HOW TO GROW MAIZE (Zea mays) FOR INCOME

Are you thinking of going into maize farming? Do you know that many are making millions every year from maize farming business? Many still see farming as a low mentality concept and prefer to go for low paying jobs than go into maize farming process.

Maize farming is one profitable agricultural business with low capital that anyone can venture into and make good money. And it is one common crop that is popularly eaten by people around the world.

Starting a maize farm is very easy if you have the knowledge of what you need to do to achieve success in the business. Though it is a seasonal crop but it has the potential to make you millions yearly and it does not involve any intensive training like other farming business.

I will share with you here how to start maize farming and I want you to give it your attention if you really are interested in starting a farm.

How to Start Profitable Maize Farming
1. CHOICE OF LAND AND PREPARATION
Maize can be well in a well-drained sandy loam or loamy soil. Use any method (Mechanical, Chemical or Manual) that can adequately remove weeds and keep the soil loose for good seedbed. Plant seeds immediately after land preparation to allow maize to get ahead of weeds.

The land should have adequate drainage. To grow maize, you must first choose the best spot to grow it. The soil should be wind sheltered, exposed to direct sunlight, well sourced with a good drainage system and sufficient humus to ensure that the ground will not dry quickly.

The top layer of the soil must be fertile and slightly acidic. You must put a substantial grade of compost into the soil complemented with a reasonably good source of fertilizer two weeks in advance to sowing the seeds.

2. TIME OF PLANTING
There are no specific dates to plant your maize. However, it is best to plant after it has rained consecutively for 2 times.

Early Season
In the Forest zone, the optimum planting date is between March and April, although planting could be done as soon as rainfall becomes steady.
In the Derived Savannah zone, plant as soon as the rainfall becomes steady, between 1-30 April.
In the Southern Guinea Savannah zone, planting could still be done as late as May and June, depending on rainfall.
Late Planting
This is done early august which is not appropriate.

Poke holes that are 1 inch deep for heavy soil and 2 inches or less in sandy soil. Make straight rows that are 2 to 3 feet apart. The distance allows the roots room to grow. This pattern will help in proper pollination and provide wind protection as well. The seeds must be directly planted in the soil rather than in trays and pots since corn is difficult to be transplanted.

Plant 3 or 4 seeds per hole and cover each hole with soil. Looking after and tending to each seedling individually is of the utmost importance. Netting must be provided to shelter the saplings in order to protect them against birds and the weeds must be kept low.

3. FERTILIZER APPLICATION
Fertilizer that is rich in nitrogen is the best for maize to grow healthy. Maize needs a lot of nitrogen to grow and do well. A 4 bag fertilizer of NPK 25:10:10 (200 g) per hectare for proper growth.

Note that it is ideal to carry out soil test before applying fertilizer. It is important because that same fertilizer may have been used on that same land for years which might affect the growth.

4. WEED CONTROL
There are many types of weeds, pests and diseases that affect maize plants. Weeds do not only choke the crops, it also zaps off soil nutrient that is meant for the crops.

Hand Weeding
Carry out the first weeding 14–21 days after planting or as soon as necessary. A second weeding may be done if necessary before the second application of fertilizer.

Herbicide Application
Fortunately, there are several herbicides you can apply to prevent a breakout on your farm. Apply Atrazine pre-emergence at the rate of 3 kg ai/ha on a clean seed bed. 4 For 50% flowable (PW), rate is 3.0 kg active ingredient per hectare.Local unit is 1 small tomato tin full/4.5 liters (1 gallon) of water. For type 80% wettable powder, rate is 3.0 kg active ingredient per hectare. Local unit is approximately one standard match box full/4.5 liters (1 gallon) of water.Volume of Water to be Used:Ideally, the sprayer should be calibrated to determine the spray volume.

5. DISEASE AND PEST CONTROL

Diseases

Some important diseases of maize are Maize Streak Virus, Downy Mildew, and Highland Blight among others. Planting early can also help minimize the attack.Rodents, birds and termites are also another threat to maize farming in Nigeria. Termite hills in the field and surrounding area should be located and destroyed.

6. HARVESTING

When the cobs are ready for harvesting, each cob should be tested to see its ripeness. This is usually carried out when the tassels have turned a dark brown and the rear part of the sheath is pulled to check quality of the liquid squeezed out from a couple of grains.Harvest your maize when the plants are mature. The amount of maize that can be harvested per hectare depends on the variety you planted, amount of rainfall, sunshine, weed, pest and disease control management that was applied.It is said that corn is at its best when cooked within 10 minutes of its harvest. However, even if you don’t get the corn right after harvesting, quality grown corn is still good and very fresh to eat. Good corn always tastes good.Hope you have learnt how to start a maize farming today?

"When you leverage on the experience of the professional, success is guaranteed"

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HOW TO GROW PINEAPPLE PLANT / PINEAPPLE SUCKERS (HYBRID) FOR INCOME

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Temperature Range: 65 °F - 95 °F.

Rainfall: 60 cm/year (at regular intervals throughout the growing season).

