Hello guys, I will be sharing my experience on Dry season maize farming. I will be sharing the advantages and the challenges.

Total area cultivated: 2 acres
Irrigation : Drip irrigation
Drip irrigation spacing: 20cm spacing , 0.2mm thickness and 2000m length per roll
Total rolls used : 4 rolls for 2 acres
Maize variety: Oba super 6
Seed rate per acre: 8kg per
No of seeds panted per hole - 1
Bed type: 1meter wide
Drip orientation: double rows

Following.......

Land clearing

Manure: i used just manure and urea throughout the lifecycle of the plants and the cobs came out really big. I had 2 cobs per plant for about 90% of the plants. This is to tell you how important manure is to farming. Every crop needs it, it is mandatory

Plant Population
I used drip irrigation, I was able to calculate my plant population

On an acre, I had 10,000 drip emitters cos the drip spacing used is 20cm and the total length of a roll of drip used is 2000m. I had 10,000 plants on an acre.

NUTRITION

After making my beds, we laid the drips and started applying the manure at each point where the water drips. we scooped out some soil, pour the manure, then cover up with soil. Each plant had a base full of nutrients. Urea was also used when the plants were about 4 weeks old and reapplied when they were 6 weeks old. The fertilizer was fertigated (dissolved in water to form a solution and passed to the root of the plants via the drip channel)

Folia fertilizer: Tecamin max - Vegetative stage
Tecamin Flower: Flowering stage ( when they start forming tassels). The tassel is the flower for maize


Time for pictures

Following
.
What type of manure did you use
.
Rabbit or chicken manure

Land before planting. The dents on the beds are the points we applied the manure to. We sprayed herbicide and gave it sometime to work before planting.

Challenges encountered during the Land preparation and Seed sowing

1) Making beds during dry season was quite challenging as the ground was extremely hard
2) We encountered severe rat infestation. They kept digging up the seeds even as we continued replanting. They would dig up newly sprouted seeds and freshly sowed seeds
How we overcame this challenges: We bought maize seeds from the open market, mixed with Push out rodenticide, we scattered the poisoned seeds all over the farm. It served as a distraction from the hybrid seeds. We really suffered from rat infestation, tiny rats that can't be consumed but we over came
3) Growth rate of seeds was extremely slow cos of the weather. Our seeds started sprouting from like 7 days as opposed to 4-5 days during rainy season. It took forever for the plants to finally pickup and look like maize plants

It was fun to experience!

Did u make profit

Great idea.

Temifarmer:
Manure: i used just manure and urea throughout the lifecycle of the plants and the cobs came out really big. I had 2 cobs per plant for about 90% of the plants. This is to tell you how important manure is to farming. Every crop needs it, it is mandatory

Maize is mainly 2 cobs per plant

Manure effect is not short term

Temifarmer:
Land before planting. The dents on the beds are the points we applied the manure to. We sprayed herbicide and gave it sometime to work before planting.

Challenges encountered during the Land preparation and Seed sowing

1) Making beds during dry season was quite challenging as the ground was extremely hard
2) We encountered severe rat infestation. They kept digging up the seeds even as we continued replanting. They would dig up newly sprouted seeds and freshly sowed seeds
How we overcame this challenges: We bought maize seeds from the open market, mixed with Push out rodenticide, we scattered the poisoned seeds all over the farm. It served as a distraction from the hybrid seeds. We really suffered from rat infestation, tiny rats that can't be consumed but we over came
3) Growth rate of seeds was extremely slow cos of the weather. Our seeds started sprouting from like 7 days as opposed to 4-5 days during rainy season. It took forever for the plants to finally pickup and look like maize plants

It was fun to experience!

Drip irrigation system for maize oops

Please am think of a business that I can go into with the sum of 2m that can give me a sales of at least 300-400k sales in a day, selling of Grandnut oil came to mind but I don't know anything about it and is the sum of N2m ok for a start

Please I need a sincere response
THANKS

khalleb:
Please am think of a business that I can go into with the sum of 2m that can give me a sales of at least 300-400k sales in a day, selling of Grandnut oil came to mind but I don't know anything about it and is the sum of N2m ok for a start

Please I need a sincere response
THANKS

The business you can do with a guaranteed sale of 300k daily is petrol (filling station) bit sadly, you 2m is too small

rainmoredays:
The business you can do with a guaranteed sale of 300k daily is petrol (filling station) bit sadly, you 2m is too small

Thanks 👍

lereinter:


Drip irrigation system for maize oops

Lol, yes... The main reason i used drip is to ascertain my population but it came with a cost. I will state the advantage and disadvantages.

lereinter:


Maize is mainly 2 cobs per plant

Manure effect is not short term

I had 3 cobs on some and 4 on some but averagely 2 large cobs

[quote author=khalleb post=121054515]Please am think of a business that I can go into with the sum of 2m that can give me a sales of at least 300-400k sales in a day, selling of Grandnut oil came to mind but I don't know anything about it and is the sum of N2m ok for a start

Please I need a sincere response
THANKS
[/quote

Buy products from farmers and resell in a big market

Maize plants

Aside from rodent infestation, we had to deal with caterpillars but we employed a preventive measure. cobs came out looking super healthy and attractive

Pesticide used : DPRO insecticide
Active ingredient is Emmamectine Benzoate
I get my agroinputs from Ceda Agro in Abeokuta. She is the best supplier i can think of. This particular product was recommended by her, dosage and all


I mixed a sachet in 5 litres of water and measured out 100ml per knapsack. It was magical, there was not a single cob with caterpillar attack

More pictures

Will post more pictures later.Thanks

Temifarmer:



I had 3 cobs on some and 4 on some but averagely 2 large cobs

Wow

I have never seen 4

Temifarmer:



Lol, yes... The main reason i used drip is to ascertain my population but it came with a cost. I will state the advantage and disadvantages.

At iita they use overhead sprinkler

Temifarmer:
Aside from rodent infestation, we had to deal with caterpillars but we employed a preventive measure. cobs came out looking super healthy and attractive

Pesticide used : DPRO insecticide
Active ingredient is Emmamectine Benzoate
I get my agroinputs from Ceda Agro in Abeokuta. She is the best supplier i can think of. This particular product was recommended by her, dosage and all


I mixed a sachet in 5 litres of water and measured out 100ml per knapsack. It was magical, there was not a single cob with caterpillar attack

Nice info

This is highly inspiring. I have learned a lot. I am a maize farmer too around Keffi, Nasarawa state. I will definitely take manure much more seriously now.

Please where's your location? I need farmland ooo

You didnt complete the idea o

Oh, thank you for this encouraging thread. What kind of manure did you use, sir?