Field bindweed, ‘the nemesis of every gardener, especially every vegetable gardener’. Courtesy/Summit Garden Club
Summit Garden Club News:
At the Monday, Oct. 2, meeting of Summit Garden Club, Del Jimenez, NMSU assistant professor and extension agent, will speak on bindweed – its identification, growth habits, ability to choke off other plants, and eradication by bindweed gall mites.
He will also discuss removal of Tribulus terrestris, known to all as goat heads.
The meeting is open to the public and no registration is required. The meeting will be held at the White Rock Senior Center, main building, 133 Longview Drive and will begin at 1:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Bindweed gall mites, Aceria malherbae, are microscopic mites imported from Southern Europe. They have been used in New Mexico since 2000 to control bindweed. Jimenez will speak on the mites’ mode of action, exactly how they can be used to control bindweed on small and large plots, and their availability to NM gardeners. Participants can then drive or walk the ½ mile to the WR Community Garden and observe the test plot for bindweed eradication. It has mixed results.
Jimenez is a wealth of information. He has been with NMSU for 28 years. In addition to his formal education, he spent 20 years farming and ranching on a large scale in Venezuela. He has received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, the highest award one can get in this profession.
He has stated, “When you work with big farms, you get a lot of experience. I learned a lot and use that information to go out and help people in little towns to make their lives better by increasing the income they make through a farming or ranching operation. In northern New Mexico, the question is how to make small acreage pay. So, you have to be very creative to find ways to generate good income off of the land.”
To submit specific questions to be addressed by Jimenez, email: summitgardenclub@gmail.com.
