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Gdm all,welc to a new day of possibilities.

Gdm all,welc to a new day of possibilities

Gdm all,welc to a new day of possibilities

Gdm all,welc to a new day of possibilities

Gdm all,welc to a new day.

SEED / CULTIVATION GUIDE FOR CUCUMBER FARMING

INTRODUCTION : Cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the curcubit family (Same Family with Watermelon, Melon,Snake guard and Squash).Cucumber we know mostly around us here belong to the specific genus/specie group called Cucumis Sativus.Most varieties of cucumber will grow in any amount of space and they have the ability to climb .It originated from Asia but is now grown in most continents.

TEMPERATURE : Cucumber plants naturally thrive in any environment and generally require temperature between 15 - 33°C.Due to this reason cucumber is now native to many regions of the world. All that is required for cucumber to do well anywhere is for you to amend the planting soil with much compost manure,mulch ,water regularly and provide staking for the vines to climb upward.There are many different varieties of cucumber to be noted.Ranging non hybrid to hybrid F1 variety like Murano 2 F1,Tokyo F1,Greengo F1 and the likes are some good hybrid cucumber varieties that produces good yeild and resistance to most cucumber diseases.

STEPS IN CUCUMBER CULTIVATION.

STEP 1. LAND PREPARATION : Compared to other cucurbis ,Cucumber plant has a stricter requirement of soil type as its root system develops and absorbs nutrients poorly.Sandy loamy or sandy soils are most suitable for growing cucumber because it absorbs heat faster than other soils and its small particle structure helps prevent seedlings from collapse due to rain and wind. Cucumber root system is shallow (only 25-30cm deep in the ground) resulting in poor ability to tolerate drought,flooding and making the crop susceptible to pests and diseases. Therefore,the soil for cucumber planting should be prepared carefully.

STEPS TO PREPARE THE LAND.
(a) Clear and Plow.
(b) Apply animal dropping and re-plow.
(c) Make beds.
(d) Fix Irrigation system.
(e) Open the holes and top dress.

(a) Clear and plow : Clear and plow the farmland where you intend to farm your cucumber. Carefully remove all stumps. The land chosen must be without the shrubs or tree .Cucumber need sunshine not sheds.

(b) Apply Organic manure : Apply organic manure before making beds.This is better .Organic manure can still be applied after making the beds.You can apply chicken ,pig or cow dropping or dung.Allow for 3 days or more before planting.

(c) Make Beds : The height of the bed should be 20cm - 30cm .Do not make beds higher as most cucumber roots do not grow too deep into the soil .The width should be 1.0m.The spacing between the beds should be 0.5 - 1m.

(d) Put drip irrigation system : Drip irrigation is inevitable if planting during the dry season. You may not require it during heavy rains .Note that cucumber requires much water on a daily basis.

(e) Cover the beds with Mulching film : Mulching film is a plastic product use for mulching so as to suppress weeds and conserve water in crop production. Holes are open on it where crops grow through in the tin plastic sheeting. Proper disposal of the mulching film after usage is highly encouraged to keep the environment clean and limit the presence of polythene in the soil.Ensure that the distance between one hole and the other is about 40 - 50cm.This will also determine the plant distance.
NOTE : Mulching films could come with holes already made from the factory. If you have to make holes be careful not to cut the drip tapes.


STEP 2. SOWING/PLANTING : Two method of sowing could be used.Which are :
(i) Direct Sowing : Sow 1-2 seeds per hole in the field .Cucumber seeds. germinate quite quickly usually not more than a week.Once the seedlings have reached an Inch or two the weaker of the two can be removed (where two seeds are sown).
(ii) Sowing in Nursery trays and transplanting after 6-10 days when the first true leaf appears.

TIPS NEEDED HERE.
* Do not allow seedlings to get too large in the nursery tray.If this happens ,transplanting becomes a lot more difficult.
* Transplanting is best done late in the evening from 6pm.

