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most drought resistant crops and strains

21 years ago

What are the most drought resistant food plants and crops ? What are the most resistant strains ?

Where can I get them?

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Comments (10)

Lori_M
21 years ago
My Mortgage Lifter tomatoes had lots of fruit last year when it was very hot and dry. But they didn't set fruit until the nights cooled off to under 70 degrees.

Burpee says their Burpee Eggplant is drought tolerant, as are garbanzo beans.
Corrie
21 years ago
I'm in a dry prairie climate, with a large farm garden, and I rarely water any of it since it's too far from the house for a hose to reach and our well water is very cold and hard anyway. If you think it would be helpful, I could list my favorite seed varieties. I have noticed that many of the new varieties I've tried over the years don't perform nearly as well as my old faithfuls. corrie
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Hmmmm, best and cheap are rarely used together in the same sentence for pretty much everything. Also, what do you mean by "best grass"? Darkest green? Fastest germination? Aggressive spreading? Drought tolerance? Disease resistance? A combination of those attributes? Being in the Philadelphia suburbs you should stick with the cool season grasses, Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG), Turf type Tall Fescue (TTTF) and Perennial Ryegrass (PR). There are a few others but they are specialty grasses that generally aren't used for home lawns unless certain conditions apply. Also, do you know what kind of grass you have now? If you are trying to fill in bare areas with a type of grass that is markedly different than what you have, then those areas will stand out. The best strategy might be overseeding the whole lawn with whatever grass you decide to use, and go heavier on the bare areas. In terms of cost, most grass seeds are similar in cost per square foot, but some a lot of the cheaper bags you find at the big box stores contain mediocre or inferior cultivars that have been around for 20 years. Also you can find weed seeds in those cheaper bags, so saving something like 20 bucks really isn't worth it. As far as which grass to use, well that's a question we could spend a lot of time on discussing. I will try to outline some qualities of each type. PR: Easiest to grow, germinates in a few days (3-6 is typical), establishes fast, most newer cultivars have dark green color with fine blades. It is relatively drought tolerant, but will die if it isn't watered in the conditions we saw last summer. It's a bunch type grass that doesn't spread (although two new spreading varieties have just been released for sale), and usually requires periodic overseeding every few years. Not the most disease resistent in hot humid weather. Pretty wear tolerant. Not very shade tolerant, will look great for a year in shade but then will thin out. TTTF: Germinates slower than PR, but still relatively quick (6-14 days but usually 5-8 days in ideal conditions). Ready for first mow in about a month. Most varieties are medium to dark green, blade width is variable but generally not as fine as PR, medium to wide depending on cultivar. Very drought tolerant but only when mature and if soil allows deep rooting. Can go dormant for a short time but extended drought will kill it. Disease resistence is good in certain cultivars but can be susceptible to brown patch. Good wear tolerance, but also a bunch grass, with limited spreading ability despite the claims of newer spreading cultivars. Most spreading is seen years after initial seeding, and periodic overseedings are often necessary. Best of the three in terms of shade tolerance (can get by with 3 hours of sun a day). KBG: Germination is highly variable but generally takes 2 to 3 weeks except for a few cultivars that are faster (5-10 days). Most are slow to establish, with exceptions. Color ranges from medium green to dark green, with some being dark blue green. Blade width variable, usually medium to fine. Drought tolerance is lower than PR or TTTF, but has the ability to go dormant during drought, survive, and reanimate with regular waterings. Good wear tolerance plus has spreading ability and can fill in bare areas about the size of a large dinner plate in one year. Can have some disease problems, but not as susceptible to brown patch. Shade tolerance is low, not as low as PR, and some cultivars have better shade tolerance than others. Powdery mildew can be a problem in the shade. I hope this helps, and feel free to ask any more questions you might have.
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Pippi21, thee critters are the 4 legged kind, mostly chipmunks, 1 groundhog and the bunnies where a few. nothing has worked to keep them away, the groundhog is famous for climbing my 7 foot chain link fence to get in, and the animal detergent did nothing and liquid fence and urine stuff is a waste of time and money. solved no problems or deter any critter. The groundhog met his demise. he got to close to a nesting family of red tailed hawks (or is that red winged?). either way, when the parent hawks where through with him/her, there was nothing left. My datura metal plants, grown in pots are now big enough to do some good as well as be beautiful. The chipmunks are chewing on the leaves and meeting their demise as well. Since all parts of the plant are fatal to them, and a deadly poison, we are now finding lots of dead chipmunks all over the front lawn. As for being homeless? I don't think so. these critters got their homes and dens underground all over the place. chase them away and down the holes they go. Only to return with a vengence a short time later. I gave up on bulbs years ago. Any planted where eaten within days. Now I have a few clumps of daffodils and crocus that arrived courtesy of some 4 legged critter that stole them from someone else's yard. Fran
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I bought some seeds this year from Native Seed Search in hopes of having some crops. Too early to say yet except for the Punta Banda tomato heavy with fruit. Supposed to be close to indestructible & bear even in extreme heat. Seems to me native seeds grown in the desert for years oughta at least have a better chance.
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growerotl
18 years ago
I am very interested in finding some drought-resistant varieties of fruit and trees to grow in West Texas. We just moved here, and the most prominent native plants are mesquite and creosote bush. Not much rain here. Anyone have any ideas?
farmfreedom
18 years ago
aloe vera or medicine plant , prickly pear cactus (fruit strain ) there is also a Galopagos strain that is taller.
jojoba prized for its oil, will grow in desert conditions.
other possibilities that might work but might not: beach plums (the plums are the size of a nickel and have stones they are a low shrub) , bilboa tree from Africa , eucaliptus from Austrailia, monkey puzzel tree Patagonia ,
peach , almond . the most drought resistant corn is an american Indian strain sold by www.nativeseedsearch.org but i don't remember the strain. read up on deserts around the world and keep us posted on what you find . The most arid desert is in South America Argentina I think .
farmfreedom
18 years ago
Has anyone crossed the tumble weed with anything ? I hear it is a relative of the cabbage . the cabbage was originally a desert plant . how close a relative of cabbage is it ?
mcStargazer
18 years ago
There are a couple of drought resistant crops that I have found in Mother Earth News. One is the Tepary Bean, the other is Amaranth.

