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Old 08-11-2018, 09:59 PM   #1 (permalink)
louis14
 
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Default New concept GM high density field

As our fruit quality is improving all the time and we are now seeing nice sized bunches growing on the second generation pstems in our Gros Michel fields. And in view of the current state of our fields which were planted 1.80m apart, I decided to test plant these bananas much closer with the option of using the field either as a pup only generating field after decapitation of the mature plant, keeping however my options open for the possibility of this being a fruit producing field if the operation went smoothly; or both.
It all started back in mid-March of this year when we dug up hundreds of pups of GM and nursed them for two and a half months under our new 50% shade polytunnel.







Wanting to recycle PVC piping that had been used previously for sprinklers in lemongrass fields, I decided on a rather new aereal approach to irrigation, made possible by the availability of a small screwable micro sprinkler. One of the problems we always encounter in ground sprinkler systems is that weeds displace or create obstacles which forces us to regularly verify every sprinkler head, a back-breaking exercise for our workers and a source of stunted growth due to lack of water at the right time. The small standard ground-positionned sprinklers also usually have a small hole for the water to pass, a hole which is easily blocked by debris and the growth of green algae.
These newly available screwable micro sprinklers have a much larger passage for the water, allowing for rapid irrigation of a large volume of water and are also less subject to blockage.

The aereal pipe also allowed me to consider watering two rows of bananas with one pipe instead of the usual one row.

This new design irrigation system was easily installed, maintained in place by 1 meter long 12 mm diameter sections of rebar planted into the ground at 5 meter intervals

The planting was very quick as I acquired a new earth drilling machine using an auger of the same diameter as the bags in which we had transplanted our pups. We used as a measuring tool to ensure distance was respected between each plant and made holes at exactly one meter distance from each other, and this in both directions.





Transplanting was extremely quick and efficient, and within two days, four workers had properly transplanted eight hundred plants into the new 800m2 field, a very high density indeed.



After two and a half months in the ground, the plants are looking fantastic. They are folear fed every two weeks with our usual mix. Watered when necessary but it is the rainy season so we have only had to water them half a dozen times.



The field has only needed to be weeded once with a hoe, which was a quick operation as the field is small in surface.
Now after two and a half months in the ground, the leaf cover is providing enough shade to stunt further weed growth which is a blessing I must say.

We are regularly deleafing the lower leaves to push for faster development and this is also proving to work very well, in the same manner we apply to our Namwa

The high density planting allows the plants to protect each other from the elements, and there are some very interesting interactions happening here.



I will keep you updated on developments in the coming months.

Last edited by louis14 : 08-11-2018 at 10:46 PM.
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