How does peanuts grow? Cultivation technology will allow everyone to grow peanuts on their site

Peanuts are a thermophilic and moisture-loving culture, so the countries where peanuts grow are located in the subtropical belt, but grow it in temperate climates. Homeland of peanuts is South America, where it came to Europe only 300 years ago. How does peanuts grow? It is known that this herbaceous plant also has shrubby or creeping forms. It belongs to the family of legumes, but differs from its counterparts - beans, soybeans, peas by the fact that it ripens underground, that's why it is called peanut peanut. It looks like a silk cocoon. Contains easily digestible proteins (20-30%) and carbohydrates (up to 36%).

Groundnut peanuts - a valuable food and very popular in Europe, refers to oilseeds. In addition to its use as candied or salted nuts or as an ingredient in confectionery baking, most of the crop is processed into butter. His taste is almost equal to the undisputed leader of vegetable oils - olive. Nutritional niche of peanut butter - preparation of the best in a grade of fish canned food, bakery products, chocolate, margarine. Lower grades of oil are used in soap making for obtaining high-quality soap. Waste after pressing (as well as sunflower) is used for cooking halva and as an excellent protein feed for cattle and poultry. No less valuable for the fattening of livestock is its tops, the nutritional value is not inferior to alfalfa.

Where does peanuts grow? Today it is distributed throughout the world: in America, Asia, Africa. He learned to grow as an annual plant, even in countries where the frost-free period lasts only six months. For it is suitable chernozem medium-loamy soil, which has a good circulation of moisture. The plant is not very fastidious, so you do not risk anything if you try to grow peanuts yourself.

The question of how peanuts grows is also of interest to amateur gardeners. Propagate this culture with seeds (beans). Seeds can be sown early in the spring, after warming the soil to 12 degrees, you can pre-prepare seedlings, which is a more reliable way. The plant requires watering not more often than 2 times a week, but there should be no excess of moisture. Blossom peanuts somewhere in 1,5-2 months. One bush gives up to 40 beans, and the time to harvest is 3-4 months.

The most interesting thing about how peanuts grow is the length of life of their flowers. They live one day - they blossom in the morning, and during the day their pollination should occur, because by the evening they wither. And only a small part of the flowers forms the ovary, which grows, burrowing into the ground, where the fetus develops (those ovaries that remained on the surface do not develop).

For the cultivation of peanuts is very important light and loose soil, hilled for a season at least 2-3 times. The first hilling should be done after the ovaries fall on the soil, somewhere 10 days after flowering. Regularly weed the peanuts until the leaves are closed, and then the plant suppresses the growth of the weeds themselves.

Begin to harvest when the leaves of the plant turn yellow. Full maturation of beans is advisable to check before cleaning. Separation of grain from the shell indicates its maturity. In the land, the overripe peanuts begin to germinate. Peanut harvesting is done in dry weather and is usually excavated with a shovel. Its uprooted bushes should dry out. Fruits are cut off only after the stem completely dries. And then they can be used for their intended purpose!

Knowing how peanuts grow, amateur gardeners who gravitate to mastering the cultivation of new interesting fruit plants, can quite easily join the cultivation of peanuts in their plots.