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Tips for planting collard greens
For better yields, farmers can plant collard greens at the onset of the rainy season. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- The best soils for growing sukuma wiki are those that are well-drained and rich in organic matter.
- The ideal pH should be between 5.5 and 7.0. Higher levels of pH make manganese unavailable to the plant, leading to yellowing of leaves.
The English name for sukuma wiki is collard greens. It is a form of a cabbage where green leaves do not form a head. It is closer to the wild cabbage, than the domesticated cabbage.
Sukuma wiki is rich in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, roughage, iron and calcium. It is mostly fried alone or with a mixture of other vegetables, especially onion and tomatoes, and served mostly with posho and beef.
Farming collard greens is profitable because it is consumed by nearly every household in Uganda and Kenya, at least once a week. It takes a short time to mature and most varieties can be harvested several times before the need to plant again.
Varieties
According to Vitoria Namukasa an agronomist at Namulonge, sukuma wiki is graded under highbred and natural varieties. Below are some of the varieties commonly grown in East Africa.
Mfalme F1 sukuma wiki
Mfalme F1, by east African seeds company, has a long harvesting period, and the leaves are not acidic when cooked, making it a preferred choice among people with ulcers. It has short spaces between the nodes, developing many leaves per internode. Mfalme F1 can tolerate some pests and diseases. “This variety is ready for harvest between 45 to 60 days and can be harvested throughout one year after the first harvest,” says Namukasa.
Thousand headed sukuma wiki
Compared to other varieties, the thousand headed variety has smaller leaves but is loved because of its long harvesting period. It produces many heads, making it yield more leaves. Thousand headed sukuma wiki is usually ready for harvest 60 days after planting. It has very good heat tolerance.
Hybrid
With good tolerance to the diamond black moth, the sukuma siku hybrid yields curled soft leaves, with good flavour and can be harvested for between six and nine months after the first harvest.
Requirements
Sukuma wiki can grow nearly in any climatic condition, provided water is available. It best performs at altitudes of between 800m to 2200 above sea level. The optimum temperature range is between 17 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius. Sukuma wiki requires at least six hours of direct sunlight.
For optimum yield, sukuma wiki requires enough water during its growing period. Well distributed rainfall of 350-500mm is ideal.
Sukuma wiki will yield about 8,000 kilogrammes per acre, under good management practices.
Nursery preparation
You can sow sukuma wiki seeds on open nursery or seedling trays.
When sowing sukuma wiki seeds in open field nursery, establish the nursery where the plants from the same vegetable family have not been planted for two years. Make the nursery about one metre wide. This will allow you to take care of the seedlings without having to step onto the nursery.
The length of the nursery can be as long as desired. If you are sowing in an area with heavy rainfall or heavy soils, it is recommended that you raise the nursery bed in order to prevent waterlogging.
Mix well-decomposed manure and DAP fertiliser with the soil in the nursery. Phosphorus helps in good root development while the manure improves soil structure and moisture retention. In the nursery, prepare drills across the beds at a spacing of 10 to 15 centimetres apart and two centimetres deep. Sow the seeds thinly and cover lightly with soil.
Cover the bed with a thin layer of mulch, to avoid unearthing of the seeds. The mulch can be removed after germination. If growing in hot areas, make a shed of one metre high.
Once the seeds germinate, thin the seedlings to 2 to 3 centimetres apart to avoid competition for nutrients and space. Such competition will lead to weak seedlings. Crowding also creates a good environment for diseases.
Topdressing with CAN, only of poor soils, should be done two weeks after germination. Water once or twice daily. Control pests in the nursery to ensure the seedlings are healthy.
Transplanting
Transplant the seedlings when they have four to five roots. The collard greens seedlings will be about four weeks old. Harden the seedlings by reducing the amount of water given, one week to the transplanting day.
The best time to transplant sukuma wiki is in the morning or evenings when the sun is not hot. It is advisable only to transplant the strong healthy seedlings.
Mulching
Mulching for sukuma wiki is encouraged in order to prevent loss of soil moisture, soil erosion, and growth of weeds.
Weed control
Weeds will be detrimental to sukuma wiki and affect your yield, as they compete for nutrients and water with the sukuma wiki plants. Manual or semi-mechanical weeding can be done to remove the weeds. When weeding, do it in a shallow manner in order to avoid injuring the sukuma wiki leaves.
Harvesting
Within four weeks after transplanting, meaning about eight weeks after planting the seeds, sukuma wiki will be ready for harvest. It is done when the leaves are the size of your hand.
Sukuma wiki Harvesting is done manually, by handpicking. Handle the leaves with care, to avoid bruises. Only harvest the outer leaves, so that you can continue harvesting as new leaves develop.
Sukuma wiki leaves can be stored 7-10 days under refrigeration and longer if cooked and frozen. Most farmers harvest and take to the market on the same day, to avoid the need for refrigeration.
Preparation
When preparing the land for growing sukuma wiki, make sure the ploughing is deep, allowing for faster and better root development.
Remove any perennial weeds before planting. Prepare the land early enough so as to expose the soil pests to sunlight and birds. The birds will eat the pests. Sunlight will kill some of the pests.
