How do I prepare my garden to grow passion fruits
When you want to start growing passion fruits, no matter how big the land is, have in mind what type you want to grow, the big commercial type or indigenous passion. Start with digging holes where you are going to put manure one month earlier.
After this, plant a nursery bed of the chosen type. Transplant them to the main garden after two months. You can now plant poles on which they will tangle as they grow. Also put a net to prevent dangerous insects from attacking the passion fruits.
Apply manure (NPK and urea) and spray the passion fruits with Indofil M45 and dudu axlemectin every after five days. With watering, fill a mineral water bottle with water and tie it on the pole, the continuous drops of water will keep the soil around the stem moist thus preventing it from drying.
Answered by Frank Ssenyondo a mixed farmer and owner of Kategula model farm in Masaka District
What is the feeding Schedule for pigs
The feeding schedule for pigs depends on the size and age of the animals, however, pigs feed on maize bran, cotton, sliver fish, shells. In the morning, give them water mixed with vilkill. This is to help accumulate antibodies in the pig’s body. In the afternoon at about 1pm, feed them on maize bran, this can take them till 5pm. You can feed them on fresh yam leaves. They can also feed on elephant grass, fresh banana leaves or fresh pumpkin leaves or fresh pumpkins at times.
However, breast-feeding piglets feed differently. So instead of water in the morning; give them greens then maize bran. Mix it with dairy link in the afternoon. You can sometimes feed them on hay made from shade-dried pumpkin leaves. Just as dairy link, hay made of pumpkin leaves helps to boost milk production.
Answered by Frank Ssenyondo, owner of Kategula model farm in Masaka District
What are the best soils for cassava growing?
Cassava grows best on light sandy loams or on loamy sands which are moist, fertile and deep, but it also does well on soils ranging in texture from the sands to the clays and on soils of relatively low fertility. In practice, it is grown on a wide range of soils, provided the soil texture is friable enough to allow the development of the tubers.
Cassava can produce an economic crop on soils so depleted by repeated cultivation that they have become unsuitable for other crops. On very rich soils the plant may produce stems and leaves at the expense of roots. In some parts of Africa freshly cleared forest soils are regarded as highly suitable after they have had a cereal crop.
However, no fertilisation is required when the land is freshly cleared. Like all rapidly growing plants yielding carbohydrates, cassava has high nutrient requirements and exhausts the soil very rapidly. But if the soil contains large quantities of assimilated nitrogen, the result will be heavy development of vegetative growth without a corresponding increase in root production. When cassava is grown on the land for a number of years in succession or in rotation, the soil get retarded which calls for fertilization. Fertilisation can be done with different kinds of organic manures, such as cattle dung manure or garbage. The kinds and quantities of fertilisers required by a cassava crop depend on the nature of the soil.
Answered by Julius Mabuya, an agronomist working with PAAT Soil clinic in Kyengera.
How useful is mulching?
Weeds compete with vegetables for water, nutrients and light. They also often harbour insects and diseases. Mulching is an important way to keep down the weeds in and around your garden. Small weeds are easier to control than large ones. When weeds get started they can retard plant growth.
Mulching is covering the soil around your crops with protective material. Besides controlling weeds, the mulch will conserve moisture, regulate the soil temperature and keep the vegetables clean.
With mulching, very little cultivation is needed. Mulching materials include leaves, straw, sawdust, wood chips, cardboard, newspaper, shredded paper, old carpet, and paper and plastic sheeting.
On established planting, materials are spread around the plants. Seeds and transplants are planted through holes at the desired spacing. Water can be applied from the side through furrow irrigation or by a trickle or drip tube or soaker hose under the mulch. Cultivate with a sharp hoe or cultivator just as the weeds begin to sprout. Scrape and loosen the total soil surface around the plants without going too deep, which would cut or damage shallow roots of the vegetable plants.
Cultivation will also help aerate the soil and can be used to mix a side-dressing of nitrogen fertiliser into the soil. Chemical herbicides for weed control are not generally recommended for use in home gardens.
Answered by Joseph Male an agronomist working with Holland Greentech Uganda.