COMPARISON BETWEEN SOWING DIRECTLY IN THE FIELD/FARM AND SOWING IN NURSERY FOR TRANSPLANTING .

NURSERY SOWING . DIRECT SOWING
*Saves Seeds * It waste seeds .
* Requires much Labor. * Less labor is required.
* Crops get easily damage * Prevents crops injury.
during transplanting.
* Controlling the depth of * Difficult to control.
seedlings is easy.


STEP 3 . STAKING : Most farmers prefer the cucumber plant to crawl on the ground without staking and a lot of challenges goes with this practice. Which includes :
(i) Poor fruit setting .
(ii) Difficulty in harvesting as most of the fruits hide under the leaves.
(iii) Side of the fruit on the ground remains white while the rest turns green (Poor colour).
(iv) Fruit could be easily attacked by insects ,worms or even rot on the ground.
In a nutshell ,it is advisable to stake your cucumber.Stakes are to be fixed immediately after planting. Staking is therefore done as soon as the plant grows out enough to hang on the sticks.Staking makes harvesting and farm organization very easy thereby reducing stress.

STEP 4. APPLICATION OF FERTILISERS AND APPLICATION OF WATER.
There is the option of organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer .Less see the implications of chemical fertilizers.

CHEMICAL/INORGANIC FERTILIZERS.
(i) Destroys plants if wrongly applied.
(ii) Kills earthworms and micro organisms in the soil that aid plants growth.
(iii) Pollute the ground water with lead and other heavy metals,when absorbed by growing plants which becomes dangerous to our health when consumed as food.

ORGANIC FERTILIZER : This means o fertilizer derived from organic matter ,such as decomposed leaves,bones,fruits,vegetables and animal droppings. To create compost with higher content of potassium ,than usual ,throw fruit and vegetable waste into the compost pile .Banana peel,orange rinds,lemon rinds,spinach and tomatoes will help.Mixing wood ash into the soil will add potassium to it as well.Be sure not to overdo this to make sure the soil pH is balance.

STAGES OF FERTILIZER APPLICATION IN CUCUMBER FARMING.
1. Organic manure is applied during land preparation.
2. Top dressing .This is done by mixing one spoon of solid organic fertilizer in the planting hole.
3. Growth boosters are foliage fertilizers which can be applied weekly from 15 days after planting. This enhances growth at vegetable stage.
4. Some companies have different foliage fertilizer for fruiting which is applied from flowering stage to harvesting and also applied weekly.
5. A second application of manure is done in the furrows,just before the flowering stage.
NOTE: Foliage fertilizer are best applied very early in the morning or late in the evening.

WATER APPLICATION : Cucumber requires a lot of water but the peak of the raining season but note. (With heavy rainfall is not the best season for planting it).Watering should be done daily morning and evening.Three method of irrigation can be use for cucumber farming.

METHODS OF IRRIGATION IN CUCUMBER FARMING.
1. Drip Irrigation : Drip tapes are connected round the farm to drip water at the planting holes.
ADVANTAGES OF DRIP IRRIGATION.
* Economizes water such that is not wasted.
* Weeds in furrow die out of dryness.
* Does not require high pressure. Pressure due to height is enough to circulate the water if properly connected, therefore reduces cost.

2. Sprinker Irrigation: This involves sprinkling water in the farm which works against the advantages of drip irrigation system.
3. Furrow Irrigation : This involves flooding the furrows with water during fruiting stage.
NOTE : It is not advisable to embark on cucumber farming if you are not sure of water supply or irrigation arrangement.

STEP 5. PRUNING : Pruning is very necessary to encourage quick growth and high yield and promote healthy plants.Your goal in pruning is to have one healthy vine with fewer /shorter nodes ,rather than have several vines.

PRUNING PROCEDURES ( Monoecious (Male) Hybrid)
1. Remove the side shoots of 1st to 4th branch and start fruit setting at 5th branch.
2. From 5th branch cut above 1st and 2nd node off side shoot.
NOTE : This will encourage the the quick growth. Don't remove any flower fruit will form from pollinated female flowers.

