A client once ask me to tell him or prove to him why he should buy my sucker. A sure lot of NL viewing my post will be asking themselves why I do I have to buy my sucker from ken farm.

kenfarm sells hybrid suckers known as Giant Elephant. Our sucker was genetically replicated from a special hybrid from IITA. Even as our sucker is pest resistant we treat using insecticide shortly before planting.

Am obliging all our esteem client who has purchase our sucker to encourage your fellow farmer to patronise us.

..... together we can eradicate poverty, food insecurity and created job

Dear kenfarm followers, pic below is a visit to a customer farm to collect soil sample for analysis.

The farm owner intend planting two heavy feeder crops on the farm land (mix farming). It may interest you to know that the soil analysis kenfarm conducted on the farm indicate insufficient Macro nutrients.

Thus, if the soil analysis was not done, we won't have identify the insufficiency of Macro Nutrient in the farm soil. If our soil analysis did not detect low % of Macro nutrients in the farm soil, the crop would have experience stunted growth with poor yield at harvest. But with our soil test outcome, kenfarm was able to ameliorate the situation by treating the soil and certainly plenty of Macro nutrient was introduced into the soil using our expertise.

won't you rather contact kenfarm today for your soil analysis
via: kenfarm2020@gmail.com
08038623884/09091405861

My good followers, are you aware of the implication of mix cropping two crop which are heavy feeder of NPK ?

From experience, the outcome can be devastating at the long run. Ameliorating this is by consulting expert farmers and certainly having a knowledge of NPKmg percentage of your soil by calling kenfarm for your soil analysis. cheers

Post on Soil Fertility
Most of the time, the average person treats the soil "like dirt". A wise farmer/rancher will care for the soil because he knows that man is dependent on the top 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) of soil. In the plant-animal-soil continuum, soil is often neglected because it does not indicate stress in an obvious way. Animals and plants show physical symptoms but the soil must be looked at more carefully to monitor good health.

Soil that is rich in nutrients is fertile. The expectation of growing plants as food for livestock must include the reality that plants will take nutrients out of the soil. Replacing nutrients is the basic goal of fertilization. Improper fertilization in the past has caused controversy, but the basic premise of fertilization is to replenish the soil.


There are three basic ways to replenish the nutrients removed from the soil. One way is to recycle nutrients, mainly by way of animal waste. This is a crucial method when discussing pastures. Another way to replenish soils is to obtain and apply fertilizer. And the third way is through microbial action such as nitrogen fixation. Forage-livestock producers should understand and utilize all three for maximum fertility with minimum cost and environmental damage.

Fertilization is an important issue because it is needed in order to produce enough food for the increasing population from the decreasing cultivated land, but too much or inappropriate use can be detrimental to the environment. Part of the debates about fertilizers discuss "man-made" or "chemical" fertilizers as compared to "organic farming". There are many misconceptions about all three terms. This module will look at the various aspects of fertilization so a broader understanding will lead to better fertilization and results.

My esteem followers, soon kenfarm will open a thread with elaborate steps you need to take in establishing plantain plantation inter cropped with Tree crops on our newly acquired farm land. Pictures inclusive. This am sure will be helpful to potential Plantation farmers .......keep yu posted!!!

God continue to bless you bro

Brightowan:
God continue to bless you bro

Thanks Bro, same to yu.....we are just trying to make a difference in our own small way....cheers

My good followers, are you aware of the implication of mix cropping two crop which are heavy feeder of NPK ?
From experience, the outcome can be devastating at the long run. Ameliorating this is by consulting expert farmers and certainly having a knowledge of NPKmg percentage of your soil by calling kenfarm for your soil analysis.

cheers

Soil pH is an excellent indicator of the suitability of a soil for plant growth. For most crops, pH of 6 to 7.5 is optimal. Soil pH levels that are too high or too low lead to a deficiency of many nutrients, decline in microbial activity, decrease in crop yields, and deterioration of soil health. For example, soil pH values below 5.5 and between 7.5 and 8.5 limit the availability of phosphate for plants. Four major management practices that increase the availability of phosphate for plants are:

1. Liming acid soils to increase pH to between 6.5 and 7.0.
2. Applying small amounts of phosphorus fertilizer frequently rather than a large amount at one time.
3. Banding or injecting the source of the phosphorus (manure and/or fertilizer) into the soil to reduce the contact between the soil and the phosphorus.
4. Applying phosphorus fertilizer near crop rows, where roots are most active. Nitrogen cycling is inhibited by low pH.

