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Post by Tucson Grower on Feb 24, 2023 19:00:28 GMT -6
Update: Good news, I had replanted; 'Shronce's Deep Black', 'Tennessee Red' and 'Virginia jumbo'. This time only 10 of each, in cell packs and with bottom heat at 77F. That was on 20 Feb (4 days ago). Yaah, two of the 'Tennessee Red' are beginning to emerge.
Now, if I can only get the feral cats to quit using my new peanut planting areas as their litter boxes - then, maybe I can plant them out in another month, or so. I mean, there's nothing but sand for scores of miles in any direction, the property immediately to the East of me has been vacant for at least the past 20 years, yet these cats need my yard, and my peanut beds for their business?
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Post by amyinowasso on Feb 25, 2023 9:34:44 GMT -6
Get some plastic forks to stick in the ground tines up in your peanut beds. The alternative is a motion activated sprinkler (Amazon has them). Wildlife just thinks they own the world, don't they?
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Post by Tucson Grower on Feb 26, 2023 13:50:48 GMT -6
I'm planning on trying the plastic fork trick. I'll get some on my next trip into town.
BTW, since I bumped the heat mat temp from 77F to 80F, a few days ago, I now have some germination of 'Tennessee Red' and 'Scronce's Black', still none on the 'Virginia Jumbo'. Apparently peanuts really like it, hot. I'm hoping they like to grow in our summer heat.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Feb 27, 2023 19:47:38 GMT -6
I've read that peanuts like it best between 86° to 93° I know they really do well here when the nights here get nasty hot and humid in late June, and early July.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Mar 1, 2023 6:41:00 GMT -6
Thanks heavyhitterokra, peanuts sound like my kinda crop.
Only two, so far have germinated by sticking their radicle (root) straight up and into the air. The first one to do this, caught me off guard, and it was too late by the time I noticed. Hopefully, the second one, which I just spotted, then flipped it, placing the radicle back down into the media, will survive.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Mar 3, 2023 20:38:17 GMT -6
Tucson,
Sometimes my okra does tricks like that. If the seed leaves get stuck to the soil they will lift their root out of the ground and do a deadly handstand. I've never seen any other plant do that before. I'll bet peanuts and other legumes would be a good candidate for that though, being how their leaves are so wide.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Mar 13, 2023 11:32:28 GMT -6
Well, I now have 6 to 8 seedling of the black and red peanut varieties, growing in cell packs. They've been hardening off, outside, at the top of the wheelchair ramp for several weeks now. None of the Virginia Jumbo have germinated. And, while I was planting sunflowers (which is adjacent to the peanut beds), I did notice that one, Tennessee red peanut plant is now growing from my earlier attempts to direct sow them - woo hoo.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Mar 13, 2023 22:08:53 GMT -6
Since I only seem able to produce half the number of peanut seedlings I had prepared my beds to contain, and since the plastic forks have been successful at keeping the cats away - I'm wondering what I can use one and 2 half peanut beds to grow, until I have enough good seed to plant them fully in subsequent years.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Mar 15, 2023 4:13:53 GMT -6
I’m trying to think of something, but I’m stumped on your climate. MY lazy go-to are root crops. Radishes on the short end and carrots on the long but I dunno how carrots would do in your high temps. Next would be beans - bush green beans in cool weather (I like how they look!) and cowpeas in hot weather.
flowes are always a good idea. I bet you could direct sow some lazy flowers like zinnias, more sunflower or cosmos.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Mar 16, 2023 11:57:02 GMT -6
I'm leaning towards the cosmos, I have several shades of purple whose seeds I've just sprouted.
Update on peanuts; looking at the lone peanut plant that sprouted in my center (Tennessee Red) bed. It was growing right up against the edge of the bed and looked like it might not have gotten a sufficient dose of inoculant, so I decided to move it to the East end of the bed, so I first stuck my trowel where I planned to move it - guess what - as soon as I pulled a trowel full of soil from the new hole, the back side of the trowel moved a fist-sized spot of soil, and behold, apparently growing subterraneously, was one of my missing peanut plants, 4 or 5 times larger than the one that had emerged. I gave it a dose of inoculant, then recovered its roots (but left its leaves uncovered). I then made a different hole to relocate the smaller emerged plant. I wonder if there are other subterranean peanut plants, which may emerge, later.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Mar 16, 2023 13:56:47 GMT -6
Tucson,
Your peanut sounds like my Fall-planted garlic. Who knows how many times in my life I've planted garlic bulbs, then forgot where I planted them, only to dig them up later while planting something else.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Mar 19, 2023 11:59:38 GMT -6
Update: I just remembered, I have a packet of 2021 season peanut seed (Wild jungle type). I will try it in my Virginia Jumbo bed, hopefully some of them are still viable.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Mar 20, 2023 10:48:14 GMT -6
And, this morning, as I was watering the peanut beds with a garden hose, I noticed a spot in the Tennessee Red bed, that looked like it might be another subterranean peanut plant, so I watered to move the soil a little, and behold another peanut plant sees daylight.
These have been in the ground for more than 2 months.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Mar 22, 2023 21:05:02 GMT -6
And again, this morning, another sprout in the 'Tennessee Red' bed, and, this time a first sprout in the 'Shronce's Deep Black' bed. Wow, these peanut sprouts sure like to take a long time to emerge.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Mar 25, 2023 14:33:29 GMT -6
This morning, I was planting things out. As I was doing so another sprout in the 'Shronce's Deep Black' bed appeared from beneath the earth and another in the 'Tennessee Red' bed. Wow, these peanut sprouts really do take a long time to emerge.
It seems those 2 beds are surprisingly almost max'd out. After sowing I took the time to examine the ungerminated 'Virginia Jumbo' seed. None had rotted, 2 had started growing their radicle, one's radicle was more than 1/4 inch long. None showed any development in their embryo's.
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