LOOKING AFTER THE PLANTATION
- Cultivation
You must remove the weeds around the young oil palms.
This work is done with a hoe or a machete.
During the first year, cultivate 6 times.
Remove all the weeds for 2 metres around each stem.
During the first months, the weeds between rows have to be cut.
If you leave the weeds, the cover crop will not grow well. - Trimming the plants
You must always cut away the dry leaves of the oil palm.
In order to cut the leaves without damage to the oil palm, your tools must be well sharpened.
Cut the leaves very close to the stem, so that no other plants can grow in the axil of the cut-off leaves.
Remove from the trunk any plants (ferns) that may grow in the axils of the leaves.
Remove also the male flowers. - Applying fertilizer
The oil palm needs a lot of mineral salts to form its leaves and fruit clusters.
When the oil palm is young, it needs above all nitrogen.
When the oil palm has begun to produce, it needs a lot of potash.
Potash increases the number of fruit clusters, and makes them bigger.
PROTECT AGAINST INSECTS
- Rhinoceros and augosome beetles Strategus beetle
To protect the young trees, put in the axil of the leaves a mixture of sawdust and BHC.
Palm weevil (Rhynchophora)
To avoid dangerous attacks, be very careful not to wound the trees.
The insects may lay their eggs in the wounds of the oil palm.
The insects may lay their eggs in the wounds of the oil palm.
There are other insects, but it is difficult for the grower to control them.
Oil palms may also be attacked by rats and agoutis.
Rats and agoutis can eat young oil palms.
Protect your young oil palms against agoutis by wire netting round each tree.
As a protection against rats, you can place little bags with poisoned maize near the oil palms.
Protect your young oil palms against agoutis by wire netting round each tree.
As a protection against rats, you can place little bags with poisoned maize near the oil palms.
Diseases
Oil palms may be attacked by several diseases.
If you see distorted leaves or leaves that break, ask for advice from the extension service.
HARVESTING
- Harvesting needs much time and much care, because only those fruit clusters which are cut at the right moment yield a lot of good-quality oil.
You must go through the plantation many times to pick the ripe clusters.
A cluster is ripe for harvesting when the fruits begin to turn red, and when 5 or 6 fruits drop to the ground.
If you wait too long before harvesting the clusters, harvesting takes much more time, because you must pick up all the fruits that have dropped to the ground.
The fruits will also yield less oil, and the oil will be of less good quality.
If you do not wait long enough before harvesting the clusters, the fruit will not be ripe enough.
It will be more difficult to separate the fruits from the clusters and the clusters will yield less oil. - The clusters can be cut off with different tools.
For oil palms 4 to 7 years old
Cut the clusters with a chisel.
Slip the chisel between the stem and the leaf; in this way you can cut off the cluster without cutting the leaf below it.
For oil palms 7 to 12 years old
Cut the clusters with a machete.
If the clusters are too high up, climb up the tree by putting your feet on the base of the leaves.
For oil palms older than 12 years
Cut the clusters with a long-armed sickle.
If the clusters are too high up to be cut with the longarmed sickle, use bamboo ladders, or else climb up the tree with a belt; you can also wear spiked shoes.
Any clusters that have dropped to the ground should be collected in a basket.
Fruits that have come loose must also be picked up.
Fruits that have come loose must also be picked up.
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
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