The effectiveness and degradation of herbicides and insecticides and the solubility of heavy metals are dependent on the soil pH. Some diseases thrive in alkaline or acidic soils. The effectiveness and potential carryover of certain herbicides is also impacted by soil pH.

Make hast to place odder for our viable pest resistant hybrid plantain sucker. we pride ourselves in our large customer base. Our sucker is affordable and has proved to our esteem client it can keep multiplying for over 7years. This means that if you purchase our suckers, years latter, if you plan expanding your farm, you need not purchase another sucker. Just harvest sucker from the existing farm and you will be maximising profit....
......contact kenfarm via 08038623884

We at kenfarm wishes all our esteem customers HAPPY EASTER CELEBRATION!!!!

Special Purpose Fertilizers & more reason for soil analysis

Special purpose fertilizers are primarily used in the small fruit and nursery industries. When shopping for fertilizer, you will find that some are packaged for very specific uses, such as blueberry food. The blueberry (sometimes called rhododendron or azalea fertilizer) food is one example of these specialty materials and belongs to an old, established group, the acid-plant foods.

Some of the compounds (ammonium sulfate is usually the acidifying ingredient) used in these fertilizers are chosen because they have an acid reaction and may benefit acidloving plants when the soil pH is too high. These materials are appropriate for use when small-fruit producers are trying to slowly lower the soil pH in an established blueberry orchard that is showing symptoms of iron deficiency due to the effects of a high soil pH.

They are often used in combination with dilute foliar sprays of iron or soil applications of iron chelates. These materials are usually applied at a rate that will meet the nitrogen requirement of the orchard for that season. Once the soil pH is lowered to the desired level, the producer should switch to a less acidifying nitrogen source such as urea or ammonium nitrate.

Thus, without performing soil analysis on that farm land how do you ascertain best method of approaching your farm treatment. Some says the land is a virgin la7nd, and that it has not been put to use for over 50yrs. That is true. Such land is expected to be fertile. But have you forgotten in a haste that putting a soil to plant cultivation is not the only way through which your farm lose it fertility.

It may interest you to know that the following also destroy soil fertility:
1. Erosion: Erosion wash away the top soil which is rich in organic content there by exposing the top soil to high rate of era transpiration. It also wash away nutrients in the soil making the soil loose and lack essential nutrients. If the soil has not been put to use for 50yrs, have you been preventing erosion on the soil for 50yrs?
2. Poor organic content in the soil
3. High percentage of sand and low percentage of clay in the soil
4. Climatic condition of the farm location
5. Reduced Microbial activities on the soil as a result of intense bush burning during land preparation or due to unfavorable environmental condition.
6. Etc
Contact kenfarm for a detailed soil analysis 09091405861 or kenfarm2020@gmail.com

My esteem followers and customer, as you know it is in our tradition to draw our attention to condition and practise that undermine or favour our Agric Biz/ crop production especially our plantation.

It is in this regards that we wish to inform you that loamy soils are the best producing soils for plantain farming because they contain a good organic to inorganic ratio. Organic materials, such as decaying plants and insects, provide soil with air, nutrients and water-retaining matter. This combination of ingredients, when combined with mineral particles, allows soil to remain loose and fertile.
In tropical rain forests part of Nigeria, organically rich soils are shallow. Plantains will thrive for one to three years but then die back because the layer of organic matter is easily depleted. To avoid depletion, it is necessary to provide soils with compost and mulch.

Our comprehensive soil analysis will reveal to you all about that soil in your farm land. The health of your soil determines the output of you labour. Don't hesitate to conduct a soil analysis.
cheers!!

webhostbiz:
how much is your plantation sucker?

thanks for your interest in our hybrid and nematode resistant sucker. pls do contact us via our customer care line on my post or on my signature. Regards

What is the rain intensity like over there @ your location??

