Cultivation
You must remove the weeds around the young oil
palms.
This work is done with a hoe or a machete.
During the first year, cultivate 6 times.
Remove all the weeds for 2 metres around each stem.
During the first months, the weeds between rows have
to be cut.
If you leave the weeds, the cover crop will not grow
well.
Trimming the plants
You must always cut away the dry leaves of the oil palm.
In order to cut the leaves without damage to the oil
palm, your tools must be well sharpened.
Cut the leaves very close to the stem, so that no
other plants can grow in the axil of the cut-off leaves.
Remove from the trunk any plants (ferns) that may
grow in the axils of the leaves.
Remove also the male flowers.
Applying fertilizer
The oil palm needs a lot of mineral salts to form its
leaves and fruit clusters.
When the oil palm is young, it needs above all nitrogen.
When the oil palm has begun to produce, it needs a
lot of potash.
Potash increases the number of fruit clusters, and
makes them bigger.
Example: Ivory Coast
On plantations (per tree per year)
| Age of oil palm | Savanna | Forest | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammes | Fertilizer | Grammes | Fertilizer | |
| Year of planting | 500 500 | Ammonium sulfate Potassium chloride | 250 250 | Ammonium sulfate Potassium chloride |
| 1 year | 750 750 | Ammonium sulfate Potassium chloride | 500 300 | Ammonium sulfate Potassium chloride |
| 2 years | 750 750 | Ammonium sulfate Potassium chloride | 750 to 1 500 | Potassium chloride |
| 3 and 4 years and afterwards | ||||
| 1 000 to 1 500 | Potassium chloride | 750 to 1 500 | Potassium chloride | |
On natural palm groves (per tree per year):
1 000 grammes of potassium chloride
Example: Benin
On plantations (per tree per year)
| Age of oil palm | Ammonium sulfate | Potassium chloride |
| Grammes | Grammes | |
| Year of planting | 250 | 200 |
| 1 year | 350 | 200 |
| 2 years | 500 | 500 |
| 3 years | 600 | 750 |
| 4 years | 600 | 1 000 |
Rhinoceros and augosome beetles Strategus beetle
To protect the young trees, put in the axil of the leaves a mixture of sawdust and BHC.
Palm weevil (Rhynchophora)
To avoid dangerous attacks, be very careful not to
wound the trees.
The insects may lay their eggs in the wounds of the
oil palm.
There are other insects, but it is difficult for the grower to control them.
Oil palms may also be attacked by rats and agoutis.
Rats and agoutis can eat young oil palms.
Protect your young oil palms against agoutis by wire
netting round each tree.
As a protection against rats, you can place little bags
with poisoned maize near the oil palms.
Diseases
Oil palms may be attacked by several diseases.
If you see distorted leaves or leaves that break, ask
for advice from the extension service.
