adminHere are the agronomic practices during the month of March.
General activities
- Commence silage and haymaking this month.
- Commence lifting up of groundnuts by the end of the month when the ground is moist.
- Prepare land for winter cropping.
- Repay loans and make fresh loan applications to financial institutions.
- Compile annual farming work plan and farm budget.
- Maintain farm records.
- Purchase inputs for the next season.
- Early fireguard burning commences.
Tobacco/Paprika
- Continue reaping, curing and baling.
- Cotton
- Start using pyrethroids in cotton for pest control in the highveld.
Forestry
- Continue seed collection as for February.
- Continue with late planting if weather conditions permit.
- Nursery tending operations including watering, root pruning and weeding continue.
Vegetables
- Sow cape flat onions from mid March to early April for the main crop.
- Make larger sowings of cauliflower, cabbages and peas seed, carrots, spinach, tomatoes and beans.
- Plant Pests and Disease Control
- Spray potatoes and tomatoes against Late Blight and red spider mites.
- Spray citrus against black citrus aphids, soft brown scale and citrus psylla.
Livestock
- Continue with short period rotational grazing.
- End the bulling season.
- Cull non-pregnant heifers.
- Vaccinate four to tem months old heifer calves against contagious abortion.
- Dip all cattle weekly.
- Vaccinate calves at six months against Quarter Evil.
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