Description

Oil Palm Seedlings

Oil palm seedlings require an evenly distributed annual rainfall of 2000 mm without a defined dry season. Best oil palm yields are obtained in places where a maximum average temperature of 29-33 degrees and a minimum average temperature of 22-24 degrees are available.

• The crop requires 1800-2000 sunlight hours annually, more than 300 cal/cm2/per day, constant sunlight of at least 5 hours per day for better oil palm yield.
• Moist, deep, and well-drained medium-textured soils rich in humus content are considered ideal for propagation of these crops.
• Gravelly and sandy soils, particularly the coastal sands are not ideal for oil palm cultivation. Heavy clay soils with poor drainage properties may pose problems of aeration during rainy seasons.

We offer hybrid varieties of oil palm seedlings (Tenera).

Transplanting Seedlings

• Seedlings should be removed from the main nursery by lifting with a spade and the roots carefully cut. Seedlings should never be lifted from the soil by pulling the leaves or stem.
• It is important to keep the seedlings in the shade and out of the sun and to have them planted as early as possible after removal from the main nursery.
• Once your oil palm tree has started growing, water the tree frequently. As long as the soil drains well, you really can’t water it too often.
• Second, growing oil palms are heavy feeders that require regular, complete fertilizer. Look for a fertilizer that provides both the basic nutrients plus trace nutrients like boron, manganese, and magnesium.

In the hot season, summer, grow it outdoors and make sure you place it in a very sunny and warm spot.

Growing seedlings in polythene bags

• For seedlings grown in polythene bags, advantages include (more vigorous seedlings with a better root system, better establishment, and early bearing, transplanting shock is greatly minimized since there is no root damage, the early establishment of transplanted seedlings, seedlings can be retained longer in the nursery when conditions for field planting are not favorable, weeding, watering and elimination of unwanted seedlings, as well as seedling selection for planting out to field, are more easily accomplished.
• Polybags are preferably black, UV resistant for durability, and measuring 40 – 45 cm wide with 8 – 10 holes at bottom and sides are half-filled with soil and compost mixed at a 50:50 ratio.
• Decomposed sawdust, corncobs, rice hull, and other organic materials can be used so as to reduce the weight of the half-filled polybag and improve drainage and soil fertility.