"SEC | S20W5:"Planting & Care"

Steem greetings from the motherland-Caneroon to all agripreneurs on the Steemit ecosystem. It is yet another awesome week of the engagement challenge and our topic for discussion this week focuses on "Planting & Care".

My analysis will be based on the guiding questions below. I hope you find pleasure in reading through it.

Which season does your region/country fall; what are the best planting times and why are these times the best?

Climate change has greatly influenced a significant change in planting season in Cameroon. For this reason, farmers work now on the assumption that some months will be preferable to plant.

However, planting season usually occurs in March when the rainy season starts around the 15th of March. This continues till April and sometimes May depending on the type of crops to be planted. Some farmers go to the extent of planting again in August and September before the rainy season stops in October.

These periods are best for planting because the amount of precipitation needed for the crop's growth is sufficient not unlike in June, July and August with heavy rainfall causing flooding.

Literally, I can say Cameroon falls on the centre region planting season though planting is also done in August -September. As I earlier said, it all depends on the type of crops to be planted.

What is the importance of planting trees in the right place and in which places can trees be planted?

Tree planting is important when planted in the right place as it helps to shade the crops from being destroyed by the easterly winds in Cameroon. This also depends on where the trees are planted and for what purpose.

In wetlands in Cameroon, most farmers plant eucalyptus trees because they will help to absorb more water.

In bare and forest land areas, mostly eco-friendly trees like moringa, mango, acacia African Palm trees etc are planted.

In our backyards, we plant trees like the cypress tree mostly to help as shade during the hot afternoons. We also plant moringa trees in our backyards because they are also medicinal.

We plant bamboo trees in slope areas as they help to bind the soil together and reduce soil erosion.

What kind of fertilizers or organic fertilizers should be used to prepare the soil before planting?

I have never witnessed nor seen where farmers in Cameroon use fertilizers or organic fertilizers to plant trees.

Fertilizers are used in Cameroon in food crops like maize, potatoes, etc. With tree planting we do not use fertilizer. The area where the trees are to be planted is prepared by cutting off the grass and holes are dug, organic manure poured into the hole before planting the tree. This method of using organic manure to plant trees is only for trees like mango, plum and avocado trees. The manure will help to boost growth.

Other species of trees are planted without using organic manure. Notwithstanding, it all depends on the type of tree and the soil type where the tree is tobe planted.

What is the correct method of using pesticides and fungicides for gardening and which pesticides/fungicides can be used?

The main pest that attacks trees in Cameroon is insect pests, mostly fruit trees like mango trees, cocoa trees, plums trees, etc. Cocoa, is most often attacked by capsid insects and black pods.

For fruit trees like mango trees, we used imidacloprid to control the disease. For cocoa, farmers commonly use a combination of neonicotinoids and pyrethroids is used for the cocoa trees.

Most often farmers either wrongfully or misuse pesticides on trees and crops that damage the environment and also pose a threat to consumers' health and even the farmers’ health.

The correct method to apply pesticides and fungicides is based on the different problems identified. As a farmer, you need to be able to identify the type of pests or diseases that attack the crop.

Master your measurements in order to minimise cost. The rightful measurements are written on the formulated pesticides.

Spray your plants early in the morning or later in the evening hours because it permits foliage to dry off the plants before temperatures are high within the day.

What home remedies can be used to protect plants for the roof or back garden?

The most common home remedy we use to protect plants for back gardens or roofs is wood ash. Since the area cultivated is not large, a bowl of wood ash will do a nice job of protecting your plants. We sprinkle the wood ash on the plants and when it's raining, rain helps to flush it down into the roots of the plant.

We also used neem oil which acts like a repellent. We mixed about 2 tablespoons of neem oil with about 10 litters of water to spray our plants

Lastly, we use garlic as a home remedy to spray our plants. You need some gloves of garlic to be blended with water. Later strain the water and use it to spray your plants.

In sum, planting requires the farmer to first be able to identify the perfect time to plant, and the types of plants to be planted. Knowing the correct pesticides and fungicides to use will help to minimise wastage and protect our environment and the health challenges posed by the chemicals used to control pests and diseases in our plants. I will invite @rafk, @ruthjoe, and @pelon53 to share with us their thoughts about the topic "Planting & Care".