COOPERATIVE EXTENSIONUryvwsity ofArizona and U.8.Oepertmertof AgriciMure oooperating.

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%itARobert E. Call

Extension Agent,Horticulture

the Cochise County Master Gardener

NEWSLEYYER

VOL. 5, NO. 4 APRIL 1994

Bird of Paradise

Caesalpinia giUiesii

Barbara KishbaiighStaff Writer

When living in Globe, Arizona, I used to hike the hills near our homeand crossed a dry creek bed each time I went out. On the outer edges ofthe sandy wash grew open bushes with a sort of delicate appearance. Inspring the bushes developed blossoms with red-orange stamen coming outfrom the center of the yellow flower. The plant is tough and fast growingto 10 feet in height and even when viewed in the natural multiple plantclusters it still gives an open, airy aspect. Planted as a single speciemandraws more attention to the distinctive fem-type leaves and abundantflowers found on each individual plant.

It will be noticed on roadways, although it is now also considered adesert landscaping alternative for homeowners. Caesalpinia pulchenimais the freeway species with the orange-red flowers and thicker leaves.This plant will actually make a desert hedge in a controlled environment.

Since the bird of paradise grows naturally along stream beds which aredry most of the year, it is an indication it prefers being close to a watersource and soil which drains well. Caesalpinia is an adapted nativer plantso it will survive drought conditions, however when watered on amaintained schedule, the plant will appear fuller and the blossomshealthier. Bees and hummingbirds will come tovisit when those delicatelybold blossoms waive in the slightest breeze.

Caesalpinia seedcan be collected andplaced incontainers. Germinationrate is high and transplanting usually successful. It is a legume like manydesertplantsand thereforenitrogen fixing which will be of benefit to otherplants in the growing vicinity.

450 Haskell • Willcox, AZ • 384-35941140 N. Colombo • sierra vista, AZ • 458-1104

SOLAR

PARTK

GREENHOUSES

gmHre VaritaiBaii

Now that it's officially springand beginning to get wann, it'stime to think about how to keepyour greenhouse cool during thehot summer months. Remember, a solar greenhouse is agiant solar collector, and if it'snot shaded in some way, it willkeep collecting heat all summerlong.

If you'vedesigned it properly,facing true south with lots ofsouth glass and minimal glass onthe east and west sides, you'reoff to a good start. If Ae roofoverhangs the south side, you'reeven better off because less

summer sun will enter the win

dows. A properly designedgreenhousewill be ready to facea hot summer with few overheat

ing problems.You'll want lots of light in the

greenhouse, just no direct sunlight. Once sunshine passesthrough glass it changes fromlight energy to heat energy. Theplants inside will still need plenty of indirect light.

You can plant shade trees indie yard to the southeast andsouthwest of the greenhouse.Don't plant evergreens or othersthat don't shed their leaves inwinter or you'll also block winter sun. Plant trees that fill out

with lots of leaves but will dropthem all and pass lots of lightthrough sparse branches in winter.

You can also plant tall flowerssuch as sunflowers along thesouth exterior of the greenhouse.What a perfect way to shade the

glass! They'll grow about sixfeet tall and provide plenty ofsummer shade.

Any fast growing vine wouldalso provide shade. Use a vinethat can be pruned back in thefall but grows quickly in thespring. Or, plant your peas andb^ans along Ae south side. Justdon't plant anything permanentthat will grow tall and shade theglass during the winter.

You can also make removable

shade screens. It's a bit ofwork, and you'll need a place tostore them during the winter, butthey work weU, admitting diffuse light that plants love without admitting direct light.

Whatever method you choose,plan ahead. July is not the timeto think about shading! You'llhave to make shade screens in

April and May or plant vinesand sunflowers in early spring ifyou want your greenhouse toperform well in summer.

A final option is to design agreenhouse that converts into ascreened porch in summer.Most of the glass will need to beremovable (another storage problem) or you'll need to use mainly operable windows. Neither isa good option for winter as alloperable and removable windows leak air. If you choosethis method, be sure to purchasewindows with extremely lowinfiltration or caulk and seal the

panels of glass well in the winter.

APRIL REMINDERS

• Watch out for late frosts• Stake new trees

• Plant cool season veggies{Vegetable Varieties forArizona)

• Fertilize

{Fertilizing Home Gardens in Arizona)

• Prepare for pests—putout codling moth traps

The two pamphlets listed inparenthesis are available in theCooperativeExtensionOfficesinSierra Vista and Willcox, as wellas many other {Kunphlets thatmay be helpful to you.

Kemem\?er\

Informational pamphlets areavailable in the Cooperative

Extension offices.