You can go to the link that I provided below to read their article on amaranth. Then just use the search engine they provide on that page to find the tepary bean as well.

I have been experimenting with amaranth in the kitchen and I have decided that I want to grow it. However, I've never tried the tepary bean.

Here is a link that might be useful: Amaranth Article in Mother Earth News
ljubilaei
18 years ago
I think this topic is very important inre: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4888946.stm

"World leaders are unlikely to agree a climate change deal limiting the global temperature rise to less than 3C, says the UK government's chief scientist.

Professor David King said that increase would cause drought and famine and threaten millions of lives.

Tony Blair wants a global consensus on stabilising greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change. The government shares the EU's 2C limit.

The US refuses to cut emissions and those of India and China are rising.

A government report based on computer modelling projects a 3C rise would cause:

* a drop worldwide of between 20 and 400 million tonnes in cereal crops
* about 400 million more people at risk of hunger
* between 1,200 and 3,000 million more people at risk of water stress

Prof King says few ecosystems, such as natural forests, could adapt; half of nature reserves would cease to be worthwhile and a fifth of coastal wetlands would be lost."

I think everyone should begin cutting down on their water usage, lobbying their local politicians about this issue, and also begin investing in the types of plants listed above at the very least on a personal garden level.
scotjute Z8
18 years ago
Texas persimmon tree - size/appearance similar to crepe myrtle. Fruit - 1 - 1.5" black similar in taste and texture to a date with seeds. Low-very low water usage, Z7-9.
farmfreedom
17 years ago
You may want to try "Hopi pink corn" (70 days) it does best in all drought tests and is sold by native seeds search of Tucson AZ . You might want to try some and breed some in to your strains.
The carobe tree and sunflowers are drought tolerant .
wrayn2002_yahoo_com
12 years ago
I just ordered some corn native to northern Mexico which I hope will be drought-resistant. It is called Guarijio Red sweet corn. Does anyone know anything about this variety?
So far, my Hopi blue corn is looking nice! I tried some baby blue jade & Ruby Queen, and while the latter got tall & placed a single ear, some of the baby blue jade formed multiple ears. Still, the Hopi corn looks like it will handle drought much better.

Also, does anyone know where baby blue jade corn comes from? I read somewhere that it is a indian or heirloom variety, but no more info than that so far. I like to know about tribe/s & location/s it came from. Thanks.

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