The best green gram fertilizer should be that which fulfills the nutritional requirements of green grams. Green grams are a good source of proteins and are one of the few cash crops proven to grow well in arid areas. In our local language, green grams are commonly referred to as ndengu.
Green Gram Plant Seeds
A thriving farming venture will depend on two main things: the type of green gram plant seed you plant and how you will use fertilizer to your advantage. There are several green gram seed varieties in the country that you should consider. These seed varieties have been tested by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization {KALRO}.
Some of the seeds that you should consider are:
KVR22 Variety: This seed variety is Golden yellow and relatively tolerant to yellow mosaic disease. This green gram variety flowers in 55 Days, matures in 90 days, and will produce a yield of 4-7 bags per acre.
NH26 Variety: This seed variety has shiny green seeds that produce purple flowers. They flower in around 45 days and are ready for harvesting within 65 days. Under ideal conditions, they should produce 6 -8 bags per acre.
Biashara: Mashallah also has shiny green seeds that mature within 75 days. The yield per Acre is 8 to 9 bags.
Karembo: Karembo is a large-sized seed that matures in 75 days. It will yield 8-9 bags per acre with optimal care and conditions.
Another green gram plant seed worth talking about is the Ndengu Tosha variety, which has 8 -10 kg yield.
Growing Green Grams
The first stage of growing green grams is to ensure the seeds have been treated for soil-borne diseases. Before you plant green gram seeds, ensure you do a germination test. A germination test is easy; the first is to soak a tablespoon of seeds in water and then wrap them with a cotton wool material. Inspect the seeds after three days to evaluate the germination rate.
If the germination rate is between 70 to 80%, then that is a good seed variety. If the germination rate is below 70%, you should consider selecting other seed varieties.
Land Preparation
Before preparing a piece of land, you should choose a site that is not too steep or swampy. If possible, avoid heavy clay soils as they retain water for long periods.
When preparing the land, plow it during the dry season to ensure enough time for aeration. Aeration is good because it kills soil-borne diseases that can affect your yields. Another thing that you need to consider is that the pH range should be between 6 to 7.
After a soil test, and you realize that the pH scale is below 6, lime should be added to the soil.
Planting Green Grams
When planting green grams, the seeds should be planted 3-5 cm deep in well-tilted and moist soil. If the soil is dry, the depth can be increased to 7.5 centimeters, but only if the soil is not crusty. Crusty soils tend to reduce the stand counts.
It is important to note that green grams can be intercropped with crops such as maize. If planted alone, the optimal spacing should be 45 centimeters between rows. Grams seeds should be planted at the rate of 25kg per hectare.
After planting the seeds, you should ensure that weeding is done to reduce competition between your cash crop and weeds. You can control weeds using several methods, the most common being mulching and herbicides.
Best Green Gram Fertilizer
To increase yields, you must ensure that the land has a balanced distribution of essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc, and manganese. Nitrogen-based fertilizer is important because it promotes green gram growth. You should ensure that the plant has plenty of nitrogen during the reproductive phase.
Nitrogen addition should be added at the rate of 25 kg per acre. If there is phosphorus deficiency, you should add more at 50kg per acre. Always ensure the results of a soil test guide you.
One of the best green gram fertilizers in the market is Organic fertilizer. One main advantage of organic fertilizer such as Safi Sarvi is that it increases the water retention rate of the soil. Therefore, you will spend less on irrigation if you grow green grams or ndengu is a dry area.
Another advantage of using organic fertilizer is that you will not spend alot of money on pesticides and herbicides. If you do the math, organic fertilizer is cheaper in the long run. You also have to consider the fact that organic fertilizer helps replenish nutrients in the soil.