Perennial Peanuts in Texas

Climate

• Perennial peanuts thrive in the sandy soils and hot climate found in Texas. Plants tolerate salt spray and can withstand temporary saltwater flooding, making it suitable for areas where salty breezes are common, such as areas near the Gulf of Mexico. In areas where winter frost is common, plants do die down to the ground, but reappear the next spring as long as the rhizomes are not frozen.

Growing Perennial Peanuts

• You can propagate perennial peanuts by seeds, cutting or stolons, with cuttings taking longer to grow than seeds, but seeds being hard to obtain. Stolons are treated as transplants and replanted as soon as possible. Plants thrive in full sun, but tolerate partial afternoon shade. They require an area with well-drained soil and a pH of 5.5 to 7.5. Because plants develop dense growth that can prevent the growth of some of the most persistent weeds, weed control is only necessary until plants become established.

Maintenance

• Once established, perennial peanuts require little maintenance. Plants are resistant to drought, disease and nematodes, which means little time is spent watering them or controlling insects and disease. Because they produce no seeds or nuts for birds and other wildlife to disperse, plants are not invasive. Edging is necessary to keep plants within their boundaries, and mowing to maintain a height of 3 to 4 inches encourages more blooms and creates a more turf-like growth.

Landscape Uses

• Established perennial peanuts have many landscape uses in Texas other than ground cover, such as wildlife forage. You can place them in areas such as banks and slopes to help reduce soil erosion. Perennial peanuts do not climb, so they can act as living mulch around upright-growing plants. Like mulch, the plants can retain moisture, benefit microorganisms and improve soil structure. Like other peanut varieties, perennial peanuts are nitrogen-fixing plants, which means the plant roots contain bacteria that produce nitrogen compounds helping the plant grow and compete with other plants, and returning nitrogen to the soil when the plants die or their leaves fall off and turn to compost.