Soil Type: Well-drained and acidic soil (4.5-5.5 pH).

Propagation: Crown, suckers and slips.

Flowering: Requires cooler temperatures.

PROPAGATION METHOD

The propagation of pineapple plants is mostly carried out by means of crowns. Seeds are not preferred owing to their slow growth. Other parts of the plant such as 'slips' and 'suckers' are also used for propagation. While preparing the crown for propagation, its lower leaves are peeled off to expose the 'root primordia'. Crowns are then planted in a potted soil known as 'Bromeliad Potting Soil'. Then the plants are grown in pots for few days before moving them in fields.

Sucker Propagation:

Planting suckers allow fast growth of pineapples in comparison to the traditional method of planting the crown. For this, you need to first identify them and learn to pick them. Suckers are found between leaves of fully-grown pineapple plants. They can be pulled out with the hand; you just have to twist them at their base. It also prevents the plant (sucker) from getting hurt. Rest of the procedure for growing pineapple plants is same as that used in the traditional method.

Slip Propagation:
Slips can be found at the base of pineapple fruits. These are tiny plants not found in all varieties of pineapples. The Smooth Cayenne and Rough Cayenne are commonly used for growing pineapples from slips. You can pull and plant the slips just like suckers. The method used for growing pineapples from slips is same as the traditional one.

Crown Propagation:
It is the most common method of propagation in pineapples. The crown is pulled or cut off from the fruit and kept for rooting for about 3 weeks after which short roots emerge. The crown can then be used for potting in the house or field cultivation.

FIELD CULTIVATION OF PINEAPPLE

Climate and Soil Requirements of Pineapple
The pineapple plants grow well in a temperature ranging from 65 °F to 95 °F.
Although it can tolerate cold temperatures for a short period during nights, the growth gets stunted and fruits become acidic when it is exposed to lower temperatures for a longer time. Well-drained and friable soil, rich in organic matter is considered as best for growing pineapples. The pineapple plants grown at high altitudes bear acidic fruits.

Planting

Before planting, pineapple fields are well-prepared to suit this shallow rooted plant. Crowns prepared for plantation are sown at a depth of 10 cm in double- rows. A distance of 25-30 cm. is maintained between two plants, while two
double-rows are kept 0.9-1.8 m apart. Mulching is used in pineapple fields for conserving soil moisture, maintaining the necessary temperature of soil and also for controlling weeds. In the mulching activity, entire field is covered with plastic sheets or bagasse (sugarcane pulp) is used.

Fertilizer Application
Nutrient requirements of the pineapple plant change across different regions. Like any other crops, pineapples too require nitrogen in greater quantities than any other soil nutrient. In Kenya, 472 kg nitrogen per hectare is used in the first year in 4 equal parts. For acidic soils, the application of magnesium sulfate proves to be beneficial. It is applied at a rate of 327 kg/ha in sandy-clay soils. Chelate is actually a chemical compound in which a metal atom is bound by other atoms. Iron, when applied with nitrogen in a chelated form, increases the crop yield as well as the fruit size.

Irrigation and Weed Control
For the cultivation of pineapple plant, irrigation is required only in the dry months of summer. Manual weeding is not recommended in pineapple fields, since it proves to be expensive and can also lead to soil erosion. Practice of
mulching is the best option for controlling weeds.

Flowering
Induction of flowering is undertaken to control the time of harvest and maturity in pineapples. Use of chemicals to control the natural and 'organic' growth of any plant is artificial and unnatural; however, cultivators tend to practice it to avoid excessive fruit production during peak periods. Earlier, ethylene gas was commonly used to control the fruiting process. Today, hormones such as a naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) are used. When a pineapple plant is 6 months old, it is treated with hormones to induce
flowering.

Pests and Diseases
Care of pineapple plants becomes important in order to protect them from pests and diseases. Controlling the nematodes is necessary because they stunt pineapple growth. 1,3-dichloropropene or 1,3-D is efficient in controlling the nematodes and is applied using the fumigation process. In this process, the soil is smoked. Mealy bugs which cause the wilting of pineapple leaves are controlled by spraying pesticides. The fire ants which carry mealy bugs from one plant to another need to be controlled in this case. Root rot disease is controlled by improving soil drainage and fungicide application.

Harvesting
Summer fruits of pineapple mature early as compared to the winter ones. To know if the summer fruits are ready for harvesting, check whether the pineapple's 'eye' is pale green. In the winter season, fruits turn light yellow at the base and are considered as ready for harvesting. For pineapple fruits to be 'canned', it is necessary to harvest them when fully ripe.

The activity of pineapple cultivation requires in-depth knowledge of different stages of growth of this plant. With proper care and maintenance you can grow pineapple in fields as well as in the indoor environment.

NB: Remember; "When you leverage on the experience of the professional, success is guaranteed".

Some of the photos are from publication of:

National Agricultural Research Institute

Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara

Tel 020-2841-3 Fax 020-4481

E-mail nari@guyana.net.gy