Staff; Carolyn GruenhagenBarbara KishbaughTJ. Martin

Elizabeth Riordon

Virginia Westphal

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HIQHLtQyrS

Aspromised lastmonth, hereare a few highlights from presentations at theHigh on the Desert Gardening& Landscaping Conference. Those of you who missed this one will definitely want to attend nextyear—^February 16-18!

From David Eppele, Landscaping withSucculents and Cactus

• "Lightenup" — don't worryaboutpronouncing allthoseLatin plantnames, nobodypronounces them the sameanyway!

• No supplemental watering is used at hiscactusgardens at Arizona Cactus and Succulents, Inc.Bisbee.

• Tons of nopalitos (prickly pearpads used inMexican and Southwestern cooking) areimported intothe United States from Mexico each year. Future crop for Arizona?

From Tim Udall, T^s and Techniquesfor the Home Orchardist

• Enlist neighborhood kids to help keep people from stealing your finit.

• Sure fire cure for gophers—get a Bull or King snake!

• To get thebest crop of apples, thin to oneapple forevery 35 leaves.

Susan Corl, The Art ofGrowing and Preserving Local Flowers

• Sheetcomposting (planting immediately in layered compost materials) is a wonderfully easywayto starta garden without having to dig inthe hard, rocky soil.

• Reseed native wildflowersand dry for beautifularrangements.3

Issued in furtherance ofCooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, incooperation with theUnited Slates Department ofAgriculture, JamesA. Christenson, Director,Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture, The University of Arizona and Arizona Countiescooperating. TheUniversity of Arizona College of Agriculture is anequal importunity employer authorized to provide research, educationalinformation andother services only toindividuals and institutions that function without regard tosex, race, religion, color, national origin, age,Vietnam Era Veteran's status, or disability.Theinformation given herein is supplied with theunderstanding that nodiscrimination isintended and noendorsement byCooperative Extensionis implied.Any products, services, ororganizations that arementioned, shown, or indirectly implied inthis publication donotimply endorsement by theUniversity of Arizona.

THE AGENTS CORNER

Robert E. CallHorticulture Agent

QUESTION: How can I rid my property ofgophers? They are making mounds anddestroying some trees and bulbs inmy garden.ANSWER: Pocket gophers are burrowingrodents, so named because they have fur-lined,outer pouches on each cheek that can be turnedinside out to carry food. Pocket gophers are strictherbivores and any animal ^material in their diets appears to^be accidental. These rodents feedon roots, bulbs, corms orrhizomes they encounter whendigging. They can pull vegetationinto their tunnels from downbelow. Theywill also ventureoutof their runs a body length or sointo the open to feed on aboveground plant material. Pocketgophers burrows are a system of tunnels totalingup to 200 yards with densities of 6 to 8 rodentsper acre a high population. The main burrow isgenerally 2 to 3 inches in diameter, depending onthe size of the occupant and is 4 to 18 inchesbeneath the soil surface depending on the soiltype. Lighter textured sandy soils will havedeeper burrows than heavier clay soils. The soilsability to withstand cave-ins determines burrowdepth, although some parts of the burrow may be5 to 6 feet deep. Deeper branches off of the mainburrow are used for nests and food caches.Enlargements along the main burrow are usuallyfeeding and resting stations Nests chambers arelined with dry grass and other plant materials. Aless apparent requirement of burrow depth is theneed Ibr fresh air and exhaled gases to passthrough the soil to and from the gopher's tunnel.Therefore, heavy clay soils or those that arecontinuously wet, diffuse gases poorly and are notsuitable for gophers. The fan shaped mound ofsoil seen on the surface is the excavated soil that ispushed out of the main burrow through a lateralbranch. Pocket gophers are usually solitaiy

except during the breeding season. Gophers have1 or 2 Utters per year and average 3 to 4 babiesper Utter, but 1 to 10 may be bom. Birth isusuaUy from March through June after 18 or 19days of gestation. Predators of pocket gophersthat pursue them underground are weasels,perhaps spotted skunks, and several snakesincluding buU and rattlesnakes. Dogs and catsmay dig or capture themabove ground along vdthother similar vdldUfe.

Control: Exclusion cages may be made by using1/4 to 1/2 inch mesh hardware

cloth which ^e placed in theground and planted into. Plasticnetting placed under newlyplanted seed beds or bare rootplants may slow gophers down.There are no registered chemicalrepellents other than moth baUswhich are ineffective. Also noise

devices and plants reported torepel pocket gophers haveproven to be ineffective. Gopher

traps are effective if a gopherruns into one. Theyare placed in the burrow and should have a wireor twine tied to the trap and an above groundstake so it can be retrieved when a gopher iscaught. Perhaps the best way to rid your gardenis to use toxic baits. These are usuaUy grains thathave be coated with poison. Currently theanticoagulant chlorophacinone formulated with a0.005% active ingredient is available. Thisproduct is placed on grain and then formed intosmall bars which are held together with a waxymaterial. Another poison is zinc phosphide (2%active ingredient) is alsoavailable as a grain bait.

