Foundations for Farming – Formerly Farming God’s Way
Revelation to Feed A Nation
Brian Oldreive
Foundations for a Successful Crop:
Step by step procedure for growing maize
1. Tools Required: hoe, 5ml, 8ml & 12ml cups or 450ml tin can for manure or compost, 75cm measuring stick, measuring string with markers spaced every 60cm, fertilizer or manure or compost, seed.
2. Land Preparation: do not burn, stump and clear by chopping the plants off at the roots, do not plough, keep weed free.
3. Preparing Planting Stations: plant across the slope, hole out 75cm x 60cm, dig holes a hoe width wide and 8cm deep for fertilizer or 15cm deep for manure, place soil heap on downslope side, complete by at least three weeks before expected beginning of the rains i.e. by end of October in Zimbabwe.
4. Liming: (Optional) This is necessary if you have acidic soils, try to get a soil analysis done if you can, the amount of lime necessary will be according to your soil analysis, but 10ml should be a good general amount, place lime evenly across the base of the hole.
5. Fertilisation: The amount of fertilizer you use will be based on your yield targets and your available resources, ensure that your fertilizer or manure is available by the end of October to apply before the rains, if you are going to use inorganic fertilizers, apply a 12ml cup of maize compound fertilizer to each hole, if you are going to use manure, compost or ant heap apply a 450ml tin full, place it evemly across the bottom of your hole, cover the fertilizer slightly until you have your required seed planting depth in your hole and wait for the rains.
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