Cloves #7

Hello everyone!

Today I will be looking at a topic which is from my own experience one of the most labour intensive work within growing crops. We will be talking about weeds! and weeding, and how to fight it. Firstly I will be talking about what the most common weeds are in clove production, and after that on ways to prevent weeds and fighting it.

What weeds are most common in clove production?

Weeds in clove production don't impose much of a treat as cloves are grown on trees. However in the early stages of the tree growing (First years) it is important to keep the small tree weed free. If this is not done properly the tree will not get enough sunlight & nutrients and this is a critical issue, as there is a chance the tree will die. Further weeding includes the pruning of the trees, if you would leave the trees to grow freely they would become too big and the plantation would get overcrowded. (Agrifarming,2017)

How do you properly protect your clove trees from weeds?

There are many ways to fight weeds for each crop. Within clove production it is important to keep the young trees weed free. A way to do this is by mulching. With mulching you will cover the soil with organic matter, but most common it is to cover the soil with straw or woodchips. Due to the soil being covered, weeds do not get much sunlight and this makes it harder for them to grow. The other (low input) possible options could be weed removel by means of ploughing or digging them out by hand. (Agrifarming,2017)


Bibliography:

http://www.agrifarming.in/clove-cultivation-information/

Cloves #6

Hello everyone!
Todays subject will be about soils in Indonesia. Firstly we will talk about the most common soils in Indonesia, and secondly which soil would be best for clove production.
Soils in Indonesia




As you can see in the picture above there are ALOT of different soils in Indonesia. This is due to the vast size of the country, which most people don't realise. The most common soils you will find are:  Andosol, Latosol, Regosol, Rendzina, Lateritic, Litosol, Grumosol, blue Hydromorph, Alluvial and Podsol (Deptan, 1988; Muir, 1996). Especially the Andosols are more fertile and therefore more suitable for agricultural production. Next to the andosols, the Grumosols are also one of the better soils for agriculture, these soils  also have a high Ca content. (Dr. I.m Nitis, 1999)
If you start comparing regions in Indonesia you will see that the inner islands have more fertile and higher based saturation soils, such as the Inceptisols, Mollisols, and Vertisols. The outer islands that are dominated by Ultisols, Oxisols and Histosols, these soils are acid with a low plant nutrient status. Population could be linked to the soil types, as areas with fertile soils have higher population sizes. (FAO,2002)
Best soils for clove production
Deep black loam soil with high humus content found in the forest region is best suited for clove cultivation. Clove trees also grow satisfactorily on laterite soils, clay loams and rich black soils which have good drainage. Sandy soil is not suitable for clove production. (IndiaAgronet,2017)
https://www.indiaagronet.com/horticulture/CONTENTS/clove.htmhttp://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/counprof/indones.htmMuir, M. (1996). Tanah-tanah utama Indonesia. Karasteristik, klasifikasi dan pemanfaatannya. PT. Dunia Pustaka Jaya, Jakarta. 346 hal.http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y7063e/y7063e05.htm