Metric Rates for Peanut Planting

Preparing the Bed

• The soil in the planting bed should be aerated and fluffy. Spade the soil 30 cm deep, placing the removed soil in a wheelbarrow and breaking up any large clumps of soil with the spade. Shovel a 7.6-cm layer of sand and the same amount of compost or manure into the soil in the wheelbarrow. Add 113 grams of 8-8-8 fertilizer, for every 3 meters of row, onto the bed. Since the fertilizer needs to be beneath the peanuts, shovel the amended soil in the wheelbarrow over the fertilizer. Water the bed to a depth of 15 cm and wait one week, to allow the bed to settle, before planting the peanuts.

Planting

• To avoid problems with your peanut crop, purchase certified disease-free peanut seeds. Wait until the soil warms to at least 18.3 degrees Celsius to plant. The suggested metric rate for peanut planting is 2.26 kg per 0.404 hectares, with seeds planted 25.4 mm deep in rows 10 to 15 cm apart. Water the bed until the top 15 cm of soil is moist. Ensure the soil remains just barely moist while the peanuts grow.

Care

• When the peanut plant flowers, apply 230 g of gypsum for each 3 meters of row. While the plant is in flower it is crucial the soil does not dry out. Water the peanut plant once a week, to a depth of 20 cm. Cultivate the soil for weeds carefully. Hand pulling small weeds is the ideal method so you don't disturb the peanut plant's roots.

Considerations

• There are several peanut predators to watch for. Small yellow and brown bugs that congregate in the peanut's flowers may be thrips. Yellow-tipped foliage is a symptom of a leafhopper infestation. Holes in the peanut plant's foliage are a sign that chewing pests, such as caterpillars, armyworms or earworms, infest the plant. Consult with your county's cooperative extension agent at the first sign of pests. He will help you determine what is bothering the peanut plant and how to manage it.