General tips for applying fertilizer

1. All fertilizers should preferably be applied before sowing.
2. Fertilizer should preferably be broadcast uniformly and harrowed in.
3. All fertilizers that contain soluble phosphates should preferably be applied in wide bands of between 2.5 and 5 cm on each side of thee rows of seeds at a depth of 10 to 15 cm.
4. The superphosphate fertilizer should preferably be mixed with farmyard manure (in particular organic manure from dairy farms works excellent.)
5. Fertilizer types that include sulphate of ammonia can be used as a top dressing, but do not apply this type of fertilizer when the leaves of the plants are wet.
6. The application of fertilizer should preferably be followed by watering when applied to irrigated crops.
7. When fertilizing fruit trees, the fertilizer should preferably be applied to the soil under the crown. The crown is the area about a few meters away from the trunk. As the tree grows this crown area expands and then fertilizer should also be applied as per the crown of the fruit tree.

Effects of Fire on Soil Physical Properties

Fire may alter several physical soil properties, such as soil structure, texture, porosity, wetability, infiltration rates, and water holding capacity. The extent of fire effects on these soil physical properties depends on fire intensity, fire severity, and fire frequency. Low intensity fires do not cause enough soil heating to produce significant changes to soil physical properties.

Below is a picture of my experimental farm under pre-planting operations.

This farm is purely for experimental purpose. we intend to investigate the following.
1. productivity of various sources of hybrid sucker
2. Effect of selected herbicide on the farm
3. The effect of Bush burning on a farmland
4. Effect of tilling the soil on growth/size when cultivating plantain suckers
5. e.t.c

Hence, we advise you follow the post via the link below if you are contemplating establishing your plantation next season:

https://www.nairaland.com/3763350/step-by-step-procedures-establishing-newly-acquired

HAPPY new MONTH to our esteem customers!!!!!! What is the frequency of rain fall at your location??

Are you aware of the benefits of De-sucker??

De-sucker your plants is simply the removal of the surviving suckers(follower suckers). Once your plant is mature and has several suckers, remove all but one. This uncommon practice we have have observe improve fruit yield and plant health.

Hence, do the below when necessary:
1. Cut all but one sucker off at ground level and cover the exposed plant with soil. Repeat with a deeper cut if they grow back.

2. The surviving sucker is called the follower and will replace the mother plant after it dies or harvested

3. Exceptionally healthy plants can support two followers.

Kenfarm wish to acknowledge our esteem customers who had ordered for our Nematode free suckers. It was great doing Business with you. We hope to render more follow up services to you all in the future.

Note that because we are the source of your suckers, we are at all time ready to give professional advise and guidance that will ensure you harvest bountifully this season.

Regards

Soil organic matter (SOM)

is defined as the summation of plant and animal residues at various stages of decomposition, cells and tissues of soil organisms, and well-decomposed substances (Brady and Weil, 1999).

Though living organisms aren’t considered within this definition, their presence is critical to the formation of SOM. Plant roots and fauna (e.g., rodents, earthworms and mites) all contribute to the movement and breakdown of organic material in the soil.

Soil organic matter cycling consists of four main processes carried out by soil microorganisms
1. decomposition of organic residues;
2) nutrient mineralization;
3) transfer of organic carbon and nutrients from one SOM pool to another; and 4) continual release of carbon dioxide (CO2) through microbial respiration and Plant Biomass CO2 Active SOM CO2 CO2 Slow SOM Passive SOM Faunal and Microorganism Biomass CO2 Decomposition CO2.

Are you also aware that the plant stomata opens between 6-9am and 6-10pm? this makes it proper to apply your folia fertilizer at this time

we are commuted to educating our followers and esteem customers. make kenfarm your brand of choice for your hybrid plantain sucker

Note the observation below from kenfarm


In some cases, farmers will usually like to Rake the farm to remove all dead weed cum burnt sticks but we usually advise that the dead weeds and the burnt sticks should be left on the farm land to decay. The more they decay, the more microbial activities increase which inderectly increase the organic matter concentration on the soil. When the soil organic matter increase, reuptake of nutrient increase and Evapotranspiration reduce leading to increase in moisture content of the soil.

Hence, do not clean up the farm land completely with Rake. Inorganic manure enrich the soil over a long period of time.

