Encik Manap - Merbok, Kedah
Next up, we're heading to Merbok, Kedah, to meet Encik Manap at his durian orchard. He's a retired Primary school English teacher who manages the orchard all by himself. This is quite an interesting encounter because his son, Encik Aman, is the one who always buys products from our platform for his dad to try out at his orchard. It was a nice catch-up with the family, and we want to thank them so much for their continued support!
Encik Manap: I've been learning how to pruning recently.
Agronomist: That's great! Pruning is indeed very important. If done correctly, your fertilizer won't go to waste. The key technique for pruning is to remove the branches inside the canopy. Leaves inside the canopy won't receive enough sunlight anyway, but they still consume your fertilizer, so it's best to get rid of them.
Agronomist: This mangosteen tree requires pruning to improve air circulation and reduce humidity inside the canopy. This will help prevent pest and disease infestation.
Encik Manap: I see! Thanks for the information. How often do we need to fertilize the tree in a year?
Agronomist: Typically, we measure fertilization by months. Some farmers fertilize every month. If you're up for it, you can even do it every 2 weeks, but what matters most is the dosage during each fertilization process.
Encik Manap: Could you tell me more about the NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) ratio difference in the fertilization process?
Agronomist: Sure! Before fruiting, we focus on vegetative growth, which means promoting root and leaf development. During this stage, you can use a 15-15-15 or 16-16-16 fertilizer, or you can also alternate with organic fertilizer.
Encik Manap:I see. So after the fruiting season, when do we need to apply fertilizer again?
Agronomist:If the tree still bears flowers or fruits, you should apply fertilizer focusing on flower blooming. This helps the flowers develop into fruits with a high P & K ratio, for example, 12-12-17. You can also try using foliar fertilizer. The good thing about foliar fertilizer is that the nutrients can be easily absorbed from the leaves to the tree. Once all the fruits are harvested, you can go back to the vegetative growth stage and apply 15-15-15 or 16-16-16 fertilizer.
Encik Manap: Then when should we apply organic fertilizer?
Agronomist: You can use it alternatively with chemical fertilizer, like in a cycle. For example, use chemical fertilizer for 2 weeks, then switch to organic fertilizer for the next 2 weeks. Organic fertilizer is mainly used to maintain the good soil condition, not to direct supply nutrients to the trees.
Encik Manap: For this tree, which is around 10 years old, how much fertilizer should we use?
Agronomist: It depends on your budget. If you can afford it, you can apply 25kg of organic fertilizer per tree. However, for young grafting trees, around 50g compound fertilizer should be sufficient.
Encik Manap: What about disease management for canker disease?
Agronomist: You can apply fungicides such as Aliette, which are effective against canker disease. Use them 10 days interval. Canker disease is usually caused by poor soil conditions, which lead to low oxygen supply to the roots or poor water circulation, creating a favorable environment for fungal infection.
Encik Manap: So how can we improve oxygen supply to the roots?
Agronomist: Applying organic fertilizer can help improve the soil condition.Besides,can go for Bio-organic fertilizer which has the functionality of organic fertilizer, and strong strain microbes which help to suppress others pathogenic microbes.
Encik Manap: Is it correct to create a tunnel for fertilizer application?
Agronomist: Yes, that's definitely correct! If you apply fertilizer on the soil surface, it may be washed away by rainwater, leading to wastage. Instead, you can dig holes around your trees and place the fertilizer inside the holes. This way, it stays where it's needed.
Encik Manap: Thanks a lot for all this valuable information! I've learned so much today about fertilizing and disease management for my trees. I can't wait to apply these techniques to my farm!
Encik Manap treated us to drinks before we said our goodbyes. Thanks for the treat! If you ever have more questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us. Happy farming, and we hope your farm thrives with these new practices!
Here’s a short interview with Encik Manap where he talks about his interest in farming since his childhood, the biggest challenges in durian farming, and what he would advise new farmers to do before starting on their farming journey.