| Lad preparation: |
Week 1: Land Preparation
- Remove all perennial weeds and any other obstacle from your field. The result should be a field that is ready for ploughing or use spraying of herbicides to kill the weeds i.e. Glyphosate, Weedmaster, or Roundup.
Don't burn the bushes because burning exposes the soil to erosion and also causes loss of nutrients.
Week 2: First Ploughing and Germination Test
- This is done before the onset of rains to turn plant material into organic manure while also breaking the soil to allow more water to enter. This process also increases the amount of air available in the soil.
Depending on the resources available, the farmer can use a hand hoe, an ox plough or a tractor with a plough.
N.B: A germination test should be carried out during this period to ensure that seeds are capable of germinating.
It should also be of high germination percentage, not less than 85% in 2 weeks. Contact agro-dealers and seed producers for quality seed.
Week 3: Second Ploughing and Harrowing
Harrowing helps in achieving a finer tilth.
Remove any trash and other obstacles which can hinder seed germination.
Week 4-5: Application of Manure and Planting.
Farmers are encouraged to apply organic fertilizer to improve the soil fertility.
This will result in higher yields.
- Mix seed with soil/ manure in a ratio of 1:4 (1 quantity of seed to 4 quantities of soil/ manure) before planting to avoid congestion and seed wastage.
Note: Inorganic fertilizers e.g Urea, NPK can also be used but only after advice from your agriculture extension worker or agro-dealer. |