Farm Establishment & Management

PCA-CETC Specialized Course on Coconut Agro-technology & Extension 2012

 1 Prepare the land

 Clear the area of all debris and thick

vegetation, i.e., felled trees, stumps,
piled weeds & shrubs at more than
6” high, and other obstruction

 Cultivate the soil thoroughly if

intercropping is planned very soon
 2 Plant covercrops
Where intercropping is not intended > to
minimize erosion and prevent weed growth
Broadcast seeds (at the rate of 15-20
kg/ha) uniformly over the entire
field before the last harrowing
Two
Methods
Sow seeds in furrows spaced 0.5 -
0.75 m apart; cover lightly with top
soil

Ensure adequate moisture before &

several weeks after sowing
 What’s your
3 planting system?

Square Rectangular

Triangular
monoculture
15% more palms than
Square system
 Square Triangular
Planting System System
Distance No. of Palms

8 x 8 m 156 180
8.5 x 8.5 m 138 160
9 X 9 m 123 143
10 X 10 m 100 115
Square System – 10 x 10 m.
 100 m. long for
large areas

Compass Ropes – 2 sets

Measuring tape
 1 – 1.5 m. long
 1.5 inch diameter
 160 pcs/sq. m.
Stakes
Mark two set of ropes > marking pen or a
small cord of different color fixed by
inserting into the twine.

Make marks according to the planting

distance (PD) ; if PD is 10 m., mark the rope
every 10 m. Do the same for the other set of
rope marking every 10 m for row distance (RD)

PD RD
 1 Choose starting point

 either center of planting area or at

one side or corner

 Establish North-South line, using compass,

marked rope, and an L-square or any 1
-square meter material to determine right
angles
 2 Form a square

 Using the marked PD rope, each corner

corresponds to the marked point on the
rope. The N-S or E-W line corresponds
to the diagonals of the square which
passes thru the center of two corners
thus bisecting the angles.

The distance from one corner to the

center of the diagonals is the row
distance (RD).
 3 Set the reference line
or the first row
 Set RD rope and place marker-stakes in
every two points marked on the rope and
only on one side for proper alignment.
 4 Continue lay-outing

 Either row by row using the RD rope and

squares or to any directions N-E, S-E, S-W
or N-W using the PD rope provided at
least two points are established to make
a straight line

 Always recheck alignment of stakes

HOLING

50 centimeters

Hole diameter
50 x 50 x 50 cm
Return top soil first followed by fertilizer
Mix soil and fertilizer. Add sub-soil
 Plant the seedling
At start of rainy
season

Firmly press soil around

the base but never
cover the seedling collar
with soil or get into the
leaf axils
Take care of the newly planted palms
 first 3-4 yrs > most critical period
for growing palms
 Protect from stray animals - fence
 Check drainage – water should not
stagnate in seedling holes
continuously for long periods

 Remove weeds within about 1 m

radius of palms or apply mulch
using dry weeds, coco husks, farm
wastes & other organic mulches
Take care of the newly planted palms

 Replace dead plants, unhealthy & stunted

seedlings. Reserve 15 healthy
seedlings/ha for replacement
 Apply fertilizers regularly
 Fertilizer rates (per tree) for palms
under coastal areas (w/in 2 km from coastline)

Palm Age 21-0-0 + 0-0-60 or NaCl

FP 150 g 100 g 80 g
6 mos. 200 g 150 g 120 g
1 year 500 g 500 g 400 g
2 year 750 g 750 g 600 g
3 years 1.0 kg 1.0 kg 800 g
4 years 1.25 kg 1.25 kg 1.00kg
5 years or more 1.50 kg 1.50 kg 1.20kg
 Fertilizer rates (per palm) under inland
areas (more than 2 km from coastline)

Palm Age 21-0-0 + 0-0-60 or NaCl

FP 150 g 200 g 160 g

6 mos 200 g 250 g 200 g
1 year 500 g 600 g 480 g
2 year 750 g 900 g 720 g
3 years 1.0 kg 1.50 kg 1.25 kg
4 years 1.25 kg 1.70 kg 1.35 kg
5 years 1.50 kg 2.00 kg 1.70 kg
or more
 When to apply Fertilizers

in areas with distinct wet & dry seasons - every

6 mos. Thru split application (1st half -start of
rainy season & 2nd half before end of rainy
season)

In areas with uniform rainfall distribution - apply

once a year