Soil Fertility Management on Plantain Plantation

Plantain is a heavy feeder of soil nutrient which makes it thrive well in soils that are rich and also able to release its nutrient.

The nutrient consumption of 1 ha of plantain farm per year can be estimated at 300kg of N, 150kg of P and 1050kg of K which means that to have a good yield on your plantain field, you will need to maintain the soil fertility yearly by the input of fertilizer either organically or inorganically or organo-mineral.

There are basic rules to follow in other to retain the fertility of your soil; they are explained below.

The addition of a high quantity of organic waste : No doubt that plantain is a heavy feeder of nutrient which makes it grow vigorously and big if well nurtured. Giving your plantains organic waste, e.g., poultry waste, cow dung, pig poo, rice husk, cocoa pods and others will improve growth and yield but the best organic waste to apply is poultry waste because it provides a high amount of nitrogen which is needed during the vegetative period of the plant.

The addition of leguminous plants: a leguminous plant has been scientifically proven to fix nitrogen into the soil and later help boost the growth and yield of the non-leguminous plant. For example, planting cowpea between two rows of plantain stand will support the growth of the plantain.

The addition of NPK and Urea supplement : This method provides plantain with quick nutrient as NPK and Urea fertilizer are known to release its nutrient as against organic fertilizer. Though NPK has a future negative effect on the soil and plant, it is a quick fix for Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium deficiency in plants. However, urea fertilizer provides only nitrogen for plantain (needed during the vegetative stage). In considering the mixing ratio of NPK and Urea, you will mix in ratio 2:1 and apply 500g per stand.

How often should fertilizer application be made on plantain farm? The periodical use differs by soil to soil, location to location and quantity to be applied, but the average application per year thrice depends on the time of planting. It is best to apply both organic and inorganic fertilizer as a first application (if soil nutrient is low) and only organic fertilizer (if soil nutrient is average).

In summary, the best way to maintain soil fertility for plantain is the application of fertilizer, and the best compost to add is an organic waste in which poultry waste serves to be the best fertilizer, loved by plantain.

In Conclusion, Always provide your plant with enough fertilizer and water all year round as this will result in real growth and big fruit

Ken4agent:
We are located both in Ibadan and Edo State,We have our farm both located in this two states and we produce and supply you with Treated Dwarf Giant Elephants Plantain Sucker with delivery to your destinations in Nigeria........ Musa-Paradisiaca is the botanical name which are the best variety that produce the market standard.. Call Mr.Kenneth on 08038623884,08164508615 we are also available on WhatsApp on 08038623884

Spacing

The recommended spacing is 3 m between the plantain rows and 2 m within the row (in other words. 3 m x 2 m). An alternative is 2.5 m x 2.5 m. If spaced 3 m x 2 m, 1 hectare should contain 1667 plants, but with a spacing of 2.5 m x 2.5 m, it should contain 1600 plants. Rows should be straight in flat fields to give plants the maximum amount of sunlight. However, on sloping land, rows should follow the contour lines in order to decrease soil erosion.

How long does it take to harvest first fruit?

joyjoomla:


How long does it take to harvest first fruit?

Thanks for your enquiry, it take minimum of 9months to harvest the first fruit. Although, the exert time to harvest is by your discretion or that of your farm Manager.

UNDERSTANDING PLANTAIN MARKET

Plantain market is an aspect which calls for concern as many people are not aware of the dynamism involved. In this article, I will explain the ways in which you can sell your plantain at a good price.

Plantain market in various markets is majorly controlled by the middlemen, and many people sell at the mercy of this kind of individuals. Though the middlemen are the biggest problem, it is the best place to sell your plantain if you produce to a high quantity. Other things to note are:

1. Getting your plantain to the market early enough: you will need to get your plantain to the market as soon as 6 am in the morning, most especially Monday morning. Reasons are that your product will be the first choice to be patronized by buyers, and you will be able to sell your product on time. The hint is the more your product stays on the market, the lesser the price it gets.

2. Get your plantain to the market fresh: I have noticed that sweet plantain at the market does attract buyers more. In fact, it attracts serious buyers.
3. Move only plantains with full fingers: When your plantain fingers are filled up till it shows a splitting sign. If you can be patient enough to wait till it filled up well, then it will attract a high price. Please note that you must not wait till it starts ripening because you will on the pressure to sell it fast and you will be at the mercy of buyers.

