Managing the soil on your farm is just like stocking a grocery cupboard – so before you set off to buy fertilisers, you should know what your soil already contains. Otherwise, you could use the incorrect fertiliser which will lead to poor crops and could cost you a lot of…
Anybody can grow vegetables organically, says grower Jane Griffiths, but it’s important to start out right. We asked her why soil preparation is so important. Good soil preparation and soil health are the foundation of successful organic farming. “A crop is a mirror of the soil it grows in,” says…
Organic crop production is about using natural materials to improve soil fertility, mainly of humus and micro-organisms that break down the organic material so plants can use it. Humus (an end product of compost) and globulin (produced by micorisa fungi) are particularly important. Humus retains up to 80% of water;…
Question: What can be done to improve the water-holding capacity of sandy soil? The water-holding capacity of a soil is controlled by the soil texture and the organic matter content. Soils with a high percentage of silt and clay particles usually have a higher water-holding capacity than soils that have…
High-density grazing helped Angus McIntosh restore soil health, eliminate pests and diseases and double the feed conversion ratio of his chickens. Before Angus McIntosh started farming at Spier Biodynamic Farm just outside Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, somebody warned him that the soil there was very poor. “That person won’t…
Soil tillage is a costly business and intensive tillage can degrade the soil and impact the potential for crop production in the long term. New tillage systems, such as no-till and reduced tillage, were developed to slow down or stop the process of degradation. These systems, which fall under the…
Question: With reference to your opinion about the cover crop tillage… I want to know what would be the best method to prepare my soil for crops if you know there are drought conditions predicted for the region? There are several principles I can discuss. There is no single soil…
The creation of soil takes millions of years and to create only 1 cm of fertile topsoil takes 100 to 400 years. Erosion due to the forces of wind and water can wipe that soil away within the wink of an eye. Good farming practices applied by farmers can reduce…
When looking at a hand full of soil, it might not look very active, but your soil is a container for a dynamic system of biotic (living) and abiotic (physical) processes. This means the composition of your soil is constantly changing and to ensure good yields, farmers must adjust to…
Too much salt in water and soil can have a dire effect on crops, hampering germination and growth. There are a number of causes for salty soil. Some soil is intrinsically saline, and poor drainage, climatic trends that lead to the accumulation of salt in soil, and human activities such…
The pH level of your soil influences the availability of nutrients to plants in the soil. If the pH levels move beyond the optimal range of about 6 (slightly acidic) and 7.5 (slightly alkaline), your plants will have difficulty to absorb certain nutrients and deficiencies will occur, ultimately affecting the…
If you cultivate vegetables of any kind, you will know how important the pH of your soil is. The pH value of your soil will indicate which crops or vegetables will grow best in your soil. The pH of soil is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of the…
The quality of wine depends largely on vine management. Here are some tips for achieving optimal returns from new vineyards. Proper soil preparation is very important when establishing vineyards. Soil profile holes should be dug to determine the soil type and structure, to see whether any restrictive layers – such…
Chemical fertilisers may be expensive, but they are needed for optimal vegetable production. A panel of experts from the South African Agricultural Research Council (ARC) has the following advice on how to build soil nutrient status with organic fertilisers. Where funds are limited, use at least 25% of the recommended…
Solanaceous crops, like African eggplant, need to be rotated and cannot return to the same field (or the same garden patch) until 2 or 3 seasons have passed. Factor this into your medium-term plan. LAND PREPARATION Plough, disc and ridge if you prefer to follow conventional cultivation practices. A more…
Need some advice and information on vegetable farming? Look no further, we compiled all of the fresh produce articles produced on Africanfarming.com so far in this one post, so you can have all the information in one place. Horticulture: Grow vegetables in a tyre garden Creative and practical, South African musician…
Soil testing has rapidly advanced and now, instead of offering only chemical data as part of scripts, tests are increasingly being conducted in both laboratories and on farms at reasonable cost. Old underwear and tea bags are two of the instruments American farmers are using to affordably measure biological life…
Zambian farmers are complaining about the high cost of soil testing. It costs K50 to test one element, while a comprehensive test will put you back K1 000. Scores of farmers interviewed by Africanfarming.com said the cost is too high. It is compounded by transport costs because of centralised testing…
Poor pasture management and overgrazing can seriously damage a farm’s profit margins. Here are some tips to ensure optimal pasture and veld production. Good management is essential to improve the quality and quantity of pastures. But before you can decide on a strategy, it’s essential to know what your resources…
Fresh vegetables are essential for good health and there will always be a market for them. Follow this planting plan and produce vigorous veggies. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) recommends an intake of 400 g of fruit and vegetables per person, per day, or 146 kg per…
It is the end of the rainy season, and some farmers have to turn to irrigation to supply their crops with enough water. It is essential to plan carefully before installing or even buying an irrigation system. There are 6 factors to consider, in order to make decisions about how to…
Microbial soil organisms can likely be a new, environmentally friendly weapon against crop diseases invading Africa, scientists say. In the past few years several trans-boundary pests and diseases like fall armyworm, tomato leaf miner and the tropical race 4 (TR4) banana disease, caused millions of dollars of crop damage. It…
There are many benefits to making compost which is essential in building soil health. Compost is a low cost input because the components like ash, fresh and dry grass, animal dung, soil and water are all on-farm. Compost contains important nutrients for plant growth, like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and…
It has long been known that the soils of Sub-Saharan Africa are degraded. Poor soils mean poor crops and poor yields. Take action now and restore fertility to the soils on your farms, fields and in your food gardens. Degraded soils are over-used and exhausted, they have little topsoil, poor…