₦airaland Forum

Kaolack watermelon

Preciousseed:
Thank you very much. I really appreciate the suggestion you gave. please how old were the cukes in this picture you attached? Mine that started emerging on 30/12/2016, which is 10days as at today, though the third leaf is out, I hope they are on track with respect to growth?

On the pesticides, someone suggested fighter and Z-force. Also recommended GNLD's Supergro.........

On market price, I bought cukes s this evening and the woman told me she bought at #7,000/25kg bag here in Enugu. I think that's a good market price.

The cucumber in that pics is just two weeks old (15 days). And I guess your cucumber are on track with respect to growth.

As for the insecticides and fertiliser, the recommended are ok. But ensure to know the recommended application dosage or dilution rate.

On the market price, thanks for that comparative market analysis. The price is almost the same here in Benin city.

More pics of my Darina Cucumber

Well done @op.
Here are my two weeks old kitten

More pics of the vegetative growth of my sack maize. They will start bringing out tassels anytime from now.

Abdullahi4u7:
pls can you upload pictures of yourself irrigating with watering can? WELL DONE

Pics

Aris112:
Your cucumbers are looking great and healthy. What variety is the seeds and where can I buy them.

This is Darina, and if you live in Benin City you can get them at Lagos Street.

Preciousseed:
Nice work OP, your cukes are giving me hope as I am doing a small number of bags experiment too on cucumber sack farm. mine are younger as I planted on Dec 25, 2016. I also noticed that the germination rate is very high seeing that in all the nursery bags, they contained one stand, I guess you planted 1seed/bag. Currently, the challenge I am having is wind. Wind is disturbing my crops and breaking the stem of some of them. Though I didn't plant in nursery, I planted directly in the cement bags.
Apart from the poultry manure mixed with the soil, any other fertilization?
2. Are you using insecticide and fungicide for pest?
3. Why planting 1seed/bag.

Thanks! Wishing you bountiful harvest!!!!!

Thank you very much. The harvest is going to be bountiful from the look of things.

Nice to know that you have started and I'm just few weeks ahead of you in my operation. I wish you success in your operation.
Like you rightly observed, the germination rate was almost 99% and I planted one seed per poly pot.

As for the wind problem, I suggest that you do not fill your sack to the brim, such that you fold the sack up a little above the soil surface as this will serve as a dike and wind break that will protect the young seedlings. See pics below

Apart from the soil mixture that I used, there's no other fertilisation except the irrigation water.

Finally I use only insecticide (BEST and EMIFORCE) whenever there's insect pest attack of economic threshold.

Yampotatocarrot:
@Op, any idea which produces faster n better between darina n Murano?

Nice idea getting your irrigation water from the fish pond, I'm thinking that adds to d fast growth of d crops

I have not tried Murano variety before, but I can tell you that my Darina is doing very well in my location.

You are absolutely right the irrigation water from my fish pond is rich in dissolve plant nutrients especially nitrogen, hence no need to apply inorganic fertiliser.

Pavore9:
I commend your enterprise, keep up the spirit.

Thank you for the encouragement

The rate at which the cucumber fruit is developing put smile on my face knowing that harvest is near.

More pics of the cucumber plant

More pics on my DARINA cucumber fruit development.


My California wonder pepper seedlings are now ready for transplanting into sack anytime soon. Meanwhile, the cabbage is equally developing fast in the nursery and will be ready for transplanting next week

1stUnique:
keep up the good work bro?

Thanks

phillings247:
pls.how do u irrigate ur cocumber to prevent fungal attack

I get water from my small fish pond tank inside my compound. I irrigate every evening (due to the hamattan weather condition) using pipe and watering-can.

During irrigation , the water is applied to the base of the plant inside the sack and not on the leaves.

More on cucumber

My Watermelon pics

More pics of my Cucumber ( Darina) vegetative development and flowering

I just can't stop laughing

Sack farming is indeed a good innovation because prior to my experimental trial (My Dry Season Irrigation Sack Farming;photo Speak), I use to think that cultivating plant in sack is for only horticultural purposes and that food crops can only be grown on flat land or seedbed, but, now I know better.

Here are more of my photo speak update

kentochi:
bros you are in benin
can you drop your contact so we can talk

Yes I am in Benin around ikpoba hill area.
You can reach me on 07030732393

obstead200:
some of my birds have their necks twisted to the back.
please what could be the cause?

Newcastle disease

The journey so far has been revolutionary so far so good, considering the fact that people have been asking me a lot of questions about this farming method. And I am enjoying it.


Back to business

There is no venture without challenges and constraints of which I have had my own fair share so far so good.

I never imagine that empty cement bags can be so valuable and expensive until I ran out of cement bags for my sack farming last week.
Since I couldn't get more from the construction sites around, so I decided to go and buy some from those mallams (aboki) at Aduwawa kara market where I bought one empty cement bag for N12 each.

Transplanting Cucumber seedlings from the nursery to cement bags in the field.
Pics..

Wow!!!
Cucumber and watermelon seed germination and emergence pics...

Pot filling and stacking pics...

I will be using cement bags for the project and so far I ve gotten about 200 cement bags, still sourcing for more.

The cement bags were collected from construction site, and washed as recommended by experts in the house (pavore9) before filling.
Filling the sacks is quite hectic but I enjoy doing it.

Also, poly pot was used to raise the cucumber and watermelon seeds to seedlings stage before transplanting into the already prepared cement bags.

The cement bags were filled with top soil and poultry manure mixture at a ratio of 3parts soil and 1part manure.

The tomatoes and green pepper are still in the nursery awaiting germination before transplanting into sack.

I bought two variety of watermelon

More pics of my planting material

jcflex:
pic pic pic

More pics...

Pavore9:
Whey your pictures nah?

Still trying to upload pics...

I will be growing different crops like cucumber, watermelon, pepper, tomato, maize and okra.

Pictures of the various operations will be uploaded here for your viewing pleasure.

Please note that this is my first trial, and I hope to improve on it as we make progress.

Stage one: SEED PROCUREMENT

Planting materials were purchased at Lagos Street in Benin city from agro-product stores.

A big shout out to Pavore9, Organicfoods, Ishaqteejay, and other sack farmers on nairaland space for blazing the trail on sack farming.

I'm really inspired by what you guys are doing, and I've decide not to be a spectator anymore but to practicalise the knowledge of sack farming.

Please feel free to drop comments, questions and contributions.

Oya let's go there...