Commercial vegetable project in a toughest and challenging environment

Dear Ramu sir,

Two of our sisters(including me) have planted ODC variety drum stick plants in 5 acres of our father’s land near Hyderabad (Keesara village). The soil is Black and we have good water supply.

we are expecting the flowering to start in the 5th month from planting and harvest from 7th month.

We have seen your very impressive post suggesting a fertiliser schedule for brinjal.

Will you be kind enough to suggest a similar fertigation schedule for our drumstick crop till the harvest.

We prefer to use water soluble fertilisers and sprays. Not particular about organic methods.

Thank you in anticipation,

Vriddhi & Harini
Keesara

Great Vriddhi ! I really appreciate your interest in farming …

Generally drumstick does not need heavy fertigation …it is a drought tolerant crop and sustain very well with minimum available nutrients …

so it just needs part of the totall nutrients first during pinching of young trees and next at the time of beginning of flower initiation
As you mentioned it is ODC , you might be having around 450 - 500 plants per acre .For this level of plant population , one acre of Drumstick requires50 kgs Nitrogen and10 kgs phosphorus and 15 kgs of potasium

If you use water soluble fertilizers like 19-19-19 , you need 53 kgs of all 19

and 87 kgs Urea and 20 kgs of potassium magnesium sulphate ( 0-0-22- 18 magnesium -20 Sulphur )

Apply All 19 after first pinching in about 75-80 days after sowing seeds in 2-3 split applications at 4-5 days interval and Urea in about 4- 5 months in 4-5 split application at 5- 7 days interval and Potasium magnesium sulphate in about 6 months after sowing in 2 split applications at 7 days interval …

Since you say your land is of black soil type, you need to earth up entire plantation to allow the roots free respiration and do light irrigation in weekly interval more particularly at the time of pinching and flowering …

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Dear Ramu sir,
The quantity you mentioned ( 53 kg all 19s, 87 kg urea, 20 kg PMS) is for one acre or for the entire 5 acres?

Do we also need to add micro nutrients?

Pl forgive us for asking these simple questions.

Thank you

Vriddhi

This is for one acre only …Regarding micronutrients , you need to study your soil for general nutrient status and then decide if it needs any of the micronutrients …In general black cotton soil is fertile soil …only thing is soil physical condition that most of the time make it difficult for plants to uptake from soil …In compact and hard soil condition , poor soil aeration or excess soil wetness will be the cause of poor availability / uptake of nutrients by trees…it is the main reason , the drumstick is not doing well in most of the central and north indian states where black soil is predominant …

Dear Ramu,

Kindly share your contact no.