Drought - tolerant and heat - resistant pigeon pea are an easy - to - grow staple food , and they attract pollinators too .
A top ingredient in African , Asian , and Latin American culinary art , pigeon peas(Cajanus cajan)are comfortable - to - spring up plants that can stretch up to 12 pes tall when kept as perennials . However , as solid food crops , pigeon peas aremostly grown as annuals , and they ’re prized for their heat margin , which keeps them productive in summer , long after other pea plants have fleet .
Pigeon pea can beused just like corn , and they are commonly easy to grow andrequire less waterand plant food . Rich in protein and amino acids , pigeon pea plant can be used saucy or dried , and they have a abstruse , nutty flavor that ’s resistless in stews , rice dishes , and more .
Credit:lynnebeclu / Getty Images
lynnebeclu / Getty Images
Gardeners commonly grow pigeon pea plant as a food crop , but these flora also make exceptional animal fodder , and their brilliant , halcyon - yellow flowers attract native bees . Like other legumes , pigeon peas addnitrogen to the soil , and they can give away up compact stain with their retentive water faucet roots .
Where to Plant Pigeon Peas
Pigeon peas are n’t picky plant , and they can rise in a orbit of soil types , including loam , clay , or sand , but one affair all pigeon pea plant call for is mickle of sun . When selecting a location to rise pigeon pea plant , choose an area of your garden that receives at least 6 - 8 hour of full sun day by day . Garden layer should spacious enough to allow your plants to scatter out . While pigeon peas can be planted in rows in veggie gardens , you could also embed pigeon peas in ornamental bed to shelter lower - growing plants from wind and burnished light . Pigeon peas are also striking pollinator plant , make them awelcome increase to pollinator gardens .
These plant are n’t stale - stout , so they are typically grown as annuals , but they can produce as perennials inUSDA Zones 9 - 12 .
How and When to Plant Pigeon Peas
Pigeon peas are slow - growing plants that call for 120 to 140 days to grow sufficiently to produce pods . While direct sowing is usually recommend , if you live in an area with a short develop season , you may need to start pigeon peas indoors in spring to ensure they have enough clock time to mature before autumn . When unmediated sowing pigeon pea in the garden , plant seeds 3 to 4 in aside in rows space 40 inches from each other , and inter the seeds about 3/4 to 1 column inch mystifying . Alternatively , you’re able to plant three or four pigeon pea plant seeds together in hills spaced 4 to 5 feet aside . After pigeon peas sprout their first solidifying of true leaves , thin the seedlings out so they ’re 1 foot aside or 3 feet asunder if you are growing the plants as perennials . To extend the growing season , start pigeon pea seed indoorsseveral weeks before thelast frost date in natural spring . For best results , start the ejaculate in pot soil . Use peat pots , which can be planted in the garden along with your seedling . The tummy protect the seedlings ’ tender roots at planting time and help keep transplanting cushion .
Pigeon Pea Care Tips
Drought - tolerant and heat - tolerant pigeon pea plant life can flourish in summer , and most varieties are sufficiently salt - resistant togrow in coastal spots . While these plants are generally resistant to pests , young pigeon peas can be outcompeted by dope , so it ’s important toweed the garden frequentlyto keep the plants growing strong .
Light
Pigeon peas arefull - sunshine plants , and they require at least 6 - 8 hours of promising light daily to flower and produce pods .
Soil and Water
Pigeon pea can grow in a range ofwell - drain soiltypes , but they do best whenpH levelsare between 5.0 and 8.0 . While these plants can grow indense , clay - heavy garden , they ’ll do better if you mix compost or aged manure into the top few inches of soil before plant .
Pigeon peas are drought - tolerant plant , and they may not need any supplemental water after they are establish in your garden . However , while pigeon pea plant flora are still unseasoned , theybenefit from deep and regular tearing .
Temperature and Humidity
Pigeon pea are not frost - hardy , but they manage the estrus like champ . Although pigeon pea stay productive throughout the warmer month , they uprise well in hot , humid environments when temperatures are between 64 ° F and 100 ° F .
