions that function withoui regard to sex, race, religion, v*>iiir. national t>ngin, age,Vietnam Era Veteran's status, Of handicapping condition.The information given herein is .suppliedwith the urtderslanding that no discrintinaiion is intended and no endi>rsementhy C4H>peraiive Extensionis implied.Any pnHlucis, services, or tvrgsm/Jiiions that are mentioned, shtmii. or indirectly iinpiied in this publication do not imply endorsement by theUntvcrsilv of Arizona.

• COO#^«ATivt ETrrENStCN

U S OePARTMENT Of AGRICUUTURETHE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

TUCSON ARIZONA 8S7J1

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Address correction requested

MASTER GARDENER CLASS

The new 1993 spring class of MasterGardening convenes on February 24 at 6:00pm at the County Health Building located onFoothills Dr. in Sierra Vista. The threehour class sessions will be held eachWednesday thereafter for 12 weeks. Classsize will be limited to 20 people. Forinformation, please call the University o!Arizona Cooperative Extension office ineither Willcox (384-3594) or Sierra Vista(458-1104).

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FEBRUARY REMINDERS

Winter pruning of treesWater periodicallyCold-moist stratify seedsOrder from seed catalogsPrune rose bushesPlant bare root trees

Prepare spring plantingbeds

Clean & repair dripirrigation systemPlant seeds indoors fortransplanting after last frostdate