4. Always increase your production: the best way to make a good profit at the market is to grow your production so that you can increase your profit margin.
For those that could not produce large quantity to the market, the best is to look for those plantain chips sellers who you can supply your plantain, but it must be at a reasonable price.

Another aspect is to dry your plantain and sell them during the rainy season (N.B.: you must be able to preserve it and maintain its moisture content).
Being a successful plantain farmer involves the production management and market. Understanding the market dynamism matters a lot.

Control the weeds –

The weeds control is very important if you want your plantain to do well, the cost of weed management could account for up to. 45% of the total cost of plantain plantation management in Nigeria. Use traditional weed control of employing laborer to do the weed cutting.

As the plantain grows, it is important to protect it from strong winds. It is also important to keep it well watered. One can also sprinkle fertilizers every now and then but mostly throwing the plantain dead leaves back into the plant is enough to sustain the rich quality of the soil.

Unlike other trees, plantain do not need complicated pruning. Just remove dead leaves and dead plants near the plantain. Also remove suckers from the plant keeping only one or two that have spear shaped leaves.

If you must use a fertilizer, Use an NPK fertilizer, or a fertilizer mixed with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. Fertilizing the plantains once a month will stimulate growth. The fertilizer should be placed evenly in a circle that is four to eight feet from the trunk.

Whether you will be satisfy or dissatisfy on your harvesting day depends on your choice of suckers.....this follow the saying that what you plant is what you harvest.....make a wise choice by calling kenfarm for your genetically engineered suckers suitable for the tropical region.
kenfarm customer care on WhatsApp :08038623884

Happy New Month to our esteem customers and followers!!!!

IITA intensifies Awareness on Plantain/banana disease

As you will all agree with me (we mean our esteem followers) that it is in our practice to bring to the notice of our esteem followers and customers information that will help us make the best out of this ongoing planting season. It is in this regards that we employ you all to read the info below:

Towards stemming the tide of the ravaging Banana Bunchy Top Disease (BBTD), prevalent in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), held a one-day awareness and launching of the ‘Stop Bunchy Top’ workshop and campaign in Abeokuta, the state capital.
According to the research findings of the IITA, BBTD is caused by a virus named ‘Banana Bunchy Top Virus’ (BBTV), which is pervasive in all banana and plantain-producing areas of Nigeria and many parts of the world.

This virus infection results in dwarfing, narrow leaf, chlorosis of leaf margins and continuous dark-green streaks on leaves, petioles and pseudo stems. The leaves of infected plants become progressively smaller and stand more erect, giving the plant a bunchy appearance. It was also discovered that while plants infected at later stages may produce normal or deformed fruits, plants infected early in their growth do not produce fruits at all, resulting in total loss of yield. The plant may eventually die, but often remains with its lateral shoots, which serves as a source of infection.

The disease, which was first discovered in Odologun community, Yewa South Council Area, Nigeria in 2012 by the IITA, in collaboration with the University of Ibadan and Nigerian Agriculture Quarantine Service (NAQS), has reportedly spread to Ado-Odo/Ota, Yewa North, Imeko-Afon and Abeokuta North council areas. It has also been recorded in the Ibarapa zone of Oyo state.

The leader of the awareness team, Dr. Lava Kumar said the Institute had been able to identify the vector responsible for the BBTD, but is yet to find a permanent vaccine. “For now, what we have is the preventive approach, which is being accepted by the farmers,” he said.

According to him, since the disease migrated from Benin Republic into the Idologun community, the institute has been able to provide new BBTD-free suckers for the farmers in the area. Speaking further, he stated that prevention is the best option for BBTD control. This includes avoiding importation of planting materials from BBTD known regions, and using only healthy planting materials.

The Baale (Community Leader) of Idologun community, Chief Alade Fashina said the intervention of the Institute has saved plantain farmers in the community from total extinction.


Cheers!!!

