When do you start planting peanuts?

Peanuts are sensitive to temperature, and the suitable planting temperature should be kept within a moderate range. The ideal sowing temperature is about 12°C, while the best temperature range for peanut flowering is between 23°C and 28°C, and the minimum should not be lower than 19°C. Let’s learn and understand together when to start planting peanuts?

When do you start planting peanuts?

Normally, the planting period for peanuts is scheduled from mid-April to early May, which roughly corresponds to the Grain Rain solar term. In the southern region, peanuts can be planted for two seasons as climatic conditions permit. The first season is usually in spring, with sowing taking place around the beginning of spring. As for autumn peanuts, most of them are planted around the Grain in Ear solar term.

Key points for planting peanuts

1. Land preparation

Choose neutral or slightly acidic land with good drainage, loose, deep and sunny soil to grow peanuts. When preparing the land, apply enough fertilizer at one time to meet the needs of the peanuts throughout the entire growth cycle. Apply 2,000 to 3,000 kilograms of farmyard manure and 25 kilograms of phosphate fertilizer per mu of land.

2. Seed treatment

Seed drying: Before sowing, dry the shelled peanut seeds in the sun to enhance the vitality of the seeds and eliminate pathogens. Do it from 10 am to 4 pm in sunny weather and dry it for 1 to 3 days.

Seed dressing: Before sowing, mix 0.3% of carbendazim with the seeds to prevent root diseases. Using 150 to 200 grams of rhizobia per acre mixed with seeds will help speed up the formation of nodules.

Seed soaking and germination: Soak the seeds in warm water at about 35℃ for 2 to 4 hours. If you need to promote germination, place the soaked seeds in an environment of 25 to 30°C for germination.

3. Sowing depth

Sowing depth is crucial to the emergence and vigor of peanuts. Too deep may cause difficulty in peanut germination or form tall seedlings; too shallow may affect seedling growth under drought conditions. The ideal sowing depth is 5 cm. After sowing, cover with 3 cm of fine soil. Avoid using large lumps of soil to avoid affecting germination.

4. Fertilization

Fertilization during the seedling stage: Apply 5 to 15 kg of nitrogen fertilizer per mu depending on the nitrogen requirements of the peanut and the characteristics of the variety. Combine weed control with deep application into the soil, or apply 5,000 kg of farmyard manure and 2.5 to 5 kg of nitrogen fertilizer. 15 to 20 kg of phosphate fertilizer and 50 to 70 kg of wood ash should be applied per mu.

Fertilization during the flowering period: The flowering period is a time when peanuts require a large amount of fertilizer. The fertilization method, type and amount are similar to those during the seedling stage.

Fertilization in the middle and late stages: If the peanuts do not grow well in the early stages and are not fertilized in time, 1 to 1.5 kg of phosphorus fertilizer can be used per mu in the middle and late stages. Soak it in 70 to 100 kg of clean water overnight, filter it, and add 50 to 100 grams of urea for foliar fertilization. You can also use 1 to 2% urea solution for spraying.

5. Cultivation and soil cultivation and clearing of trees

In peanut cultivation, the soil around the seedlings needs to be separated after the seedlings have grown to allow the cotyledon nodes to emerge from the ground. If the cotyledons cannot emerge from the soil, it will affect the normal development of peanuts and lead to reduced yields. Since peanut fruits are formed underground, the fruit needles need darkness and proper mechanical stimulation to develop normally. Therefore, during the flowering period and the needle-forming period, soil needs to be cultivated to promote the formation of fruit needles.

In general, as one of the important oil crops , peanuts are cultivated in a very wide area, generally mainly in spring and summer sowing, and climatic conditions will also cause changes in sowing time.