Fertilizer
Because pigeon peas can touch on their own atomic number 7 in the soil , they usually do n’t need any extra fertilizer . In fact , if pigeon pea get too much fertilizer , they produce leaf or else of seedpod .
Pruning
Pigeon peas do n’t require to be pruned , but you could rationalise the plants to reshape them or increase flow of air . Pruning can also make works more fertile , but do n’t skip away more than 1/3 of the plant at a time , and only bring down about 4 to 5 inch aside from the last ends of pea plant branches and stems .
Harvesting
you’re able to harvest pigeon peas either fresh or dried , look on your perceptiveness . Pea pods should start to prepare several weeks after the plants begin to flower . To harvestfresh pigeon peas , top the pod out from the plant life ’s stem when the pods begin to fill out and are a bright green colour . When harvest , you may desire to expend scissor grip to avoid damage the industrial plant ’s root word . Fordried peas , allow the fuel pod to dry out on the flora , remove them separately , and allow them to finish drying indoors . you’re able to also remove the entire plant from your garden and hang it upside down in a cool , dry place until the pods are teetotal and you’re able to hear peas rattling inside them .
Pests and Problems
Pigeon peas are intrepid plants that are resistant to many pests and disease , with a few exceptions . Here are some of the most usual issues you may encounter when develop pigeon peas .
Deercan do a set of damage in gardens and devour gobs of vegetable works , including pigeon peas . When deer intrude on , they can gobble up integral plants , slip leaves from branches , and trample pea plants underfoot . argue that ’s at least 8 feet tall is the near option for keep deer in gardens , but you may also practice other remedies , likecompanion plantingor predator urine sprays .
Volesare small , burrowing mammalsthat look a lot like mice , but they can do pregnant damage to plant radical . If you have vole in your railway yard , you may require to develop pigeon pea in flock or get bags to prevent depredation . you’re able to also install ironware material beneath raise beds , which will keep voles from tunnel into your garden .
Armywormsare thecaterpillars of certain moths , and they love crunch on plant folio . Armyworms can riddle plants with holes or skeletonize leaves altogether . Companion planting can facilitate foreclose armyworm from invading , while existent infestations can be treated with Thuricide BT , which is approved for constituent garden issue .
How to Propagate Pigeon Peas
Pigeon pea plant plants are best propagated by seed . To harvest seeds from live pigeon pea plant , permit the pods dry on the plant until they start to liberate the seed , and then skip the pod from the plant . Whether you leave the seed in the dry pods or remove them , they still need to dry for an extra two weeks . Store the come ( or the pods with seeded player ) in a meth jar with a tight - fitting lid in a icebox or another cool , dry , unheated surface area such as a cellar . In the spring , direct seed the seed in a prepared garden bed or set off them indoors in peat batch for transplanting later .
Types of Pigeon Peas
More than 80 varieties of pigeon pea are available in Asia , Africa , and Latin America , but only a few are usable in the U.S.
Bicolor Fuerte
Cajanus cajan’Bicolor Fuerte ' produces more and larger pea plant pods than most other pigeon pea plant varieties and is consider the most productive and strongest of the pigeon pea institute in the U.S. It is large-minded of heat and drouth but does n’t stick out frost or saline territory .
Flavus
Cajanus cajan ' Flavus ' is an other maturing variety . It is relatively short with yellow flower petal and green pod that lighten as they ripen . Each pod hold three seeds .
Amarillo
Cajanus cajan ' Amarillo ' is a 24-hour interval - inert cultivar , so it is n’t sensible to day distance . evolve in Florida , ' Amarillo ' can be sown and reap year - round in Zones 10 - 12 .
Frequently Asked Questions
Pigeon pea are more heat - large-minded than received trounce peas and have more or less different growing necessity . When cooked , pigeon peas have a higher starch subject than standard pea plant but are n’t quite as gratifying .
novel pigeon pea can be eaten naked as a jaybird in salad or as an on - the - go garden collation . However , once pigeon peas start to dry out , they should be overcharge and cooked before eating .
