~Chapter 3~
Maintaining Plantation
Maintaining Plant before Production
Maintaining plants before its production time includes the action of Replanting, weeding, fertilisation, selection, maintaining cover crops, and parasite and disease control.
Replanting
Death of rubber plant after planted can still is tolerated as much as 5%. Seed preparation for replanting is done together with weeding to make sure the plant growth is uniformed. Replanting takes place when it reaches 1-2 years old. In the third year replanting will not be executed anymore.
Replanting should not be done while the sun is still shining. Before replanting is done, cause is seedlings death must be known first. If death is caused by fungi/mushroom or bacteria, the former land of the dead seedling should be spread fungicide.
Weeding
Weeding can be done manually and chemically. Manual weeding is usually done with the help of hoe and parang. Weeding manually is done 2-3 times a year. Chemical weeding is done by applying herbicide. You cannot choose herbicide randomly. It has to be chosen wisely. This is because if the wrong herbicide is used, it will affect the plantation negatively. Choosing type of herbicide is determined by these factors:
Types, Characteristics, spread of weed, growing tightness, growth height, reproducing ability, toleration to weed.
Solubility to herbicide can be easily obtained and free from acidic or alkaline characteristics.
Duration of herbicide killing power after exposure to air.
Light, soil, microorganism, water and temperature.
Its dosage and its relation to the price.
Works by contact, systemic, or absorbed by roots.
Good killing ability.
If these factors are followed, the eradication will succeed. Probability of weed growing is lesser. Eradication of weed can be done 2-3 times a year.
Fertilizing Plants
Fertilizing is done to speed up the growth and tapping mature rubber tree. There are 2 types of fertilization which are manual cycle and chemical strip weeding.
Manual cycle fertilizing is done by making a circular channel around tree with the distance from tree vary according to its age.
Age 3-5 months = 20-30 cm
Age 6-10 months = 20-45 cm
Age 11-20 months = 40-60 cm
Age 21-48 months = 40-90 cm
Age >48 months = 50-120 cm
Then, fertilizer is scattered at the channel made, then the channel will be covered again with soil. Chemical strip weeding is done by putting fertilizer outside 1-1.5 distance from plant rows. Method of chemical strip weeding fertilizer contribution is the same as manual circle.
Provision of fertilizer should not be done during rainy season because fertilizer will be washed away by the rain. Provision of fertilizer is done during the season change between rainy and dry season. Types of fertilizer used are Urea (45% Nitrogen), SP36 (36% Phosphorus Oxide), Potassium Chloride (50% Potassium Oxide). These types of fertilizer are easy to find in the market. Fertilization dosage is different to every soil. Plant fertilization dosage before production for yellow-red podzolic soil and latosol soil can be seen in the table below:
Table 3.5 - Plant Fertilization Dosage Before Production for yellow red podzolic soil
Age
(Month)
Fertilizer Type (g/tree/application)
Urea
SP36
KCl
3
21.73
44.40
13
9
43.47
88.81
26
15
65.32
133.22
36
21
86.95
177.63
52
27
108.69
222.03
65
33
130.43
267.83
78
39
173.91
355.25
104
45
217.39
444.07
150
51
250.86
532.89
156
Rubber Plantation Business Page 7