Profitable Maize farming: How to Make 45 bags per acre
Step by step guide to maize planting
Maize is Uganda’s stable diet. It is costly crop to grow, costing the farmer around Shilings 2.5M/acre for one to achieve good yields.
Below is a step by step guide for maize farming.
Step 1: Field selection
Select a field that supports maize variety you intend to plant. Identify the altitude, soil type, climate of the place before planting. Maize is a sub-tropical crop and the altitude at which it is grown is significant to its potential to mature.
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Well drained soil is also very necessary.
Step 2: Seed-bed preparation
The aim of this is to achieve a deep, loose soils. Maize is a free-adopting plant so there need to be no restriction on root development in the early stages.
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Crops that strive with compacted soil then toil to mature and achieve excellent yield.
Step 3: Drilling and sowing
Maize seed should be drilled to a uniform midst and into moisture. Maize requires drilling slowly with one seed delivered every 10-12cm.
Step 4: Choosing a variety
Choose a variety of seed that suits the altitude and soil type. This will enable your get high yield.
Step 5: Weed control
Once drilled, all fields should earn a pre-emergent herbicide to combat weeds. This will also mean post-emergence herbicides have limited work to do. Don’t delay weed control. Once they surpass the 2-leaf stage they will start out-competing maize. Maize is very poor at struggling with weeds in its earliest stages of development so this must be avoided.
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Step 6: Crop nutrition
Nitrogen is the driver and a lot of crops just don’t get enough because of an over-estimation of what the soil can provide.
Ideally, the application of nitrogen should be split with 75% DAP in the seedbed and the remaining 25% Top dressing applied at the 1-3 leaf stage. This will help the crop get through its yellow phase often seen at early developmen.
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Step 7: Pests and diseases
In Kenya pests diseases isn’t a big problem. Leaf rust is the main disease which requires to be sprayed every 2-3 weeks until the disease disappears
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