North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Dr. Lucky Pittman" <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

Wild turkey hunters across the Southeastern US regularly plant chufa in wildlife food plots, as the turkeys LOVE the tubers.  I’ve never seen the plant ‘escape’ a chufa patch, and usually, you have to re-plant after 2-3 years, because the turkey, deer, and raccoons have eaten them all.  Seems like I recall some sort of nematode that attacked them as well, as they eventually disappear from wildlife foodplots, and the ‘experts’ recommend rotational planting to cut down on accumulation of pathogens.

Funny thing, though, as hard as this plant is to get rid of in a lawn or flowerbed situation, when you’re TRYING to grow them, it’s hard to get it to persist.  Seems like I’ve read somewhere that there’s something about cultivating the soil and sowing ‘seed’ chufas that fosters formation of the tubers, whereas established plants that are not disturbed just seem to develop a root system and few to no tubers.  I’ve looked for the tubers when I’ve found nutsedge/nutgrass growing in flowerbeds (I also see it growing in some areas in my pasture), but I’ve not been able to locate any tubers – and the turkeys sure don’t seem to pay it any attention. 

The tubers are small little fibrous things, about the size of a Spanish peanut – just the individual nut itself;  they kind of taste like coconut to me.

 

Search for ‘chufa wild turkey food plot’ in your choice of search engines – should pull up plenty of hits with info on growing them, as well as sources for ‘seed’ tubers.  Here’s one: http://www.wildlifeseeds.com/info/chufa.html

 

I’d seen some reference to horchata being made from chufa -and the Egyptian/Spanish horchata is - so I was sort of disappointed when I had the opportunity to sample Mexican horchata, which is a rice-based drink; not what I was anticipating…

 

Lucky

 

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of William McNam
Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 2:59 PM
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] CYPERUS ESCULENTUS (CHUFA OR TIGERNUT)

 

 

 

 

Can  anyone share their experience growing Cyperus esculentus?

How large do the tubers get?

What are it's cultural requirements,etc.?

Has there been any breeding/selection work with this taxon?

 

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