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Booklet - Conservation Farming
Step 6. Planting the crop
Maize
Plant Manual with the - Fire first good rain
(mid November to mid
December)
Soak the seeds overnight (6
hours) before planting - it will
speed up germination. Plant 4
seeds in the hole opposite the
manure/fertiliser 3 cm deep.
Plant the day after a good
planting rain. Never plant into
soil that is getting dry.
Cotton
Plant with the first good rain.
(mid November to mid
December)
Back fill most of the soil into
the hole leaving a small
repression only. Plant 5 to 6
seeds per hole, and cover very
lightly.
Cow Pea, Pigeon Pea, Gram
Plant mid to end of December
(You can plant some of the crop
earlier, in order to get an early
harvest for consumption). 5 to
6 seeds per hole - 3 cm deep
Groundnuts
Plant with the first good rain.
(mid to end of November)
Plant 8 to 10 nuts across the
hole - 3 cm deep
Sunflower
Plant between 1st -15th of
December. 4 to 6 seeds per
hole - 2 cm deep
Step 7. Early weeding
Start to weed as soon as weeds
emerge. This makes the work
easier and faster - it takes less
time to weed a field with tiny
weeds 4 times - than to weed
a field with big weeds 2 times.
When the weeds grow big the
crops will suffer as the weed
will steal nutrition, water and
light from the crops.
Step 8. Thinning
Thin while the plants are still
young in order not to disturb
the surviving plants. Thin maize
Booklet - Conservation - Conservation Farming
to 3 plants per hole and cotton
to 4 plants per hole.
Step 9. Top dressing
Add top dressing to maize
when it is knee high. Place the
fertiliser in a small hole 20 cm
from the stand of maize - 1
bottle top per station.
Step 10. Mid and late season
weeding
Do not allow weeds to shed
their seeds. As the land is not
ploughed, the weed population
will be smaller every year, if the
weeds never shed their seeds.
Step 11. Top the maize
Once the maize is mature, it is
a good idea to top the stalks
just above the cobs, and drop
the tops in the furrow. This will
shed up the drying and reduce
lodging from termites and wind.
Minimum tillage using
oxen
Ripper
A farmer can carry out
minimum tillage using a ripper.
A ripper does not turn around
the soil, but loosen the soil in a
furrow, in which the crop can
be planted. This work can be
done in the dry season, as it is
not so heavy to pull compared
with a plough. This will make
the farmer ready to plant early.
The ripper does not get
disturbed by thrash lying on the
ground.
Ploughing lines
A farmer can decide to plough
lines - instead of ploughing the
whole field. The job will be done
fast and secure all crops being
planted reasonably early,
compared with conventional
ploughing.
Cultivating
Cultivating does not turn
around the soil and it is very
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