Geeked…utterly geeked is the only way to describe it…the sub-topical grass zea diploperennis in the perennial garden project reaffirms its perennial nature by returning for a third season on campus…this past winter wasn’t as mild as the previous one and I had serious doubt about the grass pulling through even though I had mulched it even more heavily than in the autumn of 2011…four shoots up from two of the clumps and that means there will be more on the way…still two inert clumps out there and my hopes are for a bumper crop since there are four plants up from seed I planted last month…more as it comes up.
Amazing that this tropical teosinte can withstand the winters in the temperate zone. Has it ever been developed as a fodder crop, even in the tropics? SInce it is a "zea" one would think it would have a high leaf protein content.
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outside seed accessions acquired for research this perennial strain seems confined to Mexico where it is grown on the edges of maize fields because traditional farmers say it makes their maize "stronger"...gene flow? this stand made it through an even more brutal winter this year...but only just...one lonely stalk so far. the garden is being retired at the end of the season so mo more teosinte here....i still have some seed and will attempt to establish some elsewhere.
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