Suckers are separated from their mother plant with a spade or machete. The sucker corm must not be damaged or chipped. Consequently the corm should be carefully peeled with a machete. The pseudo stem of the suckers should be cut off a few centimeters above the corm. Peeling of the corm delays the development of nematode infestation, while cutting of the pseudo stem reduces bulkiness and improves early growth of the newly planted sucker. The peeling process is just like that for cassava. A freshly peeled healthy corm ought to…
Read MoreHow to select Plantain Cultivars
For field cultivation, medium plantains should be preferred to giant ones even though giant plantains produce heavier bunches. Giant plantains take longer to produce and are more likely to be damaged by strong winds because of their size. The decision whether to grow a French or a False Horn plantain cultivar should depend on which type the consumers prefer. Horn plantains should never be cultivated as their yield is very low.
Read MoreThe Recommended Spacing for Plantain Cultivation
The recommended spacing for planting plantain is 3m between the plantain rows and 2 m within the row (in other words. 3 m x 2 m). An alternative is 2.5 m x 2.5 m. If spaced 3 m x 2 m, 1 hectare should contain 1667 plants, but with a spacing of 2.5 m x 2.5 m, it should contain 1600 plants. Rows should be straight in flat fields to give plants the maximum amount of sunlight. However, on sloping land, rows should follow the contour lines in order to decrease soil…
Read MoreMethods of field preparation for plantain farming
When preparing your fields for your plantain farming, you must be aware of the fact that fields are to be prepared with minimum disturbance to the soil (no-tillage farming). In consequence, manual clearing should be preferred to mechanical deforestation because bulldozers always remove topsoil with the important organic matter and compact the remaining soil. When an old natural fallow is cleared, the debris from the forest should be burned if plantain cultivation is planned for 1 or 2 cycles only. If perennial cultivation is being considered, planting should be done…
Read MoreSelecting a site for plantain farming? Things to consider
Selecting The Site There are some factors that must be considered when selecting a site for your plantain farming business which are as follows: 1) The site should be easily accessible, especially if the establishment of a large field is being planned. 2) It should be well drained but not too steeply sloped because Plantain cultivation is impossible if the land becomes flooded from time to time, or has a water table at a depth of only 50 cm or less. 3) The soil should be rich in organic matter…
Read MoreThe Importance of Plantain Farming Business
Plantain is a staple crop grown throughout the tropics. In Africa, plantain and Banana are also an important source of carbohydrate in the diet of more than 70 million people. Plantain is also an important source of revenue for farmers who produce the crop in small-scale field plantations and Backyards. Backyard soil is very rich in organic matter and nutrients from household refuse which is dumped there. Such gar-dens are permanently in use for plantains which grow there luxuriantly, become very large and produce heavy bunches. They grow in groups…
Read MoreSnail as a Super Food – 6 Reasons why you must eat snails
Below are some of the reasons why snail meat is considered a super food and why it is advisable that you should eat snails for your health. Protein: snails do provide a low calorie source of protein (unless you drench them like butter). Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle and also better at filling you up than carbs and fat. Many people look up to sea food as an easy source of protein but actually you should be aware that snails have more. Iron: snails are also a…
Read MoreThings to know about Snails
Snail farming in most countries for example in Nigeria is one of the most lucrative, cost effective, easy to run business practices that requires very little capital to run compared to other forms of agricultural practices like poultry farming and the likes. Snail farming in Nigeria is one of the most neglected farming practices in Nigeria yet the opportunities abound. Snails are more popular in African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. The opportunities are massive likewise the potentials. Unlike other forms of agricultural practices that will require…
Read MoreAdvantages of Snail Farming
Snail shells serves as calcium used for animal feeds Snail farming require little land or area Snail feeds are cheap and readily available Snail farming in Nigeria for instance is not capital intensive Snail farming is very easy to run Snail doesn’t require too much attention like other agricultural practices, making it easy to run as a part time business Snail farming requires little or no man power or labor Snail farming doesn’t constitute nuisance to the environment which is usually the case for other livestock farming in terms of…
Read MoreFacts about Snails and Snail Farming
Snails produce a thick slime which protect and give them the ability to crawl on sharp objects like the edge of a razor and not get hurt. Snails are hermaphrodites that is to say that they posses both male and female reproductive system. Garden snails have up to 14,175 teeth and they are all located on their tongue called the radula. The biggest snail specie is the Achatina Marginata (AM) which is very popular in Africa. Snails have the ability to hibernate or aestivate during extreme cold or dry season.…
Read MoreSimple Analysis for Snail Farming using Nigeria as a Reference Country
Am very sure a lot of us may want to know and analyze how profitable snail farming business is before wanting to venture into the business. Therefore, let us analyze below how profitable snail farming business can be in your various countries. If you start a snail farm with 1,000 matured snails and they lay lets say 100 eggs each in a year. Remember that snails can go 3 clusters in a year. Equals to 100 x 3 = 300 each (that is 300 snails each year) but for the…
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