About This Plant
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a warm-season annual legume in the Fabaceae family, unique among crops for developing its fruit underground. After pollination, flower stalks called pegs curve downward and penetrate the soil where pods mature. Native to South America, peanuts thrive in loose, sandy, well-drained soils with full sun. They fix atmospheric nitrogen through symbiosis with Bradyrhizobium bacteria via a distinctive crack-entry root invasion mechanism. Four main market types exist: Valencia (fastest, 95-120 days), Spanish (120 days), Runner (130-150 days), and Virginia (130-150 days). Requires 120-150 frost-free days and soil temperatures above 18°C for germination.
How to Grow Peanut
Learn how to grow Peanut from seed to harvest in 140 days. Intermediate difficulty. Complete nutrient guide, pH/EC requirements, and growing conditions for hydroponics, soil & greenhouse.
Sources cited: 33.
Nutrient Requirements by Growth Stage
Peanut has a unique nutritional profile driven by nitrogen fixation and geocarpic fruiting. In soil with Bradyrhizobium inoculant, 60-66% of nitrogen comes from biological fixation and supplemental N is unnecessary…
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Growing Environments
Peanut is viable in all four growing environments. Outdoors, it is commercially cultivated in tropical and subtropical zones between 40°N and 40°S latitude, requiring a long warm frost-free season…
Temperature
Peanut is a warm-season crop demanding consistent heat throughout its 120-160 day cycle. Soil temperature must reach 18°C for germination, with the optimum at 29-30°C. Growth ceases below 15°C and is inhibited above 35°C. NASA NFT studies used a 28/22°C day/night regime as the productive standard. The best commercial yields occur at monthly means of 22-27°C. Speed breeding programs maintained 28-32°C daytime with a 20°C minimum. For controlled-environment production, target 25-30°C daytime and 20-22°C nighttime. Peanut is frost-sensitive — even brief near-freezing exposure is lethal. CO2 enrichment to 800 ppm increased seed yield by 33%, though this benefit diminishes above 35°C.
Humidity
Peanut benefits from moderately high humidity. NASA NFT research demonstrated that 85% RH significantly outperformed 50% RH, producing greater leaf area, higher stomatal conductance, earlier flowering by three days, and increased pod yield…
Light
Peanut requires high light intensity and responds strongly to photoperiod for reproductive development. NASA studies used 500 µmol/m²/s PPFD with a 12-hour photoperiod as the standard…
Airflow
Provide gentle, continuous canopy airflow to manage the high humidity (65-85% RH) that peanut prefers. Target 0.3-0.8 m/s air movement at canopy level to prevent condensation on foliage, reduce foliar disease risk from leaf spot and southern blight, and ensure adequate CO2 mixing…
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Hydroponic System Compatibility
Peanut's geocarpy — underground pod formation via pegs — fundamentally constrains hydroponic system choice. DWC is directly verified: NASA research used slotted tray covers allowing pegs to reach the dark root zone, achieving 350 g/m² dry seed mass…
Growing Media
Growing media selection for peanut is dominated by the peg penetration requirement. Media must be soft, loose, and penetrable so that delicate gynophores can push through to form pods underground…
Container Specs
Containers must be at least 45 cm (18 inches) wide and 30 cm (12 inches) deep to allow pegs to penetrate the growing medium and pods to develop underground. A 19-liter (5-gallon) container yields approximately 30-50 pods per plant…
Training & Support
Peanuts are low-growing bushes (30-50 cm) that require no trellis, staking, or structural support. The single most important cultivation technique is hilling: when plants reach approximately 30 cm tall, mound 15 cm of loose soil or media around the plant base…
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Propagation
Peanuts are propagated exclusively by seed. Remove kernels from shells carefully, preserving the thin colored testa, and pre-soak for 12 hours in warm water to accelerate germination…
Harvesting
Peanuts mature 120-160 days after planting depending on variety: Valencia 120-130 days, Spanish 90-130, Virginia 120-150, and Runner 125-165. Maturity is assessed by hull scraping — when the inner pod mesocarp shows 70-80% dark brown to black coloration, pods are ready…
Planting Calendar
In temperate Northern Hemisphere climates (USDA zones 7-10), direct sow peanuts outdoors 3-4 weeks after last frost when soil temperature reaches at least 18°C, typically April through June. In northern regions with shorter seasons, start seeds indoors 5-8 weeks before last frost in large peat pots — peanuts dislike…
Common Issues
Peanut faces ten documented pests and diseases across five categories. Early and late leaf spots (Passalora arachidicola, Notholopassalora personata) are the most common foliar diseases, managed with fungicide programs starting 35-55 days after planting…
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