PRUNING PROCEDURES (High female and By hybrid)
1. Remove the side shoots of 1st to 4th branch and start fruit at 5th branch.
2. From 5th branch cut above 2nd node off side shoot.
NOTE: This will encourage the the quick growth. Don't remove any flower fruit will form from pollinated female flowers.

STEP 6. HARVESTING : Harvesting your cucumber fruits when they have reached the desired market size is important. Do not allow them to turn yellow or strong before before harvesting them.Harvest when crispy and fresh.Harvest 35 to 45 days after transplanting. Harvest every other day at least two days intervals if you desire to harvest large quantities.

POST HARVEST HANDLING GUIDELINES.
1. You must be careful where to store the cucumber fruit after harvest.It must be under a cool temperature.
2. Do not allow much pressure on the fruit in case case of movement from the farm to the market.
3. Good varieties could last up to 10days on the shelf if harvested in a good condition and on time before it is over matured.

I will stop here to take the next latter on PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN CUCUMBER CULTIVATION. Gdday all.

Gdm all,Farm in Ibadan. Get accross to me on 07082638957 for further discussion on DAT.

Gdm all,am talking about growing them from growers stage of 3 months or point of lay stage .Ordinarily if u are growing from hatching it will take 8 to 12 months to table size using formulated feeds.

Gdm all

Gdm all,@Mayor you can go for Orange. It will create a reasonable shade cover against the sun.You can me so we discuss on how you can get the seedlings delivered to you in Abia state via waybill. But the minimum order I take is usually 10 seedlings. But if you reach me I can consider 5 for you.For calls or further inquiries call,text or WhatsApp 07082638957 .SEEDWORLD.

Already fruiting Indonesian dwarf paw paw tree in Imo state.

Gdm all,Happy new week

Gdm all,Happy new week

Gdm all,Happy new week

Gdm all,Happy new week

Gdm all,Happy new week.

Pls do identify the variety of cucumber ure asking for in this gallery.

Gdday everyone, Happy Sunday to u all.Cucumber available for now is Greengo F1 from east west seeds company Thailand.

Gdm all.

Gdm all,wishing u all a Happy weekend.

GET YOUR COMPREHENSIVE PRACTICAL PDF MANUAL ON SNAILS FARMING TODAY.

Gdm all,wish u all a happy weekend.

Gdm all,wish u all a happy weekend.

Gdm all,wish u all a happy weekend.

Gdm all,wish u all a happy weekend.

Gdeven all.

CASHEW TREE CULTIVATION

DESCRIPTION : Cashew is an economic tree with great foreign exchange potentials.Is one of the highest income earner along side Cocoa.Cashew can withstand drier conditions than most but bearing trees.They will survive with as little as 500mm of rainfall but the optimum annual rainfall is 1750mm.The fruits of cashew consist of a large fleshy " Apple" below which suspends a single nut.Within this nut is the kernel for which the tree is grown.The Apple usually have a bitter taste with its red texture. It is high in Vitamin C though a bit acidic. However,yellow cashew apple is usually sweet and good to eat unlike the red.

CASHEW MAIN VARIETY : BRAZIL ( JUMBO).

TEMPRATURE : Day temperatures for growing cashews should not drop below 10°C (50F), and cashew trees handle temperatures above 40°C (105F) well. An average day temperature of around 25°C (77F) is ideal. As long as they have some water cashew trees grow like weeds. They are fairly draught resistant and grow well even on marginal soils where other fruit trees would fail. The best soils for growing cashews are tropical low land in sandy soil.You can grow cashew trees anywhere in the wet/dry tropics. The main producers of cashew nuts are Brazil, India, Vietnam, Africa (Tanzania and Mozambique) and South East Asia.Nigeria is also a high producer of cashew in the world.

