INTRODUCTION
- Coffee is one of the world’s largest traded commodity in over sixty countries therefore being a livelihood provider to over 25,000,000 families around the world. In Kenya, the coffee sector is a major employer. It contributes to an approximate of 5% revenue. It covers an approximate land area of 170,000 hectares. It is grown between an altitude of 1400 to 2100 metres above sea level. It is grown both in large and small scale. It is mainly grown as a beverage, though the plant residues can provide fuel, mulch and manure. The main variety grown in Kenya is coffee arabica.
PLANT NUTRITION AND FERTILIZATION.
For optimum production, the crop should be provided with a proper nutrition. This includes both macro and micronutrients which is achieved through application of basal and foliar fertilizers. After pruning your coffee trees well, hoed up the weeds, then apply fertilizer. Basal fertilizers are absorbed through the roots and they include DAP, CAN, NPK. All ground fertilizers should always be mixed with Humipower® at a rate of 50kgs fertilizer with 1kg humipower. Humipower improves nutrient uptake by the crop, adds organic matter to the soil, stimulates growth and stabilizes soil PH. Coffee trees need a lot of potash, nitrogen and a little of phosphoric acid. Spread the fertilizer in a ring around each coffee plant and be careful not to put any on its trunk, branches or leaves. MANURE could also be added depending on organic matter of the soil.
Foliar fertilizers are absorbed through the foliage and thus are sprayed. They include OPTIMIZER, GOLDCHANCE/LAVENDER SURSTARTER, SUPERGROWTH, FRUIT AND FLOWER,, AND TOTAL, ZINC AND BORON. The main reason we apply the above is because nutrients are lost by harvesting, erosion and leaching and hence have to be replenished through the above highlighted methods.
ZINC AND BORON APPLICATION
These are nutrients required by the crop. Boron plays a major role in processes and these are; root development, cell wall formation, cell division and enhances uptake of primary and secondary nutrients, water uptake, gives plant disease resistance, and thickens the cell wall hence reducing incidence of attack by white stem borer. Boron is a prerequisite for development of nodes, fruit size, flowering, fruit setting and also drought resistance.
Zinc on the other hand increases general crop yield, it increases the bean size, it reduces incidence of borer attack, it acts in protein synthesis, improves cup quality, increases coffee colour index,pottasim leaching and chlorogenic acid concentration.
Zinc and boron are the most important micro elements and require to be applied 1-2 months before flowering and should be applied twice in an year I. e. January /February and July /August for main crop and early crop or vice versa depending with your location. They reduces biennial cropping.
As greenlife we offer all the above foliars. We have ZINC GOLD at 10mls and VITABOR GOLD at 20mls per 20ltrs of water. They should be applied with Integra at a rate of 3ml/20l of water. These products are readily available at all stockists countrywide.
Thank you. Lets adopt Greenlife products.
