Description
Recomended Application
| Growth Stage | Wet & Intermediate Zone | Dry Zone |
| Young Palms | YPM – W (11:16:14) | YPM- D (13:12:17) |
| Adults Palms | APM – W (11:08:29) | APM – D (12:06:32) |
Basal Dressing at Planting
Soil used to fill planting holes should be mixed with the following. In addition, application of organic fertilizer such as dry cattle manure, goat manure and seasoned poultry manure (10 kg per planting hole) is beneficial.
| Wet & Intermediate Zone | Dry Zone |
| YPM – W 1.25 Kg | YPM – D, 1 Kg |
| Dolomite 1 Kg | Dolomite 1 Kg |
Rate of Application for Young Palms (g / palm)
| Age of Palm | YPM – W | YPM – D | Dolomite |
| 6 months | 800 | 650 | 500 |
| 1 year | 1000 | 800 | 500 |
| 1 1/2 years | 1000 | 800 | 500 |
| 2 years | 1300 | 1100 | 500 |
| 2 1/2 years | 1300 | 1100 | 500 |
| 3 years | 1600 | 1350 | 500 |
| 3 1/2 years | 1600 | 1350 | 500 |
| 4 years to bearing | 2000 | 1600 | 500 |
- Fertilizer should be applied in a circular pattern, 1 foot away from the base of the plant in the first 1 – 1 ½ years.
- Distance of application from the base of the tree should gradually increase with growth.
- Fertilizer should be applied at least once in six months.
Rate of Application for Adult Palms (Kg / palm / Year)
| APM – W
(Wet & Intermediate Zones) |
APM – D (Dry Zone) | Dolomite |
| 3.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
- Application of 1.5 times the above rates is recommended for hybrid coconut, improved cultivar and high yielding palms (yielding more than 74 nuts/palm/year).
- Fertilizer should be broadcast in the entire area around the base of the palm up to the distance of approximately 6 feet.
- Application should be carried out annually.
Dolomite Application
Dolomite should not be mixed with fertilizer mixtures and should be applied separately as it reacts with urea in the mixture and releases Nitrogen and Ammonia.
However, a time lapse between fertilizer and dolomite application is not necessary.
General Guide for Fertilizer Application
- Fertilizer should be applied when the soil is moist.
- Weeds in the manure circle should be slashed before fertilizer application.
- The manure circle should be completely covered with material such as weed trash, dried fronds and husks as soon as application is complete.
- On steep slopes, fertilizer should be applied in a semi circular shallow basin on the upper part of the slope.
- The basin should be closed and well mulched after application.
- Adult palms require application twice a year with each monsoon season and young palms four times a year to minimize the loss of nutrients due to leaching.
