Operation Trumpet Call pt 9.

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

6. Planting: Plant after good rains in November, preferably before 25 November. (Two and a half bags of grain per hectare are lost for every day you plant after 25 November – so plant on time), plant your seed within 2 days of soaking rainfall, your seeds should be planted at a depth, which is the same as the length of a matchbox, place 3 seeds in each hole. These will ultimately be thinned to 2 per hole, which will give a plant population of 44,000 plants per hectare, plant in a straight line across the row. Cover your seeds carefully with soil until it is level with the surrounding soil surface (no clods or stones over the seeds).The should be no mulch in the soil, which is used to cover the seed – full soil to seed contact is vital for seed germination. Cover as much of the field as you possibly can with mulch.

7. Weed Control – Three Vital Principles: Hoe the weeds when they are very small. Make sure you have a good crop canopy (roof) that shades out the weeds. This is achieved by having high standards and precision of planting holes, seed placement and covering resulting in eveness of growth and a full plant population. Keep weed free throughout the year, especially at the end of the harvest! Hoe just below the surface. Cut off the roots – except for creeping grasses which must be sprayed or carried out to effectively eradicate them.

8. Thinning: Thin to an average of two plants per hole. This is very important! Thin the weakest plant or middle plant if three emerge. Leave three in the hole where one emerges on the previous hole so that there is an average of two per hole.

9. Top Dressing Fertiliser (If available): Apply a minimum of 5ml of AN fertilizer (or 200ml chicken manure) per planting station about two weeks after emergence when the plants are about 20cm tall. If you are able, apply a second dose of the same amounts just before the maize tassles. Place the dressing a minimum of 5cm from the stem base on the slope side of the plants. Place it equidistant from each plant in the planting station.