The best way to find the burrow is with apointed steel rod cane that is used by probing thearea a foot or two away from a mound.

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Right way to use runway probe

Remember that the mound is a short lateral tunnel

off of the main burrow where soil is removedfrom the burrow. When a burrow is found, therod will go easily through the soil. Dig down tothe tunnel, locating the burrow hole on each sidesof the hole you dug. Pltu^ some bait in eachburrow hole and cover the baited burrow hole

with a weed or grass so that backfilled soil willnot fall on top of the bait. Fill in the hole andthen knockdown any of the soil mounds within a10 to IS foot radius of where you dug a hole.Come back in a week and see if there are new

mounds and bait those. Over time you will getthe pocket gophers under control.Source: Controlling Pocket Gophers in NewMexico. New Mexico State University ExtensionPublication 400 L-2, pp. 5.

CUTTINGS 'N' CLIPPINGS

• If you received an Easter lily thisyear, enjoy it in your home and after itblooms, remove ^e spent blossoms andplant it in a sunny location in your garden.When the leaves turn brown, cut the plantback. Next spring you will be once againbe able to enjoy the beauty of the Easterlily in your garden.

• Use an old broomstick (minus thebroom) or a dowel rod to make a straightfurrow for planting seeds. Lay it down ontop of prepared soil, push it in about 1/2inch deep, remove, and plant your seeds.

• Lay pieces of old jute-backedcarpet or newspaper between rows ofvegetables to discourage weeds.

• Try tying your tomato plants tostakes with old panty hose to minimizedamage.

DIVIDING MINIATURE ROSES

Carole Cox

Most miniature roses grow on their own rootsinstead of being grafted on to different rootstock.So, while it is not often done, it is usually quiteeasy to increase the number of your plants bydivision just as you would with chiysanAemums,daylilies, ere.

In the spring (it can also be done in the fall),look at the form of your miniature rose. It willmost likely have more than one stem emergingfrom the ground at the base of the plant—oftenthere are several. Sometimes there are even low-growing branches that have lain on the groundand taken root—they root easily from branchesand stems. (The latt^ can be cut off from themain plant, dug from the ground, and rq>lantedseparately—be sure the base and roots are plantedwell underground.)

If you find that your miniature rosebush DOEShave more than one basal stem, dig up the rosebush and cut it apart, making certain that eachnew section of the rosebush will have adequateroots on it.Prune the tops of the newly separated

plants back rather heavily, prune off any brokenroots, and replant just as you would a new miniature rosebush. If each section is planted deeplyenough so that two or more of its branches aregrowing from underground level, these branchesor stems will eventually develop roots, ensuringmore new rosebushes in future years.

COOPCRATIVC EXTENSIONU. S. OEPANTMENT OF AOmCULTURE

TXE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONATUCSON. ARIZONA tSTZI

OTfClAI. BUSlNCStif $OfkifllVAri use %3»

Address correction requested

GARDEN TIP NUMBER 6729

Gary A. Gnienfaagen

•ULKfUTE

POSTAGE A PEES PAIDUSOA

PERMIT NO. OESS

Have you ever been frustrated trying to get the leaves, weeds, or other trash you've raked up into aplastic trash bag? I have. Ifyou leave the bag loose on the ground, it takes six hands to keep it open andhandle the rake at the same time. Ifyou drape it inside agarbage can, the air trapped outside the bag takesup most ofthe space and the first load you drop in pulls the bag into the can. Then, when you finally getthe bag fiill, all of the air has been squeezed out ofthe can and the bag refuses to come out. There arebasically two problems here—how to get rid of the air trapped inside the can (and let it back in againwhen you remove the bag) and how tokeep the top ofthe bag anchored to the rim ofthe can.

I solved the first problem by boring some half-inch diameter holes in the bottom and around the sidesofa plastic garbage can, four in the bottom and four around the sides. At first I was reluctant to"ruin" thecan, but after a second thought, I realized that having the can water tight is more of a problem thanhaving it leak. Now at leastwater won't collect in it if it's left out in the rain.

The second problem was solved with a piece oftwine and a heavy rubber band. I cut the twine to alength that was just short ofthe circumference ofthe can and tied both ends ofit tothe rubber band. NowI can stretch the string over the top edge ofthe can to secure the bag. The rubber bands deteriorate in the