LAND PREPARATION : Before planting cashew the field or land should be carefully cleared and burned to make for a weed free seed bed.Select a well drained soil that is protected from strong winds.

PLANTING / SOWING :Cashew can be propagated by seeds. Selection of the right seed from good trees for planting is of great importance. Get your seed crop from a high yielding tree.This is because dense seeds are most likely to germinate.Your seeds for planting should be subjected to a floatation test to assertain the germination possibility of the seed.You can also buy Cashew seedlings for planting directly to the farm.Cashew can be planted in the in the raining season.

HOW TO TEST THE VALIDITY OF YOUR CASHEW SEEDS INTENDED FOR PLANTING.

Step 1. Mix 4 litres of water with 750g of sugar or 500g of salt .
Step 2. Put your cashew seeds into the solution.
Step 3. Observe the seeds in the solution if any floats upward.
Step 4. Remove all floating seeds and keep them aside because they may not germinate.
Step 5. Remove the good seeds in the water that passed the test and sundry for 2 to 3 days before planting.

SPACING : Recommended planting spacing for cashew is 9m apart .Each hole should be 30cm in diameter and 6cm deep.You can add little dung or ash or 100grams of phosphate to each hole and cover with top soil.3 seeds are planted in each hole.Mature tree need abt 9meters distance between them and they grow as tall to 12meters.

TRANSPLANTING : Seeds sown in nursery bed can be transplanted to the main field after 2 to 3 months .The seedlings in the bed must be under good shade.

FERTILIZATION : The addition of a good general fertilizer 2 to 3 times a year will help to increase yield but it is not mandatory except for commercial purpose.They need mainly fertilizers such as Nitrogen ,phosphorous and zinc.

IRRIGATION : Although cashew has the capacity to withstand draught but dry season water supply can be done .This is also required during flowering and but development.

WEED CONTROL : The Cashew seedling bed and plantation should be free from weed for the first 3 years especially for long term maturity varieties not grafted.After this time,weeds may not have serious competition with the tree .However they might constitute fire hazard especially in the dry season. So,it is advisable to always keep weed down by slashing 2 to 4 times a year.

INTERCROPPING CASHEW : Crops can be grown between cashew trees.Leguminous crops are intercrop in the first 2 years.Cashew can also be intercropped at random between coconut,mango tree and banana/ plantain.

HARVESTING CASHEW : Grafted cashew trees which take shorter period to fruiting (18 to 20 months) and possible extra months to harvest.Cashew trees flower and set fruit during the dry season and you can start picking them within a few months. Other regular long tree cashew will start producing from 7 years and continue production with good management for another 20yrs.All the trees develop both male and bisexual flowers .Pollination is mainly by insects.In harvesting some famers cut the ripe fruits from the tree.Other farmers wait until the fruits have fallen to the ground usually the best practice which ensures that the nuts are ripe .The apple if bitter is usually left to rot but the nuts must not be left on the ground for more than a week.

Next we shall look at the various pest and diseases related or associated to cashew tree.Thereafter we shall look at a brief cost analysis to set up an acre or hectare of a cashew plantation.

Thks a million for the value attachment.

In planting you can plant 1 seed of maize per hole with a spacing of 75cm by 25cm or 70cm by 20cm .When planting with 2 seed per hole you use a spacing of 80cm by 30cm.

Pls send a message for request or inquiry to me via call,text message or WhatsApp 07082638957 or email : Seedworldintegratedconceptltd@gmail.com your email need to be gotten properly .

Gdm all.

@Tokyo thk you for the inquiry.

MAIZE CALCULATION FOR THE 40 ACRES.
40 Acres is equal to 16 hectares.
You need 15kg per hectare .
You need a total of 240kg for your 40 acres for planting.

pls get across to me on the watermelon let me know the size of land for planting and also price discussion either by call,text message or WhatsApp on 07082638957 or EMAIL : Seedworldintegratedconceptltd@gmail.com