METHODS OF WEED CONTROL - CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL METHODS HERBICIDAL CONTROL OF WEEDS

Herbicides are chemicals capable of killing or inhibiting the growth of plants. In the last 40 years or so, man has greatly improved upon his weeding efficiency by supplementing the conventional weeding methods with herbicides. It has saved farmers of undue, repeated intercultivations and hoeing, and has helped him in obtaining satisfactory weed control where physical methods often fail. Today, we have over 1501 herbicides in common use for selective and non-selective weed control in different areas.

These chemicals vary greatly in their:
(a) molecular structures,
(b) mobility within plants,
(c) selectivity, (d) fate in soils, and
(e) response to environment.

Many chemicals have shown high codes of selectivity to certain crops, killing the weeds effectively. But proper selection of the herbicide, its rate, time, and method of application are very important to obtain the desire degree of weed control and crop selectivity. Herbicides are tools, and tool must be used with care. Many developing nations have made a good beginning in the use of herbicides in agriculture, but more comprehensive research needs to be done before extending it to new situations.

Benefits of Herbicides Herbicides were developed in the western world primarily to overcome the shortage of farm labour for weeding crops. However, during the past four decades, slowly the utility of herbicides has also been realized in the labour-rich tropical world, for varied reasons. Given adequate labour and money to remove weeds manually, still many advantages accrue from the judicious use of herbicides.

Important among these are the following:-
1. Incessant rainfall may make physical weeding infeasible. Herbicides can be used to ensure freedom of crops from weeds under such a condition. Also, during the early crop growth period when many fields need weeding simultaneously, even in labour-rich countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, and Sudan, there is certainly a weeding bottleneck in crop production. The soil applied herbicides can be of great help in these regions in boosting crop production.

2. Herbicides can be employed to control weeds as they emerge from the soli to eliminate weed crop interference even at a very early stage of crop growth. But by physical methods weeds are removed after they have offered considerable competition to the crops, and rarely at the critical time. Thus, herbicides provide benefits of timely weed control.

3. Herbicides can kill many weeds that survive by mimicry, for example, wildoat (Avena spp.) in wheat and barnyardgrass (Echinochola spp.)

4. Herbicidal control does not dictate strict row spacing’s

5. Herbicides bring about longer lasting control of perennial weeds and bushes than is possible with any physical control method.

6. Herbicides are convenient to use on spiny weeds which cannot be reached manually

7. Herbicides are safe on erodible lands where tillage may accelerate soil and water erosion.

8. Herbicides kill weeds in situ without permitting their dissemination.

9. Herbicide sprays easily reach the weeds growing in obstructed situations, such as utility-rightof-way, under fruit trees, and on undulating lands.

Some other benefits of using herbicides include (a) fewer labour problems, (b) greater possibility of farm mechanization, (c) easier crop harvesting and (d) lower cost of farm produce.


kenfarm advise you make use of contact herbicide and not systemic herbicide reason we explain in other post. check our 2weeks + plantain sucker. Tepid growth was achieved with application of herbicide (Name withheld) and manual weeding together.

kenfarm cares!!!

Crop yield losses due to pest and disease attack are one of contributing factors to declining food production in our dear country....join the elite farmer by purchasing kenfarm improved Nematode free Hybrid suckers and TME419 cassava stems while it available.

cheers!!

Plantain is known to grow only in regions with tropical climate. So, if you want to start your own plantain farm, you must make sure you acquire suitable land with the right soil composition for your plantain farm. On the average, you might need at least 2 hectares of land if you want to go into commercial plantain farming.

Once you have been able to secure a farm land, the next thing that you should do is to prepare the land. In preparing your land for your plantain farm you might have to adjust the PH value of your farm land if it is not suitable. Also in preparing your land for plantain farming, your laborers would have to dig holes all over the land where the suckers (plantain seeds) will be planted.

Source for suckers (plantain seeds)
One key factor that can affect your plans to start your own plantain farm is how to source for suckers (plantain seeds) in large quantities. One good thing about plantain farming is that once you are able to get started, the farm can be sustained for over 3 decades without sourcing for new suckers (plantain seeds). Plantain grows rapidly and they reproduce without stress once they are planted in a suitable land.

Our sucker has stand the text of time, resistant to pest and keep fruit for as long you care for your farm/soil

contact kenfarm today!!!