2

Are peanut plants (Arachis hypogaea) suitable as green manure in tropical climates? I have two related concerns:

  1. The lack of winter frost in tropical climates means that peanuts could grow all year round. If I fail to completely remove all nuts when I incorporate the peanut plants into the soil as green manure, I am worried that the nuts may eventually become grow into a plant that would be a nuisance to whatever plants I grow afterwards. Is this a valid concern?

  2. If I do not intend to consume the underground parts of the peanut plant, can I till the entire plant into the soil? In terms of nutrients for the soil, are the underground parts suitable as green manure too? (Also, similar to concern #1 above, I am worried that incorporating the entire plant into soil could cause new peanut plants to germinate and become a weed).

Flux
  • 711
  • 3
  • 8

1 Answers1

2
  1. If growing the peanuts for harvest, you'd be removing the nuts. If you're careless when doing that, you might have to pull a few out as soon as they come up. Peanuts are not bindweed, so that should be all that's needed. Or you could shred the root portions of the plants before tilling them in to destroy the seeds you may have missed.
  2. As with other "green manures" that are grown to be tilled into the soil, till them in before they make viable seeds to prevent them becoming a weed.
Ecnerwal
  • 27,360
  • 26
  • 59