Peanuts were grown by Native Americans long before it was discovered by H. Columbus. The Spanish conquistadors brought him to Europe, after which he gained mass popularity. The name "peanut" is firmly included in everyday life. Is he really that? What is peanuts - is it walnut or bean pods? Let's figure it out, but at the same time we will learn how to grow it in our own garden, because it is quite real.
What is peanuts?
Under this name, a whole genus of legumes is combined, including, according to rough estimates, about 70 species. The origin of the word "peanuts" probably has ancient Greek roots, in translation means "spider" and is associated with a mesh pattern on the fruits. The genus of these plants belongs to the Legume or Moth family , and their fruit, in turn, is called a bean or pod. It is single-nested, the seeds in it are arranged in a row. This is the full answer to the question of whether peanuts are nuts or bean pods. This is definitely a bob. Currently, only one species is known outside of South America - it is cultivated peanuts. The plant is actively cultivated around the world, in America, Asia, Europe. Maximum yields achieved in Israel.
Cultivated peanuts (peanuts): description
This is an annual plant with a height of 25 to 70 centimeters. The root system has a pivotal structure and is quite branched. The peanut stalk is 4-5-faced, pubescent or bare. Lateral branches, depending on the variety, can be erect (bush forms) or creeping. The location of the leaves of the plant is next, the length is different - from 3 to 10 cm. They are paranoid, whole-edge, elongated and pointed. Stipule fused to petiole. The flowers of cultivated peanuts can be yellow-red or white, collected in short inflorescences like brush.
Why is peanut called peanut?
To the argument about what peanuts are nut or bean pods, the answer has already been given. But the question arises, how do they find themselves in the earth, if it is the fruit. Peanuts are an amazing plant, and this fact is proof of this. Flowering lasts only about a day. After fertilization occurs, the process of growth of the gynophor (growth of the receptacle) begins. It gradually lengthens and, together with the ovary, burrows into the soil, where the further development of the bean and its maturation are carried out. Flowering of the plant itself is quite long, begins in June and continues until the fall. One plant can produce up to 40 beans.
Can I grow peanuts in my area?
The question of how to grow peanuts arises from summer residents and gardeners very often, because everyone wants to have something interesting, if not exotic, on their site. Peas are known, loved and grown by many. So peanuts - this is his closest relative, he not only looks like him, but agricultural technology is just as simple. The main requirement is a hot summer. Peanuts are very thermophilic, and if the temperature drops below +15, then the growth practically stops. The decision on the feasibility of its landing should be taken taking into account this factor. If the temperature drop is short-term, then the beds can be completely closed with a special material or film. Growing peanuts in the southern regions is easy and simple, it is also possible in the middle lane, but temporary shelter may be required, in the Urals and Siberia in open ground it is a little difficult only if the summer is very hot, which cannot be guaranteed.
Sometimes peanuts are grown at home, which is also quite acceptable. However, it is worth remembering that you will not get a large crop. Seeds can be purchased at a specialty store or regular peanuts on the market, only it must be in the shell. Choose a pot not very deep, but wide. It is best to use the soil purchased, do not forget to pour a drainage layer on the bottom of the dishes.
Peanut soil
Peanuts are legumes, and they all love light, fertile, and well-drained soils. There should be no stagnation of moisture in the soil. Choose a place for peanuts sunny, it will not grow in the shade, the plant is very sun-loving.
You can plant peanuts when the soil warms up to at least 15 ° (not earlier than the second half of May). On the prepared bed, make holes 10 cm deep, arrange them in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 30-50 cm. Between the rows there should also be a significant space (25-30 cm), since the plants are spreading and have a powerful root system.
Seed preparation
Seeds before planting can be soaked for 12-24 hours, before hatching. Before planting, pour a hole, put two or three nuts in it and sprinkle with earth. Shoots appear quickly enough, and they also grow intensively. In regions where the spring is lingering or cool, peanuts can also be planted. Growing is possible in seedlings. Nuts should also be soaked in water, and then planted to a depth of about 5 cm in small pots (8-10 cm tall). This should be done around the beginning or middle of April.
Watering and fertilizing fertilizer
Peanuts are very sensitive to excess moisture in both soil and air, he does not like this. Therefore, in terms of watering, everything is quite simple. It is enough to slightly moisten the soil once a week, if it rains, then this is not necessary. Adult plants are watered only in the case of a very dry summer, and then only until the ovaries burrow into the soil.
Peanuts respond well to the application of mineral fertilizers. It is best to add them to the soil during the process of digging and setting the beds. Use complex preparations.
Peanut Care
Knowing how to grow peanuts in your summer cottage, you can always get a small crop of nutritious nuts. The culture is very unpretentious and simple in agricultural technology. Care before flowering and fruit formation consists mainly in the timely weeding of the beds from weeds and loosening of the soil.
A distinctive feature of peanuts is that its flower blooms in the morning and withers in the evening, during which time it should be pollinated, only under this condition the fruit is formed. When the ovary gradually drops down and burrows into the soil, you can carry out the first hilling. How this is done, everyone knows who has potatoes growing on the site. The procedure is repeated several times throughout the season as necessary.
Peanut seeds, as well as its young shoots, can become easy prey for birds, therefore, it is recommended at the first time to either cover the plants with a protective net, or install a scarecrow on the garden for repelling.
Harvest
The fact that it is time to harvest peanut fruits will be announced by yellowing and drying leaves and stems of the plant. As a rule, this happens in the fall, in the middle of September. The bush needs to be dug up very carefully, it is best to use a pitchfork for this. The roots do not need to be separated from the stem. Plants are carefully shaken off the ground and dried whole. They need to be suspended or laid out on a dry surface in a well-ventilated, not damp room. Ten days later, you can safely separate the peanuts in the shell from a dry plant. The fruits need to be dried for some time. The shell must finally dry and become thin and brittle. After that, you can extract nuts from it. Under favorable environmental conditions and proper agricultural technology, up to 500 g of fruits can be obtained from one peanut bush.
Having received the answer to the question of whether peanuts are nuts or bean pods, we can safely begin to grow them. Agricultural technology is extremely simple and does not entail much time and effort. But how much joy there will be from a hand-grown crop.