Pinto Peanut

One of the biggest challenges of reforestation, which you know if you’ve read other pages on this website, is GRASS.

Grass is an extremely competitive plant that steals nutrients, water, space, sunlight, and energy from the other innocent plants around it who just want to grow up like normal plants and trees.

The two most effective ways to battle this vegetative demon and other noxious weeds are by creating shade and establishing a ground cover.

In the tropics, one of the most effective ground cover crops is Arachis pintoi, commonly known as pinto peanut or perennial peanut. This fast-growing leguminous creeper is a best friend of the fruiterrarist and anyone restoring a grassland into forest or battling grass and weeds.

Easily propagated by planting cuttings, this beautiful plant generates runners that continually set new roots into the soil forming a thick, dense, interwoven mat, making it difficult for grass or other weeds to find root space or make their way through the shade.

Pinto peanut not only creates an attractive carpet of vibrant green vegetation and brilliant yellow flowers that attract pollinators, it also fixes nitrogen in the soil.

It spreads out in every direction, chokes out the grass, and as it develops around the bases of the fruit trees, it supercharges their roots with nitrogen so that they can grow and bear fruit faster.

It usually grows between 20-30cm thick and has a soft, cool texture. It never grows to the height of most grasses or other weeds, it doesn’t cut you when you walk through it, and it protects the soil from erosion and moisture loss.

It can take a few weeks or even a few months to establish itself depending on the root mass of the cuttings, the quality of the soil, amount of mulching, and moisture after planting, but once it’s established it spreads continuously and wages war on the grass and weeds.

Pinto peanut is the most important plant for us at Finca Del Soul and Badass Fruiterrarist Land. Without it we would be forever fighting the vicious never-ending demon grass of doom. But with it we can save some of our machete skills for other tasks, and the risk of the fruit trees being swallowed up by the demon grass is reduced with each pinto peanut cutting that we plant.

How to Plant It

Pinto peanut is easily propagated from cuttings. The most viable planting material is that which grows into mud or damp leaf litter on top of an impenetrable surface such as the gutter at the side of a paved road, but any plants growing in loose soil will suffice. We can simply cut or remove part of the existing plant, preferably with many roots, and set it in the soil where we would like it to grow.

It helps to loosen the soil with a machete or hand shovel where it will be planted so that it can establish its roots more easily. It should be planted horizontally along the ground, covering as much of the stem as possible with soil but allowing the existing leaves to be exposed if planted during cooler, cloudier, or rainy time. If planting during a hotter or drier time, it can help to bury some or most of the leaves to reduce transpiration.

It will grow in every direction, but initially more towards the sun. It is usually most efficient to plant the length of the stem perpendicular to the direction we want it to grow, so that the many leaves can begin their outward expansion.

It’s also very helpful to water it right after planting, and mulch lightly with dry grass or leaves to protect it from the sun. During the first week or two it’s a good idea to keep it well watered so it can establish its roots, and after a few weeks or possibly a few months it should begin extending out and creating the ground cover that we are seeking.

Where to Plant It

Pinto peanut can be planted almost anywhere, but will do best in a loose soil that drains well but retains moisture. One of the best places to plant it is under the drip line of an existing tree to provide shade for the young pinto peanut and to create a protective skirt that can help to fend off evil grasses of doom or any other noxious plants that want to compete with our desired trees.

Maintenance

Pinto peanut doesn’t require much long-term maintenance, but it can be helpful to give it some support to get it going. It is very beneficial to remove any competing vegetation in front of where it will grow so that it can establish its roots and outcompete new plants trying to grow back.

Some grass and other weeds will grow through as it is first establishing itself, although they will be significantly reduced from their pre-pinto peanut amounts. They can usually be removed fairly easily, and as the pinto peanut grows thicker and stronger, less and less will grow through.

Once it has established itself significantly, it is helpful to occasionally cut it back with a machete or scythe so that it releases nitrogen into the soil and mulches the ground under it.

A Final Note on Succession

Every plant in the fruit forest has its role to play. For pinto peanut, that role is grass control. In the early years of the forest, the young trees require shelter from the monocotyledonous menace, and their growth is greatly aided by an ample supply of nitrogen. Pinto peanut is therefore of the utmost importance in this early stage, when the grass remains a clear and present danger, while the trees are still establishing themselves, the canopy yet to close.

However, we must respect the natural succession process of the forest. We must accept that there may come a time when the forest has no further need of some of its early pioneers. In some fruit forests, the dense shade and aggressive surface roots of the mature trees will suffice to protect the forest from grass, their fallen leaves a self-replenishing mulch, the leguminous among them recycling nitrogen in perpetuity. We must not fear success. In such a scenario, we may find ourselves gratefully bidding farewell to our dear friend, its struggles victorious, its enemies shaded out. Thank you, pinto peanut, for a job well done. On behalf of all who plant trees, thank you.